Furman University’s Department of Chemistry has been selected to participate in the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Beckman Scholars Program. Furman is one of 12 institutions nationwide receiving the honor this year.

The Beckman Scholars Program provides undergraduates and faculty in chemistry and biological sciences unique opportunities for excellence through sustained, in-depth laboratory research experiences.

Earmarked for the nation’s “most talented and gifted undergraduates,” funds awarded through the Beckman Scholars Program support four scholars over three years. Each scholar named by Furman receives a $26,000 award to perform research, which breaks down to an $18,200 stipend, a $2,800 allotment for travel and supply expenses, and a $5,000 stipend for the faculty member mentoring the scholar.

Participation in the Beckman Scholars Program includes a highly competitive, invitation-only application process which examines undergraduate research quality and commitment indicators at universities and colleges across the country. This year, 154 institutions were asked to submit applications to be considered for the awards. Following review of the applications, an advisory panel composed of distinguished science faculty assisted the Beckman Foundation in selecting 39 finalist institutions, from which were culled 12 winners, less than eight percent of the invited applicants.

Furman is one of only a few institutions that has been awarded continuous funding by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation since the program’s inception in 1998.

Says Furman chemistry professor Paul Wagenknecht, Ph.D., “The fact that the Furman chemistry department has been honored with six consecutive funding cycles by the Foundation speaks to the quality both of our program and of the undergraduate students we attract. We are extremely proud of what our Beckman Scholars have accomplished over the 17 years of the program.”

The complete list of Beckman Scholar honorees may be found at http://www.beckman-foundation.com/announcements/new-announcement.