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Department of Biology Awards and Scholarships

2007-08 Award and Scholarship Recipients

click for larger image with names



The Biology Department honors outstanding students
with the following Awards and Scholarships:

Outstanding First Year Biology Student Award

The Outstanding Freshman Biology Award recognizes the student who has excelled in the introductory biology courses (General Biology I and II). The award is given on the basis of total points accumulated in lecture and lab, as well as recommendations from the teaching assistants. The teaching assistants base their recommendations on the students' enthusiasm for biology, their understanding of concepts, and their leadership in the classroom. The award recipient is awarded a plaque and a monetary award. The objective of this award is to "recognize" biologists early in their college careers.

Past Award Recipients

 

 

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

This award is presented to the top teaching assistant in each department in the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) and is chosen by faculty members using established criteria. Recipients receive a plaque and a monetary award.

Past Award Recipients

 

T.O. Odlaug Award (for Outstanding Senior Biology Student) 

Since 1979 Biology faculty have nominated a senior biology student who displays scholarship, strong leadership qualities, service to the department, and participation in undergraduate research. The T.O. Odlaug Award was created in honor of Dr. Theron O. Odlaug, a former department head who retired in 1978. Dr. Odlaug passed away in January 2000. The recipient of this award is given a reference book of their choice and a plaque.

Past Award Recipients

 

Pre-veterinary Medicine Award

Application Deadline: 4:30PM Friday, March 27, 2009

The Pre-veterinary Medicine Award is sponsored by Dr. Reza-ul (Raj) Karim and family in memory of Sikander M. Karim, Dr. Karim's father.

The Pre-Veterinary Medicine Award is awarded to a sophomore/junior who has a minimum G.P.A.of 3.4, and the following non academic measures: 1) Knowledge of the Profession and Experience with Animals This details the student's experience with veterinarians and experiences with and responsibility for the care and management of animals. 2) Maturity and reliability This takes into consideration the student's work experience, leadership skills, extracurricular activities and community involvement. Students are required to submit an application and a one-page essay addressing the above issues.

Applications should be submitted to the Biology Department Office, 207 Swenson Science Bldg,

Pre-veterinary Medicine Award Application Form

Past Award Recipients

  Ernest and Tyyne Niemi Scholarship

Application Deadline: 4:30 p.m. Friday, February 27, 2009

This scholarship is dedicated to the memory of Ernest and Tyyne Niemi, children of immigrant Finnish parents who lived and raised families in Northeastern Minnesota. 

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The scholarship is dedicated toward the support of undergraduate students who are declared majors in Biology and Cell Biology and are at the Junior or Senior level.

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Selection Criteria:  Student(s) must:

  • Have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in undergraduate course work at UMD
  • Have completed the prerequisites for the undergraduate degree in Biology or Cell Biology prior to receiving the scholarship (e.g. general biology sequence, mathematics through calculus, organic chemistry, and physics).
  • Submit a one-page statement of career interests

Preference will be given to students with the following: (a) Finnish heritage; (b) high school graduates of Aitkin, Barnum, Carlton, Cloquet, Cromwell-Wright, Duluth, Esko, McGregor, Moose Lake or other area schools.

Applications should be submitted to the Biology Department Office, 207 Swenson Science Bldg,

Ernest and Tyyne Niemi Scholarship Application Form

Past Scholarship Recipients

 

Dr. T.O. Odlaug working in laboratory (Click on image for larger picture)

T.O. Odlaug Scholarship 

Application Deadline: 4:30 p.m. Friday, February 27, 2009

To the lucky recipient of the T.O. Odlaug Scholarship, (Written by: Professor Emeritus P.B. Hofslund)

More than likely you know nothing about the man whose life has inspired this gift which will make your life just a little bit easier. Was he a teacher who made a fortune as a university professor? Or was he a scholar known throughout the land as a brilliant researcher? No. The major source of this scholarship came from a student who on Ted's death remembered the inspiration and help that Ted gave to this student. Perhaps you would like to know what kind of man this teacher was.

