Questions about the program should be directed via email to: Merck@AAAS.org.

The program is open to qualified institutions in the United States and Puerto Rico that offer an American Chemical Society-approved program in chemistry and confer 10 or fewer graduate degrees annually in biology and chemistry combined. Public and private primarily undergraduate colleges and universities, which met all of the following criteria, are eligible to compete.

• Not be a 2006, 2005, or 2004 Merck/AAAS USRP award recipient
• Located in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico
• Not-for-profit entity as defined by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Tax Code under section 501(c)(3)
• Offer an American Chemical Society-approved BA/BS chemistry program
• Confer an average of ten or fewer graduate degrees annually over the past five years in biology and chemistry combined

Award Selection
Each application is reviewed and rated by an independent panel of scientists and educators chosen by AAAS. The panel recommends award selections to The Merck Company Foundation. Award selection criteria are listed in the application.

If you have further questions or require additional information, contact the program representative at Merck@AAAS.org.

Deadline for Receipt: 5:00pm, Friday, 3 November 2006

Frequently Asked Questions

• Eligibility
• Department Profiles
• Nature of Proposed Projects
• Deadline

Eligibility

1. Our institution awards more than 10 masters level degrees each year in Biology and Chemistry, are we still eligible to submit a proposal?
   If the average number of masters degrees awarded over a five year period exceeds 10 for biology and chemistry combined, then your institution does not meet the eligibility requirements.
     
2. Our institution does not grant graduate degrees. Are we still eligible?
   Yes.
     
3. My department does not have an ACS-approved chemistry program. however, I am confident that our program is as rigorous as any other institution's program. Can we still apply?
   No.
     
4. Does the number of graduate degrees conferred annually include both Masters and PhDs?
   Yes.
     
5. Does the absence of a formal Department of Biology preclude us from submitting?
   Yes.

Departmental Profiles

1. In the application, there are tables for entering a profile for the chemistry and the biology departments. Since the “total undergraduate enrollment” is for the entire university, should this number be the same for each department?
   No. It is the number of declared majors within each department
     
2. In the application, under the heading "full time regular faculty"do we include only tenure track faculty?
   You should include all full-time faculty members, whether they are tenure track or not.

Nature of Proposed Projects

1. Does a project have to be co-sponsored by one biology professor and one chemistry professor? Or could a project be sponsored by one professor whose work is at the interdisciplinary edges of the two departments?
   A project can be sponsored by a single professor as long as the project is interdisciplinary.
     
2. Do we need to have one all-encompassing project to which everyone involved contributes or can we propose separate projects that converge on a similar theme?
   Your proposal can be for multiple small projects or for a single large project. Just be sure they are realistic for the time available to execute and have results with undergraduates.
     
3. Do the research projects need to be related to one another or can they be independent research projects?
   Either is acceptable. Be sure that they are reasonable projects to be performed with undergraduates.
     
4. Can we include faculty from outside the biology and chemistry departments In our proposal such as computer science or math for a bioinformatics project?
   Yes, as long as both the biology and chemistry departments are involved.

If you have further questions or require additional information, contact the program representative at Merck@AAAS.org.

Deadline for Receipt: 5:00pm, Friday, 3 November 2006

Merck and AAAS congratulates this year's award recipients and commend their dedication to providing research experiences in chemistry and biology for undergraduate students.

• Appalachian State University
• Drew University
• Lewis & Clark College
• Loyola Marymount University
• Macalester College
• Simmons College
• State University of New York at Oswego
• Swarthmore College
• SUNY College at Brockport
• Trinity University
• University of Illinois at Springfield

Please click here for a short list of funded projects and grant recipients for the years 2001-2005.