Scholarships for Biology Graduate Students

The Department of Biology administers endowed awards that are exclusively for graduate students in the M.S. Program in Biology as well as the Patrick Doyle Memorial Graduate Student Research Fund.  These awards are intended to support thesis research and travel to and from field sites or scientific meetings and summer stipends.  For a description of each award, see below.

Graduate Scholarships

How to apply:  To apply for one or more merit-based Biology Graduate Student endowed scholarships, you must complete this application.  Only one application is required, regardless of the funding request.

Sarah F. Barlow Biology Scholarship – Awarded to a graduate teaching assistant who plans to teach at the secondary or college level. Must have one semester of experience.  Past recipients

Mary C. Dunn Graduate – Awarded to a biology graduate student.  Past recipients

Charles Holland Memorial Scholarship – Awarded to a senior continuing in the Graduate School at MTSU.  Past recipients

Padgett Kelly Research Scholarship – Awarded to student to support summer studies or field research in ecology or conservation biology.  Past recipients

Brian Miller Graduate Scholarship – Awarded to a second-year graduate student to support research conducting field studies on Herpetology or Biospeleology in Tennessee.  Past recipients

Dennis Mullen Vertebrate Biology/Aquatic Ecology Research Scholarship – Awarded to graduate student engaged in research in the fields of Vertebrate Biology or Aquatic Ecology for the purchase of equipment, supplies and in support of travel to and from research sites.  Past recipients

John A. Patten Biological Field Station Scholarship – Awarded to a biology major of sophomore or above standing to support summer study.  Past recipients

Stephen M. Wright Research  – Awarded to student associated with research in microbiology or biotechnology.  Past recipients

The Patrick Doyle Memorial Graduate Student Research Fund

The Patrick Doyle Student Research Fund is made up of the individual sub funds listed below.  It is meant to support undergraduate and graduate biology students who are conducting mentored research with a biology faculty member.  Funds can be used to make purchases that directly advance the student’s research, i.e., research equipment or supplies and travel expenses related to both field work and research presentation at conferences.

Dr. Patrick Doyle joined the Biology Department in 1966 and retired in 2002.  During his teaching career, Patrick received many honors, including MTSU Outstanding Teacher Award, MTSU Outstanding Public Service Award, and the Tennessee Lifetime Achievement Award.  He initiated the recycling program at MTSU in 1972 with the proceeds establishing numerous scholarships.  Countless students have benefited from the scholarships, which fund student travel, research, participation in summer field station programs, and meritorious achievement in the classroom.  In 1999, he was awarded the Points of Light and was honored at the White House in 2000 where he received the highest public service award our nation bestows on an individual which was presented by President Clinton.  He had served as a Trustee of the MTSU Foundation and had been honored as an MTSU Distinguished Alumni.

How to apply:  Undergraduate or graduate students who are participating in mentored research with a faculty member in the biology department may apply.  The application and instructions for applying can be found here.  The applicant must identify the sub fund from the list below that best represents their needs.

Dr. Kurt Blum – Awarded to a biology major of sophomore or above standing with an interest in botany.  Past recipients

William H. Butler, Jr. Graduate – Awarded to provide support for expenses associated with thesis research.  Past recipients

George Davis – Awarded to a non-traditional biology major of sophomore standing or above.  Must have been out of college for at least four years.  Past recipients

John DuBois – Awarded to provide student travel support for paper presentations at scientific meetings.  Past recipients

J. L. Fletcher Graduate – Awarded to a beginning biology graduate student.  Past recipients

Thomas Hemmerly Graduate – Awarded to provide financial assistance to biology graduate students to defray costs associated with their research.  Past recipients

Charles R. McGhee – Awarded to a biology major of junior, senior or graduate standing seeking licensure to teach science in secondary education.  Past recipients

George G. Murphy – Awarded to students to purchase supplies or support travel associated with research projects.  Past recipients

J. Gerald Parchment Biological Field Station – Awarded to biology major of sophomore or above standing for summer study at any field station.  Past recipients

Marion Wells – Awarded to a graduate student to provide support for thesis research conducted during summer months.  Past recipients

John Zamora – Awarded to support graduate students with expenses associated with their thesis work.  Past recipients

MS Biology Summer Awards

How to apply:  The application and instructions for applying can be found here.

The Biology Department annually provides a stipend for four graduate students to support summer research.

Cynthia Chappell Graduate Stipend for Summer Support – Awarded to provide a summer research stipend for one graduate student in the first year of the Biology master’s program. Past recipients