Theron Oswald Odlaug's obituary states "Born in 1911. Died on the last day of the first month of the Millennium. B.A., Luther College; M.S., Ph.D., New York University. He taught at Union College, Billings, Montana, and Peru State in Peru, Nebraska before coming to the Biology Department at Duluth Teacher's College in 1945. He also worked for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as an aquatic biologist. He retired from UMD in 1978 as a full professor and department head."

The above description is 'bare bones'. It tells little as to why a former student should decide to honor this man so handsomely. A poem printed in Modern Maturity (1982) says much that describes Ted or many other teachers who have tread the 'Halls of Academe':

Retirement

For 40 years the students touched their caps to "Fesser Fish" (his name was Leonard Trout)

And in their dorms retold fantastic tales of his uncommon wit and classroom charm,

Admiring secretly his cleverness

In scuttling one by one, their amateurish scheme to lighten student's loads,

He symbolized the best of academe

Good teaching buttressed by benevolence and emphatic camaraderie.

Think not, however, that this goodly man

For these rare qualities was duly praised

By those best placed to profit by his name,

Not so! Instead, they gave "Doc Fish" a feast

(You know - sliced ham, coleslaw and broccoli),

A simulated parchment scroll inscribed

In Latin thus: fama semper vivat

And pensioned him at 62, his health

Robust his mind clear as the day

He earned his baccalaureate degree.

Ted was a brilliant lecturer (he had to be to have so many students praise his course in Human Anatomy), but why not? His object was to teach, for as the Pope once said, "Tis education that forms the common mind. Just the twig is bent, the tree's inclined".

His philosophy is before you.

Perhaps one other quality is especially worth mentioning. Ted was head of the department for over 25 years. To maintain such a position without serious discord especially with a group of incoming young scientists speaks well for the respect the faculty gave him. His faculty remained close-knit and disagreements seldom remained a factor in social life. In the 70's, a survey was made of the students who graduated from the Biology Department. Over 50% had continued working towards an advanced degree.

A trim, sturdy Scandinavian, conservative to the end (his faculty always knew he would order Salsbury Steak, well done, when we ate out), he would have been overwhelmed by the award, but intensely proud, and if it was in any way possible he would be right by your side trying to help you reach your goal.

Purpose: The T.O. Odlaug Scholarship will provide a scholarship for UMD biology students based on need and merit.

Selection Criteria: Students must (1) be fulltime Freshmen or Sophomores at UMD in good academic standing, maintaining on overall GPA of 3.0 or higher; (2) be a Biology or Cell Biology Major and (3) have demonstrated both need and merit.

Applications should be submitted to the Biology Department Office, 207 Swenson Science Bldg,

T.O. Odlaug Scholarship Application Form

Past Scholarship Recipients

 

 

Ed & Alma Turcotte Scholarship

Application Deadline: 4:30 p.m. Friday, February 27, 2009

Edgar (Ed) L. Turcotte and Alma M. Mattson grew up on adjoining farms near Wrenshall, Minnesota in the early 1900's. They attended a country school near their homes, where they received their formal education. They spent their early years working on their parents' farms, until Ed left home for training as a auto mechanic and Alma attended a business school in Duluth. They were married in 1928 and lived in Carlton, Minnesota where Ed worked at the Carlton Motor Company, and in later years at Carlton Elementary School and the Carlton County Jail. Ed also was a member and served as Chief of the Carlton Volunteer Fire Department for many years. Alma spent her adult life as a housewife and mother of their three sons and two daughters, all of who attended the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) after graduating from Carlton High School. Alma passed away in 1988 followed by Ed in 1992. This scholarship is dedicated to their memory with profound respect and everlasting love.

Purpose: The Ed and Alma Turcotte Scholarship is awarded annually to motivated and high-achieving Biology and Cell Biology majors with demonstrated financial need.

