Scholarships and Awards

Linda Slakey Award

The Linda Slakey Award was established to support students majoring in biochemistry who wish to participate in laboratory research but may have circumstances that limit this possibility. Preference is given to those who meet the following criteria:

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) majors, undergraduate status
• Declared BMB major for at least one year by the end of the semester they are applying
• Fulfilled all academic requirements appropriate for junior BMB majors
• Intending to conduct research in the host laboratory during their senior year

Jessica Hayes Memorial Scholarship

The Jessica Hayes Memorial Scholarship was established through the generosity of the Hayes family. Jessica Hayes ’01 was a staff member of the Biochemistry office and her family wanted to imbue the award in her memory with her positive outlook, concern for others, warmth, and humor. The Jessica Hayes Memorial Scholarship Endowed Fund will provide scholarship support, each year until graduation, to a sophomore or junior majoring in Biochemistry who has a record of high academic achievement and also bears the qualities of boldness in pursuing non-traditional challenges and a great breadth of interests. The award is made each spring with the intention of being applied to the following academic year. Two faculty nominations are required as part of the application.

The university has implemented AcademicWorks, an online application system for scholarships offered at UMass Amherst. Simply enroll in AcademicWorks, fill out both the UMass general application and the CNS application. The system will automatically submit your application to the scholarships and awards for which you are fully eligible and will inform you of other scholarships for which you would need to supply additional materials to apply.

Go to the AcademicWorks web page and sign in with your UMass Net ID and password.

• Complete both the general application and the CNS application. The system will show if you are eligible for scholarships that require additional application materials.
• Click on each scholarship link and upload any required supplementary materials (such as resumes or faculty recommendations).
• Submit your application and check your dashboard to see the status of any pending and submitted applications.

Check out this video tutorial on how to apply for scholarships and awards in AcademicWorks, and email @email if you have any questions.

Recipients of these awards are selected by the department. Students do not need to apply.

Henry Little Award

Each year the BMB Department recognizes a Biochemistry major who has shown academic excellence throughout their college career.

Leading Strand Award

Each year the BMB Department chooses a Biochemistry major who has shown leadership, initiative, and a demonstrated strength in working well with others.

Carol F. Ryan Award

Each year the BMB Department chooses a Biochemistry major who has significantly contributed to the department through their service to peer advising, admissions, and departmental events.