Background:
     Soroptimist International of La Jolla, a community service organization of women, has been strongly supportive of research pertaining to women's health.  The members would like to foster the development of young investigators (male or female) who might pursue careers in this field.  Their interest in this area encompasses all areas related to women's health, including biological, medical, and cross-disciplinary topics.  The organization is particularly interested in providing encouragement and financial assistance to young people with these research interests. To this end, the Soroptimists in concert with the non-profit Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women's Health Research, established in 1996, sponsors a program to annually fund promising student research projects in topics related to women's health.

      CSUPERB has entered into a long-term joint venture with the Doris A. Howell Foundation for Women's Health Research.  CSUPERB and the Howell Foundation will co-fund $3000 Research Fellows Awards for CSU undergraduate research students. We solicit the assistance of faculty in identifying potential awardees who show great professional promise academically and in research. Please bring the program to their attention.  Given the current paucity of economic resources for undergraduate students, the success of this program is vital.

Eligibility:
     Any CSU undergraduate student in "good standing" and planning to remain at his or her respective CSU for at least one more semester (the additional semester may be at the graduate level). For this round of grants, the Spring 2008 semester or Winter/Spring 2008 quarters will be considered the "additional semester." Applicants must be able to complete the project within one calendar year of the application and must agree to provide a written report at that time. Applicants who have previously received a Howell-CSUPERB Award may apply for funding for another project provided a final report was submitted for the previous award. Under special circumstances, continued funding of a project will be considered if the applicant is able to demonstrate that this is a different dimension/aspect of the project and if the applicant provides a progress report to date. Applications with budgets in excess of $3000 will not be considered.

     Applicants who are accepted to be Howell-CSUPERB Research Fellows will be asked to submit a scannable photograph of themselves for use by the Doris A. Howell Foundation in any publication issued by the Doris A. Howell Foundation. A written report will be required upon completion of the project.

Focus of Projects:
     The Doris A. Howell Foundation fosters the development of young investigators and encourages them to enter the field of women's health care research as a career goal.  The range of topics is exceptionally broad and covers much of the human life sciences.  The research need not be focused upon female subjects or tissues.  Any original research topic related to women's health will be considered. It does not necessarily exclude general health concerns that affect both sexes, nor is health defined in a strictly biological sense. Please note that CSUPERB welcomes and encourages applications from all related disciplines, including but not limited to biology, chemistry, math and computer science, agricultural science, engineering, and/or business. Because of the nature of the joint program between the Howell Foundation and CSUPERB, the proposed projects and awards are limited to those projects that fit with the CSUPERB definition of biotechnology. See below for CSUPERB's definition of biotechnology.

      The Howell Foundation makes awards for the provision of funds for faculty-mentored student research projects that are based upon proposed research that has not yet begun. These awards may be used to facilitate and improve research for official school programs such as honors or senior projects and the proposed work can be part of a larger project. However, in all cases the proposal must explain the connection between the research and women’s health care, and how the funding would enable the student to do research that otherwise would not be possible. The project must be completed within 12 months (shorter projects are acceptable).  Applicants must provide a general timeline for the project. The project must include original research.  Literature reviews are not acceptable as the entire project.

Mentoring Process: 
     Applications are judged in part on the presence of an effective faculty mentor.  The mentor should provide assistance and support to the student at all stages of the student's project, including the development of the research plan, timeline, and budget; execution of the project; and preparation of final reports.  The faculty mentor will be responsible for insuring the Awardee's progress.  Additionally, the mentor will have supervision of the student's budget.  The proposed faculty mentor should provide a fair and objective assessment of the student's academic and research abilities in the faculty letter accompanying the application.  This letter, along with the faculty member's willingness to participate, is an important element in the evaluation of the applications.

Nomination Process:
     Each nominee will be nominated by a CSU faculty member. Nominations must be FAXED as complete packets to CSUPERB ( FAX: 619-594-5291) by October 22, 2007. Incomplete packets will NOT be accepted.