Selection Criteria: Students must (1) be fulltime undergraduate Biology or Cell Biology Majors at UMD; (2) be able to demonstrate financial need; (3) maintain on overall GPA of 3.0 or higher; and (4) be considered eligible for Minnesota resident tuition

Applications should be submitted to the Biology Department Office, 207 Swenson Science Bldg,

Ed & Alma Turcotte Scholarship Application Form

Past Scholarship Recipients

 

 

John McCabe Scholarships 

Application Deadline: 4:30 p.m. Friday, February 27, 2009

Purpose: The John McCabe Scholarship is awarded annually to Biology and Cell Biology

majors with high academic achievement and demonstrated financial need.

Selection Criteria: Students must

(1) be fulltime undergraduate Biology or Cell Biology majors;

(2) be able to demonstrate financial need; and

(3) show high academic achievement, including an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Applications should be submitted to the Biology Department Office, 207 Swenson Science Bldg,

 

Mowbray Scholalrship in the Biological Sciences

Application Deadline: 4:30 p.m. Friday, February 27, 2009

Given by Dr. Thomas Mowbray in honor of his parents, Donald C. and Dorothy A. Mowbray, who were constant sources of inspiration and encouragement to him during his pursuit of a career in Biology.

Thomas Mowbray received his BA in Botany from UMD in 1962. From UMD he went on to graduate school at Duke University in Plant Ecology, receiving his Ph.D. in 1967. After two years as a postdoctoral instructor of Biology at Duke he accepted a position at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay where he remained until 1978 teaching Botany, Ecology, and Population Dynamics. In 1978 he was offered a position at Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as professor and chairman of the Biology Department. He accepted the position and remained at Salem teaching Botany and Ecology until his retirement in 2005.

During his professional career Dr. Mowbray’s first love was teaching, a passion he acquired from his Biology professors while a student at UMD. Throughout his career he pursued his love of teaching in a variety of venues, from traditional classroom teaching to taking the classroom into the field with small groups of students to such places as Coastal North Carolina, the Florida Everglades, Kenya, East Africa, the Galapagos Islands, Jamaica and Costa Rica. His love of teaching also took him to Uganda, East Africa in 1989-90 where as a Fulbright Scholar he taught Botany and Ecology at Makerere University. In addition to his role as a teacher, he also involved his students in his research, by bringing them into his study of the composition and social structure of nonbreeding bird populations in wetland communities in Piedmont North Carolina. In retirement Dr. Mowbray lives in Solon Springs, Wisconsin where he continues to pursue his interest in birds.

Purpose:

The purpose of the scholarship is to provide scholarship support for undergraduate students in the Department of Biology at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Scholarship Guidelines:

This scholarship is intended to support an upper division student with a declared major in Biology. The award should be restricted to students who intend to pursue a career in Biology exclusive of the medical and health sciences, and should be granted on the basis of merit and commitment to a professional career in the biological sciences. 

Applications should be submitted to the Biology Department Office, 207 Swenson Science Bldg,

 

 

         UMD Peterson Memorial Scholarship      

Application Deadline:  Application Deadline: 4:30 p.m. Friday, February 27, 2009

This scholarship is given through the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) and rotates between CSE departments; therefore, it is not awarded every year in the Department of Biology.

The UMD Peterson Memorial Scholarship of is awarded to a motivated and high-achieving Biology or Cell Biology major with demonstrated financial need.

Selection Criteria: Students must

(1) be fulltime undergraduate Biology or Cell Biology majors;

(2) be able to demonstrate financial need; and
(3) show high academic achievement, including an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
 

Applications should be submitted to the Biology Department Office, 207 Swenson Science Bldg,

UMD Peterson Memorial Scholarship Application Form

Past Scholarship Recipients

 


Last Updated Thursday, March 12, 2009 9:23 AM