Chemistry & Biochemistry
Faculty of Science


Outstanding Scholars
Outstanding Scholars in Chemistry

Outstanding scholars & research: Attention to 2nd, 3rd and 4th year outstanding scholars: Faculty accepting outstanding scholars into their labs will be giving presentations of their research projects for next year: Friday Jan. 23, 2009 in 186 Essex Hall.

Outstanding Scholars in Chemistry are students with exceptional high school entrance averages who have enrolled in the Chemistry or Chemistry & Physics programs.

An introduction of the financial benefits of the Outstanding Scholars program can be found on our Scholarships page.

Read more about one of our Outstanding Scholars that started with in Fall 2005!

Policies for Outstanding Scholars in Chemistry

The following is an outline of policies pertaining to Outstanding Scholars in Chemistry, effective for students enrolled from Fall 2003 onwards. Download an Adobe Acrobat PDF file with this information.

Second Draft: Guidelines for Management of Outstanding Scholars Program
Effective July 18, 2005, retroactive for all students from Fall 2003 onwards.

Students enrolled in Chemistry or Chemistry & Physics programs must satisfy four requirements:
(i) satisfactory progress in meeting the course requirements of their chosen major
(ii) satisfy the requirements of the Academic Appointments in the second, third and fourth year
(iii) participate in mentoring program during first year
(iv) maintain a 10.0 cumulative and 10.5 major average

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry would like to clarify/define several of these items:

(i) satisfactory progress and (ii) requirements of the Academic Appointments
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry considers the following to be “satisfactory progress” and “satisfying the requirements of Academic Appointments” for an Outstanding Scholar:
- students should follow the recommended course progression described in the University Calendar and/or advised by academic counselors
- during the second year, students should complete all second year core requirements, including 230, 235, 240, 241, 250 and 251.
- during their third year, students should be enrolled in a minimum of two of three chemistry core requirements (i.e., 330, 340 and/or 350) in the first term of third year (semester five), and a minimum of two chemistry courses at the 300 or 400 level in the second term of third year
- students must be enrolled in the 59-410 research project during their fourth year
- significant deviations from the recommended progression in the calendar must be approved by the OS program advisor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

(iii) participation in mentoring
The term “mentoring” is interpreted by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry as follows:
- In first year, students will meet a minimum of once per term with the OS program advisor and the Coordinator of the OS program at the University level. The purpose of these meetings are to evaluate progress in their degree program as well as to develop the interest of the student in a research program to be undertaken in following years. Students must also complete the training course 12-00-001 to be eligible for renewal (visit the OS website for more info).
- In second year and higher, students must actively participate in the OS research program. Students are required to work on a minor research program under the direct supervision of faculty member in Chemistry. A brief report summarizing two semesters of research activity should be submitted to the supervisor and to the OS program advisor in Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Students should continue to meet with the coordinator of the OS program at least once during the Fall or Winter terms.
- Students involved in research must take the University WHMIS course (Safety) prior to commencing any research projects.

(iv) GPA
- Students must maintain the recommended GPAs or risk loss of scholarship.
- A student who lost his/her Award due to unsatisfactory academic progress may regain the award the following year provided that his/her academic average(s) reached the required level.

Failure to meet requirements
If students fail to adhere to requirements outlined above, they risk the loss of scholarship. Students with problems in meeting these requirements should immediately consult the coordinator of the OS program and the OS program advisor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Contact information:
OS program advisor, Chemistry Dr. Lana Lee (x3546)
Coordinator of the OS Program Dr. Barbara Niewitecka (x3460)

The OS program advisor is nominated by the undergraduate committee, is a member of this committee and is approved by the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Council.

The Coordinator of the OS program is external to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and is a University appointment.

—RS, AT: input from/checked by BN, PD, DS, July 18, 2005; introduced at Department Council on August 11, 2005.

Outstanding Scholars - University Regulations
a selection of relevant regulations from: http://web4.uwindsor.ca/units/awards/AwardsV2.nsf/inToc/B804FAD7680843EF85256EAD004ED897
or click here to visit this link

Regulations:
Course Load/Continuous Study:
Recipients must register as full-time students (i.e. at least 80% of a full course load for the student’s program per semester, taken for credit) in the year immediately following the conferring of the awards.

Maintaining Eligibility:
In order to renew the award and receive the following year's instalment, recipients must:
1. Achieve a minimum of a 10.0 cumulative and 10.5 major average at the University of Windsor;
2. Make satisfactory progress in meeting the course requirements of their chosen major;
3. Participate in mentoring program during first year and satisfy the requirements of the Academic Appointments in the second, third and fourth year.

Program Requirements:
A student is eligible for only one Outstanding Scholars Award. Those choosing to take a combined honours program in two programs eligible for the Award must select and maintain one of these programs for Award purposes. Note that students registered in the Business and Economics Program are not eligible for an Outstanding Scholars Award.

Once the student's studies have commenced, the Award is not transferable to another Outstanding Scholars Award program.

Other Scholarships and awards:
Please review the array of other University of Windsor scholarships and awards you may qualify for by using the Awards Search function of the Student Information System. The Outstanding scholars Award is just one part of a package of student awards you may be considered for.

Most other awards can be held concurrently with an Outstanding Scholars Award. However, in the case of a few awards, the student will not qualify for consideration if they accept another one. For example, the Computer Science High Speed Internet Connection Award and Entrance Scholarship cannot be held concurrently with an Outstanding Scholars Award.

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