     A complete nomination packet consists of all of the following assembled in the order listed:

•	The Howell-CSUPERB Cover Page with contact information and proposed budget.
•	Overview Summary of Proposed Project - [from the student - limit to approximately 100 words] Briefly describe the project and the expected benefits of the research.
•	Description of the Project - [from the student - limit to two to three pages] State the specific aims of the project. Include a description of any previous work you have done in the area. Include results of your review of pertinent literature in this area. Discuss the planned experimental approach including the methods and how the results will be evaluated or analyzed, as well as a tentative timeline. Discuss the significance of the project.
•	Relevance to Women's Health - [from the student - limit to approximately 100 words] Describe how the proposed project is relevant to women's health.
•	Personal Essay - [from the student - limit to approximately 100 words] Describe the relevance of the proposed project to your future academic or career goals.
•	Faculty Sponsor's Letter of Recommendation - [The faculty member must write this letter on his/her letterhead stationery.] The letter should discuss the student's ability to undertake the project, the educational merits of the project, the faculty member’s role in the project, and the appropriateness of the budget. If more than one student is applying from the same lab, the faculty member is asked to rank the students. The faculty member should also attach a short CV to the letter. See the Mentoring Process above for a statement of the importance of the mentor's role.
•	Student's Transcript - An unofficial copy is acceptable.
•	Signed Attestations - Both faculty and student signatures are required on the Signature Page.

Submission:     

     Completed packets (containing all items listed above and assembled in the order listed) must be FAXED to CSUPERB:

FAX Number: 619-594-5291
Deadline: October 22, 2007

(Incomplete packets will NOT be accepted.)

Evaluation of Applications:

     Applications will be judged on several criteria:

The clarity of the study question(s)

The practicality of the research plan

The appropriateness of the research methods to the question(s) identified

The scientific merit

The applicant's ability to effectively communicate these ideas

The academic and research abilities as described in the faculty letter

The mentor's commitment to insuring that the project is accomplished

     CSUPERB will judge the nominations and select the best qualified. From CSUPERB's nominations, the Howell Foundation will select individuals for awards. Notification of awards is expected to be on or before December 31, 2007. This is a project in research funding by Soroptimist International of La Jolla,  the Howell Foundation, and CSUPERB.  For future continuation of this funding, and expansion of this type of program to other levels, it is important to be able to identify what was made possible by these grants that could not have been done otherwise.

Funds Administration:

     The awards will be made to students through their College of Science (or equivalent) office. At least half of the award must be spent on academic (textbooks, tuition and fees) and living expenses (an honorarium or as a salary, which will have tax obligations) for the student. The remainder can be budgeted to cover the student's research-related expenses (supplies, travel related to the project). The student's mentor will have supervision of the budget.  The award funds must be spent by June 30, 2008, even if the project is not completed until December 31, 2008. Projects must be completed within one year after funding.  Please note that no indirect costs are allowed.

Past Awardees:

