The UNCF-Merck Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship is now accepting applications. The deadline is Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014.

The UNCF-Merck Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship Awards are intended to encourage the interest of African American undergraduate students in furthering their science education and pursuing biomedical science careers by providing tuition support and opportunities for research experience in a state-of-the-art industrial laboratory.

Scholarship Award and Summer Internship

Each award recipient will receive a Scholarship Award of up to $25,000 to support tuition, room and board, and billable fees for the academic year 2015-2016. Award recipients will be known as UNCF-Merck Undergraduate Fellows. An award recipient may not receive more funds than are adequate to cover his/her tuition, fees, and room and board costs for one academic year.

In addition to the scholarship award, each award recipient will be mentored by a scientist in the industry and may receive a ten to 12-week Merck Summer Internship assignment or internship at another facility. The internship will be conducted under the guidance of the Merck mentor or mentor from another facility. Round-trip public transportation tickets to and from the internship will be provided. Shipping costs are the responsibility of the Fellow. The internship assignment will take place during the summer of 2015. In order to qualify for the scholarship, the UNCF-Merck Undergraduate Fellow must have a satisfactory performance appraisal for the summer internship assignment, and a demonstrated commitment to pursue terminal degrees in the biomedical research sciences.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for the UNCF-Merck Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship Awards, an applicant must be:

-African American (Black)

-Enrolled full-time in a four-year college or university in the United States

-An undergraduate junior who will be graduating by the end of the spring 2016 semester

-A life or physical sciences, or engineering major. Physical sciences majors must have completed two semesters of organic chemistry by the end of the 2014-2015 academic year.

-A student with a minimum GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale

-A citizen or permanent resident of the United States

Applicants will be selected on the basis of their GPAs, their demonstrated interest in furthering their scientific education and pursuing a career in scientific research or engineering, and their interest in and ability to perform laboratory work.

Students who are seeking assistance with their applications may contact Michele Galati in the Career and Scholarship Center (Building 1A, Room 105) at michele.galati@csi.cuny.edu or 718.982.2301.-