Kennesaw State’s College of Science and Mathematics selected 11 students from the Birla Carbon scholars program on July 1 to each receive a $4,000 stipend to pursue their individual research interests.
According to the CSM, scholars will participate in a 10-week program working together with tenured CSM faculty members who will serve as mentors. The scholars will present their final research project at the 2019 Birla Carbon Symposium. Judges will select the top presenter to receive an additional $2,000 to go toward travel expenses for the participant to present at a national scientific conference.
Interim Dean of the CSM Donald McGarey said the opportunity for scholars to work alongside tenured faculty members, serving as mentors to aid in the process of conducting original research, has proved to be one of the most advantageous strengths of the program. McGarey thanks Birla Carbon for their continued support of the scholars’ program.
The Birla Carbon scholars program participants include Max Andrews, Braden Clinebell, Robert Cronin, Tia Gordon, Rebekah Henneborn, Emma Henry, Tessa Jordan, Naza Okafor, Destiny Paige, Emma Pearson and Hunter Spivey.
According to the CSM, Birla Carbon, the world’s leading sustainable manufacturer and supplier of carbon black additives, has sponsored the program since 2014. The CSM announced on July 1 that Birla Carbon has increased the number of participating scholars to 11 from the previous years limit of 10. Birla Carbon has also pledged to gift the undergraduate research program $275,000, which will be disbursed over the course of five years.
Since its conception, the program has allowed 50 scholars to pursue research opportunities over the course of their 10-week summer program. Applicants were selected based upon a letter of recommendation from CSM faculty, an undergraduate research abstract, a 3.0 GPA and higher as well as full-time freshmen, sophomore or junior academic status.