HOWELL-CSUPERB AWARDEES FOR 2007
Awardee	Mentor	Campus
Jennifer Casey	Brian McClain	Long Beach
Casandra Cox	Stephen Mezyk	Long Beach
Jessica Hessom	Chandra Srinivasan	Fullerton
Rodrigo Rodriguez	Shelli McAlpine	San Diego
Kevin Rynearson	Shelli McAlpine	San Diego
Sunny-June Sojka	Kenneth Hillers	Cal Poly - SLO
Jessica St. John	Chris Immoos	Cal Poly - SLO
Katy Swancutt	Stephen Mezyk	Long Beach
Tung Tran	Marcelo Tolmasky	Fullerton
Lisa Vrooman	Kelly Young	Long Beach
Jason Zbieg	Mike Bergdahl	San Diego
HOWELL-CSUPERB AWARDEES FOR 2006
Awardee	Mentor	Campus
Michelle Albertella	Diane Henschel	Dominguez Hills
Amelia Chen	Roger Davis	San Diego
Marlena Corliss	Jonathan Marhenke	Chico
Christopher Cottage	Mark Sussman	San Diego
Douglas Glick	Katherine Reynolds	Sacramento
Christina Harmston	Mamta Rawat	Fresno
Cristine Lee	Nicole Bournias-Vardiabasis	Channel Islands
Melinda Mulvihill	Jennifer White-Lillig	Sonoma
Thomas Styers	Shelli McAlpine	San Diego
Chioma Umeh	Thomas Landefeld	Dominguez Hills
Richard White III	Claudia Stone	East Bay
HOWELL-CSUPERB AWARDEES FOR 2005
Awardee	Mentor	Campus
Kelly Banker	Carmen Works	Sonoma
Thanuki Idangodage	Michael Myers	Long Beach
Todd Johnson	Mamta Rawat	Fresno
Jennifer Johnson	Shelli McAlpine	San Diego
David McClasky	Mikael Bergdahl	San Diego
Chantelle Moffat-Blue	Kelly Young	Long Beach
Emily Parry	Shelli McAlpine	San Diego
Nicole Pelletier	Robert Metzger	San Diego
Azadeh Salami	Marie Caudill	Pomona
Rachell Tibbetts	David Drath	Fullerton
HOWELL-CSUPERB AWARDEES FOR 2004
Awardee	Mentor	Campus
Marisa Briones	Aida Metzenberg	Northridge
Shane Burr	Katherine D. McReynolds	Sacramento
Justin Foust	Jennifer Lillig	Sonoma
Lisa Marie Kennedy	Lisa Linder	San Luis Obispo
Terry Morgan	Jennifer Lillig	Sonoma
Mary Ann Roser	Nicole Bournias	San Bernardino
Sarah Scott	Lisa Linder	San Luis Obispo
HOWELL-CSUPERB AWARDEES FOR 2003
Awardee	Mentor	Campus
Michelle Davison	Alice Wright	Fresno
Mark Francisco	Carmen Works	Sonoma
Cynthia Gilley	Maria Linder	Fullerton
Sara McBride	Kathleen McGuire	San Diego
Brian Miner	Katie Silliman	Chico
Vanessa Seal	David Drath	Fullerton
Peter Smith	Jill Adler-Moore	Pomona
William Whitmire III	Jill Adler-Moore	Pomona
HOWELL-CSUPERB AWARDEES FOR 2002
Awardee	Mentor	Campus
Bryn Butler	Dr. Mary McCarthy-Hintz	Sacramento
Brian J O'Roak	Dr. Alejandro Calderon-Urrea	Fresno
Sopheap Phin	Dr. Kay Lee-Fruman	Long Beach
Rachael Sondeno	Dr. Janey Youngblom	Stanislaus
Marco Soto	Dr.Katherine D. McReynolds	Sacramento
Bryan Williams	Dr.Karen May-Newman	San Diego
HOWELL-CSUPERB AWARDEES FOR 2001
Awardee	Mentor	Campus
Ashley Bell	Dr. Roy LaFever	Bakersfield
Sharon E. Coope	Dr. David Maynard Dr. Klaus Brasch	San Bernardino
Mary Fernandez	Dr. David Bruck	San Jose
Vivian A. Galicia	Dr. Philip S. LaPolt	Los Angeles
John S. Kaddis	Dr. Frank Gomez	Los Angeles
Sonia Mayoral	Dr. David Matthes	San Jose
Brian J. O'Roak	Dr. Alejandro Calderon-Urrea	Fresno
Erik Pulido	Dr. Elaine D. Collins	San Jose

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CSUPERB considers the definition of biotechnology to be a diverse collection of technologies that capitalize on the attributes, and/or the manipulation, of organisms or tissues, or cellular, sub-cellular, or biomolecular components to discover new knowledge, to solve problems and/or to create models, goods, products, services, and/or therapies and ethical considerations thereof.

Such technologies include, but are not limited to*:

•	Nucleic acids (DNA/RNA): genomics, pharmacogenetics, gene probes, gene mapping, DNA sequencing/synthesis/amplification, PCR or PCR amplification, restriction length polymorphism analysis, genetic engineering (e.g. recombinant DNA, gene therapy, cloning, antisense), viral vectors and related technologies.
•	Peptide and Proteins: protein/peptide sequencing/synthesis, protein engineering, lipid/protein glycoengineering, proteomics, hormones, and growth factors, cell receptors/signaling/pheromones hybridoma technology (to produce monoclonal antibodies).
•	Chemistry and chemical biology: synthesis, medicinal chemistry, drug development, analytical/computational/combinatorial chemistry, or cheminformatics of nucleic acids, peptides and proteins, or other biologically-relevant molecules related to the above technologies.
•	Cell and tissue culture and engineering: cell/tissue culture, tissue engineering, hybridization, cellular fusion, vaccine/immune stimulants, embryo manipulation, gene therapy.
•	Process biotechnologies: bioreactors, fermentation, bioprocessing, bioleaching, bio-pulping, bio-bleaching, biodesulphurization, bioremediation, and biofiltration.
•	Biomaterials and Biomedical Devices: biocompatability of materials for implants and biomedical devices with preference given to development and testing of therapeutic devices, environmental monitoring, and biosensors.

*For a more comprehensive list, please see, List of Biotechnologies and Biotechnological Processes

If your research project does not clearly fall within these categories, or if you have any other or questions about this CSUPERB program, please contact:

Dr. Kathleen McGuire
kmcguire@sunstroke.sdsu.edu

1-619-594-2822

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Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this award or the nomination process please contact: