Scholarships

The Department offers several scholarships that are intended to foster academic excellence and encourage research activity. These scholarships with the exception of the Herron scholarship, are intended mainly for upper-level (60 credit hours or more, including transfer courses) majors who are planning to participate in undergraduate research. Criteria the committee will consider include: academic performance, honors, career goals, letters of recommendation, and research experience. Though not a specific prerequisite for all of the scholarships, they tend to be awarded to students who are either currently involved in undergraduate research or are about to begin. Minimum GPA requirement to be considered for a scholarship is 3.0. Scholarship applications are to be submitted via the FSU Finding Scholarships for You (FS4U) website https://fsu.academicworks.com/ .

Scholarships:

• The Charles A. Brautlecht and Louise I. Brautlecht Scholarships in Chemistry​
• The Katherine Blood and Harold H. Hoffman Scholarships in Chemistry
• The DeLos F. DeTar and Frances L. DeTar Scholarships in Chemistry
• The Russell H. and Dorothy P. Johnsen Scholarships in Chemistry
• Herron Scholarship
• The Jack Saltiel Undergraduate Research Award
• Math, Science, and Engineering Scholarships through FSU’s Office of National Fellowships

​FSU Chemistry and Biochemistry Students who’ve Recently Earned International, National, Regional, and Institutional Awards

The Charles A. Brautlecht and Louise I. Brautlecht Scholarships in Chemistry

The Brautlecht Scholarships in Chemistry are awarded to undergraduate students who are planning a career in chemistry and entering their senior year (i.e. students with at least 90 credit hours, including transfer courses). Selection for the Brautlecht Scholarships will be based primarily on academic performance. Secondary consideration will be given to the student’s past and/or planned research, a recommendation by the professor directing the research, and a statement of the student’s career goals.

The Katherine Blood and Harold H. Hoffman Scholarships in Chemistry

These scholarships are offered to help qualified students enjoy the subject central to other sciences and fundamental to the well being of the world. It is hoped that whoever employs it will appreciate the land, sky and water, and try to make the universe a better place in which to live. Each scholarship is given on a rotating basis in honor of a faculty member who particularly helped to impart fine liberal education at Florida State College for Women, which served as a foundation for the modern Florida State University. The professors so honored include Edward Conradi, psychology, philosophy, and the presidency; Jennie Tilt, chemistry; Alban Stewart, bacteriology; Myrtle Dolbee, German; and Sadie Young, economics.

Selection ProcessApplicants must be upper-level undergraduate (60 credit hours or more, including transfer courses) Chemistry or Biochemistry majors at Florida State University with a minimum 3.2 grade point average on academic courses. Evaluation will be made on the basis of academic performance, honors, career goals, letters of recommendation, research experience, and evidence of motivation, character, and initiative. At the option of the scholarship committee, members of the scholarship committee may interview top candidates. The Hoffman Scholarship Committee will select scholarship recipients. Members of the Hoffman Scholarship Committee are selected by and serve at the pleasure of Katherine Hoffman.

Brief Sketch of the Lives of the Donors
Harold and Katherine Hoffman grew up in Winter Haven, Florida, and graduated from the local high school there. Harold Hoffman graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of Florida, while Katherine’s degree from Florida State College for Women was in bacteriology. They married in 1938 and moved to Tallahassee in 1940. There Harold performed feed analysis in the chemistry labs of the Florida Department of Agriculture, advancing to the position of Associate State Chemist. Katherine became an instructor in chemistry at Florida State College for Women. At the close of their forty-plus years apiece of service, Harold was the Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture and Katherine was Professor of Chemistry at Florida State University. Their son, Norris Hoffman, is Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of South Alabama.

The DeLos F. DeTar and Frances L. DeTar Scholarships in Chemistry

These scholarships are offered to foster academic excellence and encourage senior research for those planning a career in chemistry.

Selection Process
The DeTar Scholarships are awarded to undergraduate students entering their senior year (i.e. students with at least 90 credit hours, including transfer courses). Selection for the DeTar Scholarships in Chemistry will be based primarily on academic performance. Secondary consideration will be given to the student’s past and/or planned research, a recommendation by the professor directing the research, and a statement of the student’s career goals.

Brief Sketch of the Lives of the Donors
DeLos F. and Frances Patty L. DeTar graduated from Elgin High School in Elgin, Illinois. They both attended the University of Illinois. After receiving the B.S. in 1941, DeLos attended the University of Pennsylvania and received the Ph.D in chemistry in 1944, working under Martin Caarmack. After two years with the Pioneering Research Division of duPont in Buffalo, N.Y., he held a postdoctoral appointment with C.S. Marvel at Illinois. He was on the faculty at Cornell University for seven years, then joined the faculty of the University of South Carolina to help start a Ph.D program in chemistry. He became a member of the faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida State University in 1960, and served as professor until his retirement in 1999.

Patty worked in a cancer research laboratory at Lankenau Hospital in Philadelphia. She received the M.S. degree in chemistry at Florida State University.

The DeTars have two sons and two daughters. Carleton is Professor of Physics at the University of Utah, Marvin worked for many years at Lubrizol and currently is working for a small chemical company in Cleveland, Ohio. Caroline Mautz is a programmer for a company in Salt Lake, Utah, that provides software for real estate companies. Martha Jolley works as receptionist in a physical therapy clinic in Utah.

The Russell H. and Dorothy P. Johnsen Scholarships in Chemistry

These scholarships are awarded to assist students in their pursuit of careers in chemistry and in that connection encourage a program of senior research.

Selection Process
Selection will be based on academic performance with preference given to those interested in physical chemistry. Additionally preference will be given to veterans of the US armed forces or descendents of veterans. Consideration will be given to the applicant’s planned research, a recommendation by the professor directing that research, and a written statement of the student’s career goals.

Brief Sketch of the Lives of the Donors
Russell Johnsen is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He came to FSU in 1951 and retired in 1993. His interests are in the field of radiation chemistry and the teaching of chemistry to non scientists. After a period of 26 years of research supported by the Department of Energy he accepted a position s Associate Provost of the College of Arts and Sciences and later became Dean of Graduate Studies. Dorothy Johnsen is a graduate of FSU in history, an interest she continues to pursue along with her activities as residential engineer. The Johnsens have a son who is the director of the USDA laboratory in Peoria, IL and a daughter who is a business continuity manager for Georgia Power Co.

Herron Scholarship

Application for the Herron Scholarship is by invitation only and extended during a student’s first year at FSU. Qualifications for the Herron scholarship are based on high school GPA, standardized test scores and first-semester grades. Invitations to apply are usually extended early in the spring semester.

Jack Saltiel Undergraduate Research Award

This award is open to FSU undergraduate students majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. Awardees will receive a stipend to fund their work on a research project carried out under the mentorship of a supervising faculty member in the FSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Dr. Jack Saltiel is a long-time professor in the FSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His teaching and research have made an impact on many of his students during his more than 50 years at FSU. One such student is Dr. Mark Wrighton, who established this award in Dr. Saltiel’s honor.”

Math, Science, and Engineering Scholarships through FSU’s Office of National Fellowships

Visit the FSU Office of National Fellowship website to learn about other scholarship opportunities in the areas of math, science, and engineering.