The 2013 Application Deadline is past; a new Request for Applications (RFA) will be released late summer 2013.

2013 Howell-CSUPERB Scholars Award Program

Submission Information

Applicants are required to submit an electronic version (Microsoft WORD, Adobe PDF, or JPG format) of their completed application before the deadline. Hardcopy or email submissions are not accepted.

The complete application package must be submitted electronically by faculty mentor before the deadline. Faculty must set up accounts online using the OARS system. OARS is CSUPERB's Online Application and Review System and is designed to maintain confidentiality and security. Students cannot set up user accounts on OARS. Contact Eric Nedelman (619-594-1203 or the program office, 619-594-2822) if you have any problems with the web page or the electronic submission process before the due date.

The complete application package includes: (1) Completed and signed 2013 Howell-CSUPERB application form, (2) Faculty mentor's letter of recommendation (on campus letterhead), (3) Faculty mentor's short CV, and (4) Student's transcript (unofficial transcripts are acceptable).

Please note that page 2 of the application requires student, mentor and departmental signatures so plan ahead! Applicants can upload a scanned image of page 2, including signatures, into the OARS system as part of the application package (PDF) or separately as a JPG or TIFF image.

Howell-CSUPERB Application Form (.doc) includes:

Cover Page with contact information for student and faculty mentor. Use email addresses that will be active during the application process and project period (through Summer 2013). Be careful to enter correct spelling for email addresses. CSUPERB will contact student applicants and faculty mentors by email.
Certifications - The Howell-CSUPERB Award program is open to any CSU undergraduate student in "good standing" and planning to remain at his/her CSU campus for at least one more academic term. Each CSU student applicant must be mentored by a CSU faculty member. The student applicant, faculty mentor and department chair signatures are required in the certification section. The signed certification page can be scanned and uploaded separately on OARS.
Summary of Proposed Project [written by the student - limited to 100 words]: Use this section to briefly describe the project and the expected impacts of the proposed research project.

Relevance to Women's Health [written by the student - limited to 100 words]: Use this section to describe how the proposed biotechnology-related project is relevant to women's health.

Personal Essay [written by the student - limited to 100 words]: Use this section to describe the relevance and expected impact of the proposed project on your future academic or career goals. Explain how the Howell-CSUPERB award might enable you to do research that otherwise would not be possible.
Project Description [written by the student - limit to two to three pages including description of the project, figures and references]: Use this section to state the specific aims of the project. Include a description of any previous work you have done in the area and a short review of the existing literature relevant to the project. Describe how you plan to address each specific aim experimentally, including a description of the methods you plan to use. Be sure to describe how the results will be evaluated or analyzed. Provide a tentative timeline for the research project.

Faculty Mentor's Letter of Recommendation [The faculty member must sign and write this letter on his/her campus letterhead stationery]: Successful applications will provide evidence of effective faculty mentorship, an intent to support the student project in his/her lab/group, and a desire to ensure the Howell Scholar’s progress and success. The faculty mentor should provide a fair and objective assessment of the student's academic and research abilities in the recommendation letter. The faculty mentor will provide assistance and support to the student at all stages of the project, including the development of the research plan, timeline, execution of the project, and preparation of final reports. This letter is a very important element in the evaluation of the applications. If more than one student is applying from the same lab, the faculty member is asked to rank the students relative to each other.

Faculty Mentor's Short CV [limit to one to two pages]: The faculty member should submit a short CV with the application packet.

Student's Transcript - The applicant student should submit a copy of his/her transcript. An unofficial copy is acceptable.

Contact Information

For questions regarding submission process and application forms, please contact:

Eric Nedelman
Administrative Analyst, CSUPERB
(619) 594-1203 or (619) 594-2822

For information about this program and RFA, contact either:

Susan Baxter
Executive Director, CSUPERB
(619) 594-2822

James Schmitt
Program Administrator, CSUPERB
(619) 594-5299