Student Awards
Each year, the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability (SLSS) recognizes the achievements of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students through a series of awards.
Mohamed Shaaban Humanitarian Award
One of the School's highest student honors is the Mohamed Shaaban Humanitarian Award. This award is named after Mohamed Gamal Shaaban Ibrahim (1992-2013, VCU Biology Class of 2013), who died suddenly and unexpectedly in his first semester at VCU’s Medical School. This award honors students who, like Mohamed, display an exceptional commitment to service and inspire us to do more, help others, and strive to make a real difference.
Outstanding Student Awards
Each year, the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability presents the Outstanding Student Awards to recognize undergraduate and graduate students who have demonstrated exceptional academic performance, research, and service. Selection is based on the following minimum criteria (specific awards may have additional criteria):
- Cumulative GPA
- Courses taken and total credits earned
- Research experience (e.g., publications, presentations at meetings, funding)
- Honors (e.g., awards or participation in Honors College)
- Service to VCU, including to SLSS and the community
- Quality of the application essay
- Strength of the letter of recommendation from a faculty member in SLSS
Undergraduate
- Outstanding Senior: This award is presented to a senior graduating in May of this academic year and is based on the student's academic prowess, research experience, and service to VCU and the community. The award includes a gift and the addition of the recipient's name to the departmental awards plaque, which is located on the first floor of the Trani Center for Life Sciences.
- Outstanding Undergraduate Student: This award honors students who demonstrate outstanding achievement as SLSS students. Depending on the applicant pool, the School may grant one award in each of the following categories:
- Bioinformatics
- Cellular & Molecular Biology
- Ecology
- Environmental Studies
- Evolutionary Biology
Graduate
- Outstanding Graduate Student: Honors a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding performance in one of the following areas:
- Outstanding Graduate Student in Bioinformatics
- Outstanding Graduate Student in Biology
- Outstanding Graduate Student in Environmental Studies
- Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant: This award honors a graduate student with outstanding teaching performance as a teaching assistant in an SLSS course.
Application Details
If you wish to apply for any of these awards, you will need to provide the following information:
- CV/resume (two pages maximum): Include information relevant to items 3-5 above, your career goals, your expected graduation date, and any other information that is pertinent to the award. Also include your local mailing address and your email address.
- Personal statement/essay (one page maximum): This statement should address what you have accomplished to earn the award for which you are applying. If you are applying for the Outstanding Senior Award, you should also include:
- What motivated you to pursue your current major within the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability?
- Following your graduation from VCU, what do you anticipate doing with your degree (short-term and/or long-term)?
- In future endeavors, what do you feel will be the value of your experiences as an SLSS student at VCU?
- Copy of your academic record: Available through eServices (i.e., PDF of unofficial VCU transcripts)
- Letter of recommendation from a SLSS faculty member to be submitted to the nomination form