Previous awardees of the Gilliam Fellowship program
How does HHMI define "best"? Maryrose Franko, the senior program officer for grants, said that aside from the standardized test scores, she looks for recommendations that sing praises of a student's creativity and independence in the lab. When she reads letters that describe a student's "good hands," it's a sure sign that the student is a good lab tech, but not necessarily destined for independent problem solving, she said. She looks for letters that speak to the students' intellectual contribution to the research. Students are also judged on their demonstration of "science activism," as Franko calls it. Not only is the institute hoping to raise excellent scientists, she said, "We want them to be a mentor in the professoriate." The award usually goes to just five students, but nine students were selected in 2009 because the quality of the applicants was so high. "This year's group of nine have shown so much commitment" to science outreach and literacy in their community, Franko said. You can read about the individual accomplishments of the awardees linkurl:here.;http://www.hhmi.org/news/gilliam20090212.html
**__Related stories:__*** linkurl: A Head Start;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/54853/
[August 2008]*linkurl:50 plum new grants from HHMI;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/53067/
[12th April 2007]*linkurl:HHMI picks new president;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55059/
[29th September 2008]
