Department Awards

Carol J. Chihara Semester Award for Academic Excellence

In honor Professor Emeritus Carol J. Chihara, the Chihara Semester Awards recognize students with a certificate of merit and a purse of $500. Awards are based on academic excellence for a particular semester and are given to a few undergraduate Biology majors each Fall and Spring. These awards are funded from the Howell Endowment.

Eligibility

  1. You have completed at least three semesters at USF as a continuing full-time student in the Biology major.
  2. You are currently a full-time biology major at USF (part-time OK only for last-semester seniors).
  3. You were a declared Biology major in the previous semester.
  4. You completed at least two science courses in the previous semester, and at least one of those courses was an upper- division elective in Biology (BIOL 312 or above).
  5. You earned a science GPA (Biology, BTEC, Chemistry, Math and Physics courses) for the previous semester of ≥ 3.6.
  6. You have not previously received the Chihara Semester Award.

Students will be notified when the applications open in the first few weeks of the semester. The process includes unofficial USF transcript, and applications are reviewed by the Biology Faculty Awards Committee. 

Awardees will be notified within two weeks of the application deadline and the awards will be acknowledged publicly.

The Edward L. Kessel Award

A purse and a plaque, in honor of the late Dr. Edward L. Kessel, long-standing faculty member and department chair of the Biology Department, to the graduating Biology major with proven academic excellence, high potential for a career in the biological sciences, and who has demonstrated leadership and support within the Biology Department.

Graduating or recently graduated students who qualify are encouraged to apply for the Edward Kessel Award. The award is a plaque and a prize of $1000 that are presented during spring semester and published in the commencement program.  

Eligibility

  1. You must have completed a minimum of 44 units at USF, of which 16 must be in upper division Biology courses as a Biology major.
  2. You must be eligible to attend the Spring commencement of the semester in which you apply. (Note: you may apply if you have eight [8] units or fewer of non-­science courses remaining, which will be completed in the summer following commencement, or if you were eligible to participate in the previous Fall commencement ceremony).
  3. You must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or greater for all coursework taken at USF, and 3.50 or greater in all required science courses taken at USF, by the end of the Intersession preceding Spring commencement. 
  4. Complete applications will include: 
    • A PDF of a full unofficial transcript from myUSF 
    • A detailed curriculum vitae 
    • A personal statement of no more than 500 words describing your professional career goals.
    • Two recommendations from USF science faculty members; at least one of the letters must be from a Biology faculty member. 

Students will be notified when the applications open in the first few weeks of the Spring semester.