Biology Fellows Program

As a Berkeley undergrad, Sherrie Gallipeau had to work three jobs to pay for school. Somehow, she also found time to volunteer in IB professor Tyrone Hayes’ lab, studying frog endocrinology, but she was struggling to fit everything in. Says Gallipeau, “how successful can you be in 24 hours when you’re living a 36-hour-a-day life?” So when she was awarded a semester’s stipend through Berkeley’s Biology Fellows Program, she was overjoyed. “The funding was an unbelievable gift. I could work at a job that was my goal. It allowed me to do science full time, and to grow as a scientist.” Gallipeau is now a graduate student in Integrative Biology, and is continuing the research she started as an undergraduate.

Biology Fellows Program Award Winners - Summer 2008

Berkeley’s Biology Fellows Program gives undergraduates the opportunity to do biological research by providing students with a stipend for a semester. This means students can focus on their own research project. It is funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and by a generous donation from Nancy Olson, a Berkeley alum who was greatly influenced by her own undergraduate research experience.

The award is competitive—each semester, between 70 and 90 students apply for 15 slots. But the selection committee considers more than just GPAs. Alissa Myrick is the Pre-Graduate Pathway Coordinator for the Biology Scholars Program, which administers the Biology Fellows Program.  Says Myrick, “I think BFP is a really great opportunity for students. It really does allow the nontraditional student to get a chance at doing research. And it does allow for students who have real financial need to continue doing research in their lab, without having to work 20 hours a week doing work study, to really just focus on their lab work.”

Each year, there are many great applicants, and selecting the recipients is difficult. Says Myrick, “sometimes in the selection committee process we have these really heated discussions about what the grant is really about, and who’s going to benefit the most from this grant.” They tend not to award the grants to students who, as Myrick says, “seem to be set—they’re going to grad school, you can see that.” Instead, the committee tries to select students whose path is not so well defined. “Maybe this is going to be the thing that shifts their academic career,” says Myrick. “Maybe this is going to be the thing that really settles them here at Cal.”

In addition to providing a stipend, the Biology Fellows Program organizes workshops on diverse topics, like ethics and writing about research for publication. There are also social events, which help build a community of undergraduate scientists. And there are seminars given by Berkeley faculty. Says Myrick, “we challenge the faculty to talk about not only their research, but how they got to be faculty, what choices they made, maybe even what they like and what they don’t like about being a faculty member.”

Integrative Biology professor Daniela Kaufer was the first speaker in the series this summer. She spoke to BFP students about her research on the molecular mechanisms of stress. Kaufer could tell that the students themselves were a little stressed. “I talked about stress in your life, and how to deal with that,” says Kaufer.

Of the fourteen undergrads working in Kaufer’s lab, six of them are, were, or will be BFP students. “The kids are really amazing,” says Kaufer. “One of the undergrads is absolutely functioning as a graduate student. She is running a completely independent research program.”

Kaufer encourages every undergrad in her lab to apply to BFP. “The application process in itself is a great educational opportunity.” Graduate students assist the undergrads with their applications, and Kaufer helps with the second round of edits. “It’s good for everybody involved,” says Kaufer. “The grad students mentor the undergrads.”

Berkeley sophomore Kristina Kangas is a BFP fellow this fall. Kangas was already volunteering in IB professor George Bentley’s lab when she applied; says Kangas, “after the first hour of freshman seminar, I asked George if I could volunteer.” This fall, she is working on her own project, examining how extreme temperatures affect breeding patterns in birds. Kangas is particularly excited about the workshops and seminars: “I’m looking forward to meeting new people and learning about other fields.”

Many of the awardees agree that the sense of community fostered by the program is one of the best parts. Connor Dibble, a senior with a double major in Environmental Science and Integrative Biology, was a BFP fellow this summer. While he learned a lot about research through designing and conducting his own experiments, he also met many other students and professors. “It was a great way to build a collaborative network,” he says. “Science really is all about collaboration and building relationships.”

Students’ relationships to the Biology Fellows Program often don’t end with the end-of-semester symposiums. Says Sherrie Gallipeau, “when people get awards like this, they’re gifts. Its’ important for people who receive gifts like this to give back.” Now a graduate student in Integrative Biology, Gallipeau is on the BFP selection committee. “It excites me to give other people the opportunities that have helped me.”

 

Tips on applying for the Biology Fellows Program

Learn from the experience “Regardless of if you get the award or not, it is a huge learning experience,” says Sherrie Gallipeau. She didn’t get it the first time she applied—but then she was awarded the grant three times. “Not getting it was a real gift,” she says. “It made me ask my peers ’how do you write a grant?’ I read successful grant proposals. I looked outside of myself—BFP was a real catalyst for that.”

Don’t be intimidated Kristina Kangas received the award as a freshman. “Don’t feel like being a freshman is a weakness—see it as an advantage,” she says. If you start getting research experience early in your time at Cal, you’ll have more time to learn new skills.

Get to know your professors Connor Dibble saw the application process as an opportunity to get to know his professors before asking for letters for recommendation. “Sit down and talk with them. Professors really do like to meet motivated students. Professors really do want to help.”