BLOOMINGTON, IL — The first pair of Illinois Wesleyan University students have been selected to complete long-term research through the Beckman Scholars Program.
IWU was among 14 colleges and universities in the country chosen to receive program funding through the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, a non-profit organization established to support leading-edge research. The Beckman family's connection to the University spans more than a century.
Two scholars will be named and paired with faculty each year throughout the three-year award term. Each Beckman Scholar will participate in the 15-month program for one summer, the following school year and the subsequent summer, resulting in over 1,000 hours of research.
The scholarship grant will provide each student with a $18,200 stipend, as well as a budget for research supplies and additional travel opportunities.
Students selected for the program, their projects and their faculty sponsors are:
Student: Abhirup Das '26
Major: Biology and Computer Science
Project: Bacteriophages and their Hosts: Experimental and Algorithmic Approaches to Understanding
Host Range
Faculty Sponsor: Assistant Professor of Biology Richard Alvey
Hometown: Kolkata, India
Student: Jishnu Satheeshreddy '26
Major: Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience
Project: Effect of Hypothyroidism in Embryonic Development of the Chick
Faculty Advisor: Associate Professor of Biology Tyler Schwend
Hometown: Bloomington, Illinois