Student Awards

Undergraduate Student Awards

The College of Science confers the following Student Awards from recommendations made by the student's department. These student award winners are recognized at a morning ceremony on Reading Day alongside our graduating Science Ambassadors.

Outstanding Senior Award

Outstanding Senior Award, established in 1995. The overall outstanding senior receives the honor of speaking at the College of Science Commencement Ceremony. Nominations are due in mid-March and mid-September.

The department nominee will receive the departmental Outstanding Senior Award at the Spring or Fall Awards Ceremony which is held the morning of Reading Day. The CoS awards committee will select the CoS overall outstanding senior from among the departmental outstanding seniors.

The Outstanding Senior Nomination criteria:

  • A cumulative G.P.A. of 3.5 or better (recommended).
  • Involvement in research/internship.
  • Contribution to community outreach/service, participation in philanthropic activities, or involvement with clubs/organizations in the campus community.

Every nomination packet should demonstrate evidence of the student's achievements in each of these criteria.

Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award

Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award, established in 2002. The overall College winner will also receive a Galileo Circle Scholarship. This award selection is only during the spring semester. Nominations due in early March.

All department winners will receive the departmental Undergraduate Research Award at the College of Science Spring Awards Ceremony which is held the morning of Reading Day. The awards committee will select the overall Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award recipient from the departmental nominees.

Excellence in Undergraduate Nomination Criteria:

  • In recognition of the fact that different disciplines have different academic and research cultures, departments are free to define their own criteria for selecting their nominees. In general, the student's work should be a significant contribution and show originality, creativity, and a level of independence appropriate to the discipline.
  • The nomination/support letters should address the independence and/or initiative exhibited by the student, the significance of the research (contribution to knowledge base, significance of the problem, novelty of the research idea, and/or impact on the discipline). Include creativity and/or level of skill (for example, technical, analytical, interpretive, programming, communication, and/or resourcefulness) shown by the student in conducting the research.

Every nomination packet should demonstrate evidence of the student's achievements in each of these criteria.

For questions regarding these awards, please contact Brittany Johnson at (520) 621-4091 or bljohnson@arizona.edu.