Six undergraduate students from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Oklahoma State University will receive $8,000 scholarships and the opportunity to conduct supervised research in a university lab as 2014-15 Niblack Research Scholars.

Each year 15 OSU undergraduates are selected to take part in the Niblack Research Scholars program. The annual program is funded by OSU alumnus John Niblack, who wants to give the students an early chance to do real scientific research that goes beyond book study or the routine lab experience.

“The scholarships permit them to do frontline research with the supervision of a professor and a graduate student mentor,” said Niblack, who had a similar experience himself as an undergraduate student at OSU. He went on to become a scientist and a vice chairman for Pfizer Inc., a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical company.

The 2014-15 Niblack Research Scholars from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources are:

 

Brett Johnson, a horticulture major, Stillwater, Okla.

Casey Landis, a biochemistry/molecular biology/pre-vet major, Skiatook, Okla.

Christian Ley, a biosystems and agricultural engineering major, Broken Arrow, Okla.

Julia Matera, an animal science and biochemistry major, Columbia, Mo.

Joshua Mouser, a natural resource ecology and management major, Stillwater, Okla.

Will Shaffer, a biochemistry/molecular biology major, Carthage, Mo.

 

Videos about the students and their research are available at http://niblack.okstate.edu.

Niblack founded the scholars program in 2004. He worked for Pfizer as a scientist from 1967-1980, directing research into drugs for viral illnesses, cancer and autoimmune disorders.  He was appointed director of research for the company's U.S. laboratories in 1980 and named president of Pfizer's Central Research Division in 1990.  He became vice chairman in 1993 and retired in 2002.