Graduate Opportunities

DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS/NOMINATIONS IS 3/16/2026.
Please submit all required materials to the Department of Entomology Scholarship, Fellowship and Award Application/Nomination Site.

Scholarships

The Roger and Barbara Hoopingarner Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Entomology

Award: One award equivalent to $50,000

The recipient of this award will receive a $2,500 fellowship in fall, 2026. $47,500 is provided as part of the recipient’s assistantship support during 2026/2027.

Eligibility:

Must be a current or incoming MSU Entomology graduate student
Must be enrolled in the 2026-2027 Academic Year
Faculty are encouraged to nominate incoming students working in apiculture, honeybee science or pollination

Required Nomination Materials:

A letter of nomination from the student’s major professor
One additional letter of support

The Rhodes (Gene) Thompson Endowed Fellowship in Entomology

Award: One $3,000 fellowship

Eligibility:

Must be a current MSU Entomology graduate student, studying applied entomology
Must be enrolled in fall, 2026.
Must have an exceptional academic record in current degree program

Required Nomination Materials:

A letter of nomination from the student’s major professor
One additional letter of support

The Paul Wooley Endowed Fellowship

Award: Up to two $2,500 fellowships

Eligibility:

Must be a current Entomology Master’s student, studying applied entomology
Must be enrolled in fall, 2026
Must have an exceptional academic record in current degree program

Required Nomination Materials:

A letter of nomination from the student’s major professor
One additional letter of support

The Robert R. Dreisbach Endowed Fellowship

Award: Up to three $3,000 Fellowships

Eligibility:

Must be a current Entomology Ph.D. candidate who has passed their Comprehensive Exams
Must be enrolled in fall, 2026
Must have an exceptional academic record in current degree program

Required Nomination Materials:

A letter of nomination from the student’s major professor
One additional letter of support

Landis Research Collaboration Scholarship

Award: $2,500

More information on the Landis Research Collaboration Scholarship can be found here.

Eligibility:

Must be a current graduate student in the Department of Entomology
Overall GPA of at least 3.0
Enrolled in the 2026/2027 academic year
Current in all degree requirements (e.g. GradPlan, RECR)

Required Appplication Materials:

A letter of application from the student that states their research goals, career goals and how these funds are going to help achieve these goals
- Use 12 pt Arial or Times New Roman font
- Single or double spaced and use 1” margins (left, right, top and bottom)
- Include a budget and budget justification using the provided budget form
- Proposals should be no more than 5 pages and should include the name of the student, the principal advisor in the host lab, main purpose(s) of the visit, and the proposed dates, activities, budget (with budget justification) and deliverables.
- For lab visits, a short (1 page maximum) letter of invitation from the hosting lab is required.
A current C.V. or resume

The Olsen Entomology Scholarship

Award: Up to two $2,000 Scholarships or Fellowships

Eligibility:

Must be a current Entomology undergraduate major/minor or graduate student
Undergraduate students must at least be of junior status and have a 2.5 or higher GPA
Graduate students must be in good academic standing
Must have a research interest in IPM or Sustainability
Must be enrolled in fall, 2026

Required Application Materials:

A letter of application from the student that states their research goals, career goals and how these funds are going to help achieve these goals
A current C.V. or resume

The Fred Stehr & Family Fellowship for Service in Entomology

Award: Up to two $2,500 Fellowships

Eligibility:

Must be a current Entomology graduate student
Must be enrolled in fall, 2026

Required Application Materials:

A letter of application from the student that includes their participation in service (within the department, university, community, or discipline), goals and interests in entomology, and how current and past experiences in service relate to the success of these goals (strictly limited to 2 pages double spaced)
Letter of support from student’s major professor
A current C.V.
- Winners will be nominated for an NCB-ESA or ESA level award, if eligible and will need to provide an ESA formatted CV at that time

The George W. Bird Pioneering Land Grant Scholarship

Award: One $2,500 scholarship or fellowship

Eligibility:

Must be a current Entomology undergraduate or graduate student.
Must be in academic good standing.
Must be enrolled in fall semester, 2026.

This scholarship may be awarded to a student only once during their tenure in the department

Required Application Materials:

A 500-word essay describing how being a student at a Land Grant institution is impacting your future education or professional career goals

Awards

Hutson Memorial Travel Fund

This fund supports travel by MSU Entomology undergraduate and graduate students to professional academic meetings such as the Entomological Society of America annual conference.

Students may make one request per academic year for domestic travel. Travel awards can be requested at any time during the academic year.

Eligibility:

MSU Entomology undergraduate or graduate student.
Must be in good academic standing.
One request per academic year for domestic travel.
One request during degree program for international travel.

Required Application Materials:

Download and fill out the Hutson Travel Support Request Form and submit completed request form to Heather Lenartson-Kluge at lenartso@msu.edu
Letter to chairperson at least 30 days in advance of the travel, including the name of the professional meeting, location, total cost and benefit of attending.

J. E. And Jean M. McPherson Travel Award

This travel award goes to support travel, lodging, and registration fees for graduate students to attend the Annual Entomological Society of America Meeting or the Annual North Central Branch Entomological Society Meeting.

Eligibility:

Recipients must be MSU Department of Entomology graduate students that have demonstrated at least one of the following:
- Significant research ability
- Obtained an exceptional overall grade point average (> 3.75 GPA)
- Exhibited dedicated community or university service

In addition, you must be current in all your degree program obligations, to date. This
includes both GradPlan and RECR requirements

Required Application Materials:

Download and fill out the J. E. And Jean M. McPherson Travel Award Request Form and submit completed request form to Heather Lenartson-Kluge at lenartso@msu.edu
A current CV
A paragraph describing how you meet at least one area of the eligibility criteria

Larry Gut Memorial International Travel Award

This award will go towards supporting an international trip for a student in the Department of Entomology.

Calls for this award will be sent to graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Entomology at the beginning of fall and spring semesters each year. Trips for awards given fall semester must take place before June 30. Trips for awards spring semester must take place before December 31. Travel awards must be used for the specific event and location they are awarded for. They cannot be used for a different international trip. Awardees may reapply for another award in a future semester if their international travel plans change.

Eligibility:

Must be currently enrolled as graduate or undergraduate students in the Department of Entomology at MSU
Must be in good academic standing
Must be current in all their degree program obligations to date.
- For graduate students this includes GradPlan and RECR training. Please refer to Appendix A in Entomology’s Guide to Graduate Study to review Entomology’s degree timelines
Must be traveling outside of the United States to conduct research, attend professional meetings, and/or engage in experiential learning

Required Application Materials:

Download and fill out the The Larry Gut Memorial International Travel Award Request Form and submit completed request form to Heather Lenartson-Kluge at lenartso@msu.edu
A current CV
A paragraph describing how your international trip will benefit your degree program and
your career goals

The Department of Entomology Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award

To recognize outstanding achievement in the overall Ph.D. program.

Award: $750

Eligibility:

Must be a current MSU Entomology Ph.D. candidate who has passed their Comprehensive Exams

Required Nomination Materials:

A letter of nomination from the student’s major professor
An additional letter of support

The Department of Entomology Outstanding M.S. Student Award

To recognize outstanding achievement in the overall M.S. program.

Award: $750

Eligibility:

Must be a current MSU Entomology Master's student

Required Nomination Materials:

A letter of nomination from the student’s major professor
An additional letter of support

The Department of Entomology Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award

To recognize excellence, dedication, and accomplishment by an Entomology graduate student in teaching in Entomology or elsewhere at MSU.
Award: $750

Eligibility: