Varela Fly Brain, Photo by Aitana Zamora
Angel Fox FP ’26
Staff Writer
For Mount Holyoke College students interested in pursuing a biology or chemistry degree, an application to the Beckman Scholar Program is worth considering for those who desire valuable research experience and mentorship.
The Beckman Scholars Program is open to students studying chemistry, biology or interdisciplinary combinations within either field, and is designed for equity, inclusion and access. Created by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, this program includes 15 months of mentored research: An experience dedicated to exceptional undergraduate students. Applications are due Mar. 1, and recipients will be announced on Apr. 1. Students interested in learning more about the program itself and its application process can reach out to Briana Chace ’17, the associate director of fellowships at Mount Holyoke College.
While applying to programs like this can seem intimidating, they are more accessible with the aid of the Mount Holyoke College Office of Sponsored Research. Illia Kawash-Cooper ’25, a Beckman recipient in the first cohort in 2023, shared her experience in a recent interview with Mount Holyoke News.
Photo credit Kyle Broaders
“When I applied, it was essentially a personal statement and then some shorter questions. It was the first time I had applied to something like that, super competitive and asking you to really dig deep and talk about yourself. I think those kinds of applications are never easy to write, and I really wanted to get the award so I was really obsessing over the application,” Kawash-Cooper said. “Overall though it's not a difficult application, I think it depends on how familiar you are with that type of personal writing and how well you know your goals. If you have good answers, it's not difficult to answer the questions well.”
Additionally, neuroscience and behavior and psychology double-major Aitana Zamora Varela ’27, part of Mount Holyoke College’s 2024 recipient cohort, said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News, “I've done many scholarship applications, and I would call the Beckman scholarship application very fair and straightforward … I think that it's mostly just an online form. There is no major interview, although I highly recommend new applicants to go through Briana Chace, head of fellowships, because she does support you through your application process. And it's mostly short or long essays.”
Photo credit Max Wilhelm
Recipients of the award are funded over two consecutive summers and one full academic year. The student stipend totals $18,000, with staggered payments of $6,800 for each of the two summers and $4,600 during the academic year. A $2,800 fund for research and travel is also available to scholars. To be eligible for the program, students must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents or have DACA status, be a full-time student at Mount Holyoke College, and have the intention to pursue an advanced degree or other scientific goal after graduation.
Varela continued, “It was very helpful to have an opportunity that allows me to see what my potential future could look like working in a research lab, or maybe one day even having my own. So, being able to focus on lab work without ongoing courses, was a huge benefit.” The Office of Sponsored Research can help guide students when choosing a mentor as well.
Faculty mentors for this year’s program include biochemist Katie Berry, organic chemist Kyle Broaders, chemist and materials scientist Wei Chen, chemist Kate McMenimen, behavioral neuroscientist Jared Schwartzer, and computer scientist Melody Su. Working with each mentor will offer a unique research experience, whether it involves Chen’s investigation of the fabrication and stability of two-dimensional nanomaterials in nontoxic materials or Su’s examination of the interactions of robotic surgical tools and soft deformable tissue. More information about mentors and their areas of research can be found on the MHC Beckman Scholars Program page and students may contact them with any questions they may have about their mentorship.
Kawash-Cooper chose Professor Kyle Broaders, who is studying and developing the synthesis of responsive polymer biomaterials. “I was already working with Prof. Kyle Broaders … it was an easy decision at that point. Originally, I chose to work with Kyle because I was really interested in the kind of applied organic chemistry he was doing,” Kawash-Cooper said. “We are a materials chemistry lab that is at heart an organic chemistry lab, and I really love how our lab approaches real world questions, such as renewable plastics, or targeted drug delivery, using organic chemistry. So first and foremost I chose the research, but I also chose the research because of my mentor.”
Photo credit Katie Berry
Mentors can have a lasting impact on research, future careers and the knowledge base a student collects while under their tutelage. If students are not sure which mentorship may be a good fit, reaching out to the mentors themselves may help.
When the scholars were asked what advice they would give to future scholars, they said that scheduling is of the utmost importance to be successful. Kawash-Cooper said, “Plan your schedule and be super intentional about spending your time doing your research [in] your first semester as a scholar. It's easy to fill your schedule with a million things, but the point of the fellowship is to give you the opportunity to have the time to do research … go to your mentor for lots of questions, about research but also just general life advice.”
For Varela, being “hyper-scheduled” was critical. “I have very, very strict ways on how I organize my time. I will allocate an appropriate, but not an overly long amount of time for tasks … if you're in research and you want to balance schoolwork, I highly recommend looking at your protocol, looking [at] when there's breaks, when something's processing and doing your work during your protocol,” they said.
The Beckman Scholars Program is a great opportunity to build laboratory and communication skills, gain work experience, advance knowledge in a chosen field and prepare for future opportunities. This is done not only through mentorship and lab work, but also through annual conferences for scholars to attend and share their research.
Reflecting on their favorite part of the program, Kawash-Cooper said, “I would say that the best part has been feeling like my research was part of a bigger something and attending the annual Beckman Conference both summers. At the conference you get to meet all the other scholars from other institutions as well as Ph.D. students and professors. It's really amazing to see all the really cool, interesting and creative research that all of those brilliant people have done. And it's amazing to be a part of it.”
Adeyla Hoenck '28 contributed fact-checking.