Through the generosity of alumni and other friends of the department, the Chemistry Department is able to offer scholarships, fellowships, awards, and summer research support. In 2023, the Department of Chemistry awarded more than 40 scholarships totaling more than $190,000. Last year, each student awarded a departmental summer research award received $6,000, while students awarded departmental academic year awards received funding in the range of $1500 to $5,500.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Undergraduate Chemistry Office
Room 1351 Chemistry Building
UW-Madison Department of Chemistry
1101 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706
scholarships@chem.wisc.edu
608.263.2424
Awards applied for separate from the Chemistry Undergraduate Scholarship
- ACS-Hach Land Grant Undergraduate Scholarship
- Alpha Chi Sigma Alumni Endowed Scholarship
- Arthur E. Goldberg Scholarship
Chemistry Undergraduate Scholarships and Research Support Application Guidelines
Any student who is a chemistry major or is conducting research with a chemistry faculty member is eligible to apply for the awards. An overall GPA of 2.5 is recommended, but not required, for award eligibility; awards are based on both merit and financial need. Please note that applicants working with affiliated faculty members must ALSO be chemistry majors. Non-chemistry majors working with an affiliate faculty member are not eligible for these awards.
Students may apply for academic year scholarships and/or summer research support. Recipients of academic year scholarships must be enrolled full-time for the semester(s) they receive the award. Research support recipients must commit to working at least 30 hours per week for eight weeks during the summer, or 240 hours over the entire summer. Recent graduates are ineligible for summer research support. Students may not receive both the UW-Madison Hilldale/Holstrom Research Fellowship and a chemistry summer research support for the same summer.
Applications for summer and the academic year will be available mid-December. Applications are due February. Award recipients will be notified in mid-April.
To apply for academic year scholarships and/or research support, students must complete an online application through the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH). To apply for academic year scholarships and/or summer research support, students complete just one application called Chemistry Undergraduate Scholarships and Research Support in WiSH.
Apply for the Chemistry Undergraduate Scholarships and Research Support
As part of the application, applicants must include a letter of support from a faculty member or mentor, a brief statement of interest, and a resume. Transfer students will also need to submit unofficial transcripts from their former institution(s). For students applying for summer research support, the letter of support must come from the faculty member who will supervise their summer research project.
The brief statement of interest should include the following information:
- Describe your current and past activities at UW-Madison. This could include undergraduate research (including the names of your supervisors and dates or semesters), publications, other professionally relevant activities, or any chemistry organizations or outreach programs of which you are a member or with which you are active.
- Describe any professionally relevant experience (studies or research elsewhere, summer jobs, tutoring, etc.).
- Tell us about your plans for the future (e.g., will you be doing undergraduate research, are you planning on graduate or medical school, teaching at the high school or college level, working in industry, etc.).
- Some of our scholarships are financial need based. Please state any special circumstances regarding your or your family’s financial need that may not be reflected in your information on file with the Financial Aid Office. Examples of special circumstances may include whether you’re managing a job along with school responsibilities, family obligations, significant travel or other hardships.
To learn more about how to write a resume and a personal statement, visit L&S SuccessWorks website and/or consider attending a UW Writing Center workshop. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
Applications are evaluated using a rubric developed and implemented by the Scholarships Committee.
List of Awards and Donors
Below are the awards available to undergraduate students who complete the common application linked above for an academic year scholarship and/or summer research support. These awards are made possible by the generosity of alumni and friends of the Department of Chemistry.
Stephen D. Morton Research Award
Stephen Morton (B.S. 1954, Ph.D. 1962, chemistry) established this award and attributes his career success to the quality of his education at UW-Madison. This award is given jointly to an undergraduate mentee and a graduate student mentor.
Graduate Student Faculty Liaison Committee Mentor Award
These awards recognize graduate students, postdocs, academic staff, and faculty who have had a profound impact on graduate students in the department. Graduate student mentors can be any member of the chemistry community who have dedicated time to the development and growth of a student’s career. The mentor awardees are selected based on effective mentorship traits as well as their involvement and effect on mentee personal and academic growth.
Robert C. Doban Mentorship Award
During his career, Robert Doban (Ph.D. 1952) led scientific and technical operations at Owens Corning and DuPont, served in the US Navy, and served on numerous boards, including for the National Academy of Sciences and National Institute of Standards and Technology. He survived a catastrophic explosion in a chemistry lab and a mid-air collision with another aircraft, This award encourages graduate students who are involved in mentoring undergraduates.
PPG Fellowship and PPG Industries Mentoring Awards
PPG established these award to increase the company’s visibility on campus and to recognize remarkable dedication on the part of student research and of graduate students involved in mentoring undergraduates.
Paul J. Bender Memorial Award
This award honors Paul J. Bender, who helped created the instrument center, served as its director, and worked for the Department of Chemistry until he retired in 1979.
Leah Cohodas Berk Award for Excellence in Chemistry Research
The fund was established with a gift from Myra Cristall in 2001. The purpose of the award is to honor a graduate student doing special research in chemistry.
