Student Award Programs

Award deadline extended to Monday Oct. 3 at noon!

The Johnson Cancer Research Center helps train the next generation of researchers. It supports undergraduate and graduate students through competitive award programs. All student applications must be sponsored by JCRC faculty members.

A NOTE ABOUT STUDENT TRANSCRIPTS: The Registrar’s Office offers online transcript ordering with an option for electronic PDF delivery. More info is on the Registrar’s website.

Undergraduate Cancer Research Awards

Our undergraduate Cancer Research Awards promote student participation in laboratory research and encourage students to consider research as a possible career early on when they can prepare well for advanced degrees. Such laboratory experience teaches students about the complexities of cancer and research, the scientific method, technical approaches, and the critical analysis of results.

Each fall, the center offers Undergraduate Cancer Research Awards (funded by private donors) to support these faculty-mentored research experiences. Students and JCRC faculty members complete the CRA application together, proposing a project that involves the student in the research team. The students who are selected for the program and fulfill their research commitments receive $1,500 and are recognized during the spring semester. The faculty mentors also receive $1,000 per student (maximum of two students) for research expenses. Applications are judged competitively by a committee that makes recommendations to the center. The application deadline is October 1.

Undergraduate Cancer Research Award Online Application
NOTE TO APPLICANTS: You cannot save or re-enter the application, so have all your information ready before you start.

Graduate Cancer Research Awards

The center will fund summer stipends for graduate students studying under the direction of JCRC faculty members. These competitive awards are provided to the faculty mentors, not the students, and the application must be submitted by the faculty member.

The intention of these awards is to support: 1) graduate students working on cancer-relevant projects; and 2) the overall research programs of their major professors. Both graduate students with nine-month teaching assistantships and twelve-month research assistantships qualify for the program. Our intent is not to replace departmental support of graduate students, but rather to assist major professors who are covering the expenses. Thus, the application directly asks if the professor would otherwise be responsible for summer support.

These awards will be made based on the merit of the student’s research, its cancer relevance, and the ability of the mentor to provide funding from other sources. The application deadline is March 1.

Graduate Cancer Research Award Online Application
NOTE TO APPLICANTS: You cannot save or re-enter the application, so have all your information ready before you start.

Graduate Student & Postdoc Travel Awards

These competitive awards support travel to professional meetings or workshops by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows of JCRC faculty members. Applicants are expected to present a poster or short talk. Other criteria for this award include: positive impact on the applicant’s training, potential impact on laboratory recognition, possibility of establishment or support of collaborative efforts, evidence of frugality, and availability of matching funds. Cancer relevance of the research and meeting will also be a factor.

This application must be submitted by the mentor, NOT the student or postdoc. Requests for multiple applicants from the same laboratory attending the same meeting should be submitted together as one application. This is a very detailed application, which must be completed thoroughly. Please prepare it with attention to detail and in the spirit that limited funds must benefit as many people as possible. The biannual application deadlines are October 1 and March 1. Applicants should consult the university's guidelines on reimbursable travel expenses.

Graduate Student Travel Award Online Application
NOTE TO APPLICANTS: You cannot save or re-enter the application, so have all your information ready before you start.

Postdoc Travel Award Online Application
NOTE TO APPLICANTS: You cannot save or re-enter the application, so have all your information ready before you start.

Biology Graduate Student Travel Awards

These competitive awards support travel of Division of Biology graduate students to professional meetings or workshops. They are funded by endowments established in memory of Barbara J. Consigli and Kenneth E. Bassett. Per the donors’ wishes, biology students are eligible without regard to research interests. Applicants are expected to present a poster or short talk. Other criteria for this award include: positive impact on the applicant’s training, potential impact on laboratory recognition, possibility of establishment or support of collaborative efforts, evidence of frugality, and availability of matching funds.

This application must be submitted by the mentor, NOT the student or postdoc. And requests for multiple applicants from the same laboratory attending the same meeting should be submitted together as one application. This is a very detailed application, which must be completed thoroughly. Please prepare it with attention to detail and in the spirit that limited funds must benefit as many people as possible. The biannual application deadlines are October 1 and March 1. Applicants should consult the university's guidelines on reimbursable travel expenses.

Biology Graduate Student Travel Award Online Application
NOTE TO APPLICANTS: You cannot save or re-enter the application, so have all your information ready before you start.

Heart Research Awards

These awards are presented to one or more faculty members to support graduate student research on heart development, function, or disease. Both student stipends and research expenses may be covered. This award is given periodically based on an endowment established for this specific purpose. Generally, it is given every other year. The application deadline is October 1 of odd years.

Heart Research Award Online Application
NOTE TO APPLICANTS: You cannot save or re-enter the application, so have all your information ready before you start.