What is the formula that catalyzes bright sparks to win fountains of scholarships and discoveries that make our world a better place to live? Hard work, for sure. But the fundamental element is people. It's all about having a supportive friendship group to help you laugh and to collaborate with when confronting challenging questions. Also, it's about professors, those people who go above and beyond to give you opportunities to do hands-on research. How do we know this? Because we've met Emily Boyd, Joseph Loomis, Cara Davis, and Zachary Wood, four KU chemistry majors who scooped up countless prestigious awards last year.

Meet these Chemists with Chemistry and discover how they're research projects will help efforts to develop cleaner more sustainable fuel, to create energy efficient wires for use in solar energy and beyond, to understand protein structures and dynamics, and to explore the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly for patients who've been through chemotherapy. Shout-out to professors Mikhail V. Barybin, James Blakemore, Michael Johnson, and Audrey Lamb, as well as the entire Chemistry Department and Office of Fellowships at KU, for steering these students to their many success and discoveries.

More information on the Beckman program: The purpose of the Beckman Scholars Program is to provide exceptionally talented, full-time undergraduate students with a meaningful undergraduate research opportunity, while funding the scholars during their award term in order to preclude the need to seek additional employment.  The research activities shall be centered in the Departments of Chemistry or Molecular Biosciences, under the guidance of a faculty mentor chosen from a list of 15 faculty members in these two departments.