• Who is eligible/what is required to apply to the Petit Scholars program?
  • Undergraduate students with a minimum of 45 credit hours completed as of January 2025 (first-year students are not eligible)
  • Must be currently enrolled at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Georgia State University, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Agnes Scott College, Kennesaw State University, or another metro Atlanta area college or university.
  • Minimum overall GPA 3.0 (official university transcript must be submitted).
  • Demonstrated interest in bioengineering and/or bioscience research and two letters of recommendation.
  • Commitment to participate for the entire program starting January 2025 through the end of December 2025 (if you are graduating in spring or summer 2025, you are not eligible to apply)
  • Commitment to full-time availability during summer months (students should not enroll in summer classes)
  • International students are welcome.
  • Students with disabilities, from underrepresented minority groups, as defined by the National Science Foundation (Black/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and American Indians, or Alaska Natives), and women are strongly encouraged to apply. For more info, click here. 
• Will I receive a stipend for the program?
  • Yes! An $8,000 stipend is paid over the course of the program (January – December). Scholars must provide their own housing.
• What is the time commitment for the program?
  • Duration of the Petit Scholars program is one calendar year – January through December.
    • Spring Semester: conduct research 12+ hours per week, while taking normal coursework
    • Summer Semester: conduct research 40+ hours per week (in order to devote full-time attention to research, scholars should not be enrolled in summer classes)
    • Fall Semester: conduct research 12+ hours per week, while taking normal coursework
  • Attend program enrichment workshops throughout the year (details to be published as scheduled).
  • Participate in various program-sponsored social activities as scheduled.
  • Participate in end-of-year poster session and reception to present your research to members of the IBB community (held in October/November).
• Can I serve as a Petit Scholar while receiving a President's Undergraduate Research Award (PURA)?
  • No, GT prohibits students from receiving both the Petit Scholars award the PURA simultaneously. 
• If I am an undergraduate currently doing research in an IBB lab (full IBB faculty list here) and I am selected to be a Petit Scholar, can I continue my research as a Petit Scholar in my lab?
  • Yes, as long as the IBB faculty member approves and designates a graduate student or postdoc from your lab to serve as your official Petit Mentor AND that mentor submits an independent project proposal for you by the submission deadline.
  • Note - selected scholars also have the option of choosing to change to another IBB lab if preferred and there is an available project of interest

H​​​​​ave additional questions? Contact lakeita.servance@ibb.gatech.edu.

• What are the qualifications/requirements of a Petit Mentor?
  • Must be a graduate student or post-doctoral fellow in an IBB lab - see complete faculty list here. Note - PIs and other lab employees are not eligible to serve as Petit Mentors.
    • If your PI is interested in applying to become an IBB faculty member, they can find full details here.
  • Must submit a research project proposal (detailing the work that will be completed by a scholar in the program) which requires a submitted letter of permission from your IBB faculty advisor to serve as a Petit Mentor
  • Must be available to serve as a Petit Mentor for the full duration of the program (from January – December).
  • Mentors are required to attend two Scholar events: orientation in January 2025 and the end-of-year poster session (Oct/Nov).
  • Mentors are also encouraged to participate in various social/networking events for Scholars and Mentors
• How Does the Scholar/Mentee Matching and Project Selection process work?
  • Once Scholars are accepted into the program, they review and rank the approved research projects submitted by potential Mentees.
  • The majority of applicants are students looking for new lab experiences and research opportunities.
  • If you are already informally mentoring a student that applied and was selected to be a Scholar, they may choose to remain in your lab on the existing project (if you have submitted an approved research opportunity) or they have the option to select/rank another project of interest to match with another lab.
  • If your current mentee does not select your submitted project, you can indicate a preference in the application process for all available Scholars who are looking for a new lab to review the project.
• Can I mentor more than one scholar at a time?
  • No, you can only mentor one scholar per calendar year
• Can I submit multiple project proposals during one application cycle?
  • Yes, but you are only eligible to mentor one scholar per calendar year
• H​​​​​ave additional questions? Contact lakeita.servance@ibb.gatech.edu.