The Science Scholarship Program offers three-year scholarships for approximately 30 talented and financially needy students at Lyman Briggs College (LBC), a residential science college at Michigan State University. LBC offers a unique science experience to undergraduates combining the intimacy of a liberal arts college with innovative teaching, the research resources of a large institution and a stimulating living environment. By interlacing academics, residential life and student services, LBC is able to fulfill its educational philosophy that is based on the belief that those sharing an interest in the sciences will benefit from learning and living together. The Science Scholarship Program supports two cohorts of students who are being relieved of the stressors associated with the costs of higher education during their sophomore through senior years, while being exposed to the process of and careers in science. Half the scholarship recipients will be from within the LBC student population, each of whom anticipates pursuing a natural sciences degree. The other half will be recruited from within the pool of undeclared Michigan State majors, with these recipients enrolling into the LBC experience and receiving all the support that the College provides to its science undergraduate students.
The Scholarship Program is intended to have multiple impacts on the student experience. From the start, scholarship recipients will become members of a cohesive cohort by living together and taking seminar courses that aid in their understanding and appreciation of the entire scientific endeavor. These seminar courses focus on helping students understand the scientific enterprise including basic research, dissemination, graduate school and career options. Although these courses have been initiated for the benefit of the scholarship recipients, it is anticipated that the courses will persist beyond the proposed funding period and will continue to inspire students in their pursuit of science careers. Additionally, scholarship recipients are encouraged to complete undergraduate research as a portion of their program through either on-campus research with faculty, or through internship experiences fostered through the LBC alumni base.
