Dedicated to the advancement of the chemical sciences

Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions

Deadline:  August 4, 2022
Announcement:  early November 2022

The Jean Dreyfus Lectureship awards provide an $18,500 grant to bring a leading researcher to a primarily undergraduate institution to give at least two lectures in the chemical sciences.  One of the lectures should be accessible and promoted to a wide audience that includes the general public. The remaining lecture(s) may be more technical. The lecturer is expected to spend more than one day at the institution to substantively interact with undergraduate students and a broad range of faculty over the period of the visit. Prior to August 2016, the program was known as the Jean Dreyfus Boissevain Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions.

A portion of the award is to support two undergraduates in summer research. The undergraduates engaged in summer research are expected to work with mentors in contemporary chemistry.

Eligibility

Applications are accepted from departments in the chemical sciences at primarily undergraduate institutions in the States, Districts, and Territories of the United States of America. Eligible departments grant a BS or MS degree in chemistry, but not a Ph.D. Institutions are restricted to only one application annually for this program. Institutions that receive an award are not eligible to re-apply for five years. Applications not funded in the year of submission will remain in contention for two additional years, though updated applications may be submitted during this period.

Selection

The application is evaluated based upon the following:

  1. One or two examples of the proposed invited lecturer, a schedule for the visit, which is expected to be a minimum of two days, and a description of how the lecturer’s research would fit into the department’s activities. The potential lecturer(s) may be contacted in advance of the proposal submission to gauge interest and to allow for planning a better integration of the visit with departmental initiatives.
  2. A description of the department’s efforts in scholarly research and education in the contemporary chemical sciences. Cited examples of the latter should include, but are not limited to:
    • descriptions of the faculty research programs
    • external research support
    • undergraduate participation in research
  3. In addition, the following may also be included:
    • the historical number of chemistry majors, and the number of those that go on to graduate school in the chemical sciences
    • special educational or outreach efforts

Nominations are reviewed by distinguished faculty in the chemical sciences.

Budget

The award total is $18,500. Of this amount, $2,500 is an honorarium for the lecturer, and $5,000 is to be allocated to the support of the lectures (for example: travel, accommodation, receptions and/or dinners, etc.). The remaining $11,000 is to support the summer research of two undergraduate students. Each stipend is to be no less than $4,500. The balance may be used to defray costs associated with the research and/or the scientific advancement of each student—e.g., travel to scientific meetings. Charges associated with indirect costs or institutional overhead are not allowed.

Application Procedure

All materials must be received at the Foundation office by the deadline. The application is limited to nine pages, including the online application form. It should be formatted on 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper, using a 12-point font. Assemble it as:

  1. The online application form
  2. A brief introduction to the department
  3. A listing of the department faculty with their educational backgrounds and year of appointment in the department cited; a brief description of their research programs; a list of three representative research publications for each, with undergraduate coauthors indicated; and a list of current and recent external support for each, with award years and amounts indicated
  4. A description of undergraduate involvement in research
  5. Examples of the proposed lecturers (again a maximum of two, who may be contacted in advance) and topics
  6. Proposed schedule of the lectures and activities that demonstrate broad engagement of the lecturer with students and faculty
  7. A description of how the lecturer’s visit will integrate into ongoing departmental interests
  8. A description of the process to select the undergraduate research students
  9. A simple budget describing how award funds are anticipated to be used

Send all above materials as a PDF to: [email protected].

Applications recommended for approval are presented to the Foundation’s Board of Directors and announced by early August.

Reports

Reports are due after the lectureship and upon completion of the undergraduate research. Reports should be concise and contain the following information:

Lectureship report:

  1. A summary description of the lectureship, including titles, photographs and/or video footage, promotional materials, invited audience, and approximate attendance
  2. A description of the lecturer’s engagement activities
  3. Categorical financial report

Undergraduate Research report:

  1. Description of the research activities, curricula vitae of the mentors, and the students’ future plans
  2. Categorical financial report

Send each report as a PDF to: [email protected].

Additional information
  1. Publications and presentations describing research supported by the award should acknowledge the Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions.
  2. Procedural questions may be directed to the Foundation office by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at 212-753-1760.
Jean Dreyfus

Jean Dreyfus was President of the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation from 1956 until her death in 1991. Born in Chicago, in 1931 she married Camille Dreyfus, founder and chairman of the Celanese Corporation of America and of the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation.

An operatic soprano and patron of the arts, as Jean Tennyson she sang with several leading European and American opera companies, including La Scala in Milan, the Chicago Civic Opera, and the San Francisco Opera Company. She also sang on the CBS Radio program “Great Moments in Music” from 1942 to 1946.

After World War II, Mrs. Dreyfus founded the Artists Veterans Hospital Programs of the Musicians Emergency Fund, which presented concerts for patients in veterans hospitals. She also served as a patron of the Philharmonic Society of New York and as vice chair of New York City’s Lewisohn Stadium Concerts. She was a trustee of the New York City Opera and a principal supporter of the Spoleto Festival.

Mrs. Dreyfus received several awards, including the Stella della Solidarieta from the Italian government, the St. Olaf Medal from the King of Norway, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Vermont.