North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Scholars Program
The North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Scholars Program, made possible by a five-year grant from the NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, supports selected biology and chemistry majors who demonstrate academic merit and financial need. The primary purpose of the Scholars Program is to improve and diversify undergraduate research training at UNC Asheville in STEM disciplines that include medicinal chemistry, cell biology, biochemistry, organic synthesis, and molecular and chemical biology.
UNC Asheville has a national reputation in undergraduate research, the result of many years of dedicated work by our students and their faculty mentors. Research students are placed on intensive, cutting-edge projects that address important questions in areas such as antibiotic resistance, cancer cell behavior, and organic synthesis of disease therapeutics. Students in the NC GlaxoSmithKline Scholars Program will be involved in research projects that require a high level of responsibility, energy, precision, long-term commitment, and ability to work with faculty and a team of students. This is a highly rigorous endeavor, and its rewards, both academically and financially, make it one of the finest opportunities UNC Asheville has offered to students interested in scientific and healthcare career paths.
Award Details
The North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Scholars Program committee will select up to four incoming UNC Asheville freshmen as Student Scholars for the 2017-18 academic year. Each student will receive scholarship funding of $4,000 per year in the Program, scientific training in disciplines at the intersection of biology and chemistry, and stipend support for research in the laboratory of a Program faculty member. Student Scholars will join an established research group in the fields of medicinal chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, organic synthesis, or chemical biology. During the freshman and sophomore years, Scholars will initially learn about the scientific work being performed and develop laboratory skills necessary for taking on their own component of a project. In the summer immediately following sophomore year, each Scholar will receive a stipend of $4,000 to perform 10 weeks of intensive research in the faculty mentor’s lab. This research will continue for the student’s junior year, subsequent summer, and senior year, with stipends provided during these periods in addition to the scholarship funds. For a Scholar spending four years in this program, the total award including scholarships and research stipends will be $39,000. The program also will provide support for each student’s research expenses (e.g., chemicals, laboratory supplies) and travel to professional scientific conferences. Continued scholarship and stipend support is contingent upon declaring a major in biology or chemistry during the first year, and maintaining academic and laboratory performance as stipulated in the Scholars Program Grant.