Roger J. Carlson Graduate Award
Edward and Marjorie Carlson established this award in honor of their son, Roger (Ph.D. 1989, chemistry).
Charles P. and Martha L. Casey Excellence in Research Award (Inorganic/Organic/Chem)
Charles Casey, emeritus professor of chemistry, and Martha Casey, emerita assistant vice chancellor for academic planning and analysis, established this fund to benefit outstanding chemistry graduate students. Both Charles and Martha hold doctorates in chemistry and have been part of the UW-Madison campus community for more than 45 years.
Farrington Daniels Ethical Leadership Award
William (Ph.D. 1946, chemistry) and Virginia Hendrickson established this award in 2004 in honor of William’s doctoral advisor, former Professor Farrington Daniels.
William B. Dickinson Fellowship in Organic Chemistry
Dr. “Bill” Dickinson received his Ph.D. from UW-Madison in 1950, after attaining his bachelor’s (1946) and master’s (1947) degrees in organic chemistry from Emory University. He never married or had any kids, so a long time ago he decided he would like his legacy to be fellowship grants at both universities he attended. Bill died in 2019, leaving a path for other students to pursue their passion for organic chemistry.
Robert C. Doban Mentorship Award
During his career, Robert Doban (Ph.D. 1952, chemistry) led scientific and technical operations at Owens Corning and DuPont. This award serves to encourage graduate students who are involved in mentoring undergraduates.
Eastman Summer Research Award
Eastman Chemical Company Research Division established this graduate student summer support award to recognize outstanding research achievement in the areas of organic, inorganic, or bio-organic chemistry.
Eli Lilly Organic and Summer Fellowships
Eli Lilly and Company established these awards to increase the company’s visibility on campus and honor outstanding graduate student scientists studying organic chemistry. In 2016, the company established a special award, for which select incoming graduate students are invited to conduct a summer research internship at Eli Lilly.
Harlan L. and Margaret L. Goering Organic Chemistry Fellowship
Margaret Goering established this fund in 2004 in honor of her late husband, Harlan L. Goering, a former UW-Madison professor of chemistry.
Graduate Student Faculty Liaison Committee Mentor (GSFLC) Award
These awards recognize graduate students, postdocs, academic staff, and faculty who have had a profound impact on graduate students in the department. Graduate student mentors can be any member of the chemistry community who have dedicated time to the development and growth of a student’s career. The mentor awardees are selected based on effective mentorship traits as well as their involvement and effect on mentee personal and academic growth.
Richard and Joan Hartl Excellence in Research Award
As a chemistry major, Richard (B.S. 1960, chemistry) worked with Professor Farrington Daniels. The Hartls support this award as a way to honor the strong chemical education Richard received at UW-Madison, which prepared him for a career as an industry leader at GE, Avery Dennison, and Calmar.
Hirschfelder Prize
Elizabeth Hirschfelder established this award in 1993 in honor of her late husband, Joseph O. Hirschfelder, a former UW-Madison professor of chemistry.
Harold Hay Fellowship
Harold Hay is best known for his work in solar energy. After his retirement, he focused on funding and supporting research.
Ralph F. Hirschmann – Daniel H. Rich Fellowship in Bio-organic Chemistry
Ralph Hirschmann (Ph.D. 1950, chemistry) established this award in honor of his friend Daniel Rich, a former UW-Madison professor of chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences.
Michael W. McCoy Memorial Scholarship
Bill and Sue McCoy established this scholarship in memory of their son, Michael, who died suddenly in 2010. He was a graduate student in materials program and a member of the Hamers group. This scholarship honors graduate students who, like Michael, exemplify a love of life, love of people, and love of chemistry.
Gary Parr Memorial Award
Thelma Parr established this award in 1998 in memory of her son, Gary (Ph.D. 1973, chemistry).
PPG Fellowship and PPG Industries Mentoring Awards
PPG established these award to increase the company’s visibility on campus and to recognize remarkable dedication on the part of student research and of graduate students involved in mentoring undergraduates.
K.V. and Sara Reddy Award in Physical Chemistry
K. V. Reddy (Ph.D. 1977, chemistry) is an expert in fiber-optics laser and amplifiers, founder of PriTel Inc, and a member of theDepartment of Chemistry Board of Advisers. He and his wife, Sara, established this award to honor excellence in Physical Chemistry.
John and Beverly Schrag Analytical Chemistry Outstanding Peer Award
This award honors John Schrag, former UW-Madison chemistry professor, and his wife, Beverly. It celebrates a peer-nominated graduate student, committed to pursuing excellence in teaching/mentorship, leadership, scientific excellence, and community-building throughout their tenure.
Sam C. Slifkin Award in Chemistry
Sam Slifkin (B.S. 1942, chemistry) established this award to recognize chemistry students who are doing excellent research in organic, inorganic, or organometallic chemistry.
Pei Wang Fellowship
This scholarship was established through an estate gift from Pei Wang (Ph.D 1952, Chemistry) and provides support for chemistry graduate students. Dr. Wang focused on metallurgy and devoted much of his career to developing the production of silicon wafers for use in computer memory systems.