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Beckman Scholars Program, established in 1997, is an invited program for accredited universities and four-year colleges in the US. It provides scholarships that contribute significantly to advancing the education, research training, and personal development of select students in chemistry, biochemistry, and the biological and medical sciences. The sustained, in-depth, undergraduate research experiences and comprehensive faculty mentoring are unique in terms of program scope, content, and level of scholarship awards. The University of Kentucky has been invited to apply for the program three times; UK was selected to participate for three years beginning in 2002, and for a second three years beginning in 2005.

The Beckman Scholars Program provides support for no more than three outstanding undergraduate researchers per year. Scholars receive support for two summers and the intervening academic year, including a generous scholarship award plus stipends for supplies and travel. Scholars must conduct their research in chemis-try, biochemistry, the biological and medical sciences, or some interdisciplinary combination of these disciplines, in the laboratory of and under the mentorship of a University of Kentucky faculty member approved by the Beckman Foundation.

Being named a Beckman Scholar is an extraordinarily high honor. The process by which a scholar is selected is quite rigorous. The selection is conducted by a committee of research faculty members each with a strong record of mentoring undergraduate researchers. The selection process evaluates 1) the ability of the candidate in both written and oral communication by considering a required research essay and conducting an interview of each finalist; 2) the past achievements of the candidate by reviewing the entire undergraduate transcript, academic honors received, and all previous research experience; 3) the candidate's intellect, character, and potential to excel as a researcher by appraising a required written

research plan and at least three letters of support from current and prospective faculty mentors; and 4) the candidate's potential for a career in research by evaluating a required written statement of educational and career plans.

To apply to become a Beckman Scholar, a student must be a sophomore or junior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Chemistry, Biology, or a closely related discipline (such as chemical engineering or agricultural biotechnology), and have already completed at least one semester of research experience.

The Beckman Scholars for the year 2004-2005 were Stephanie Logsdon (mentored by Professor Robin Cooper) and Brandon Sutton (mentored by Professor Diane Snow). The Beckman Scholars named for the year 2005-2006 are Nicolas Badre (mentored by Professor Robin Cooper) and Jason Passafiume (mentored by Professor Bruce O'Hara). In the following articles, the 2004-2005 Scholars explain and discuss their research.

For more information on the Beckman Schola Program at the University of Kentucky, visit www.uky.edu/beckman.