BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — A pair of Illinois Wesleyan University students, Peyton Carlock '26 and Jessica Navarro '26, have been selected to receive scholarships to complete long-term research through the Beckman Scholars Program.
IWU was among 14 colleges and universities in the nation chosen to receive program funding through the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, a non-profit organization established to support leading-edge research. The Beckman family's connection to the University spans more than a century.
Throughout the three-year award term, two scholars will be named each year and paired with a faculty advisor. Each Beckman Scholar will participate in the 15-month program for one summer, the following school year and the subsequent summer, which results in over 1,000 hours of research.
The scholarship grant will provide each student with a $18,200 stipend along with a budget for research supplies and additional travel opportunities.
Students selected for the program, their projects and their faculty sponsors are:
Student: Peyton Carlock '26
Major: Biology
Project: Evaluating Bacteria as Biocontrol Agents Against Plant Pathogens
Faculty Sponsor: Assistant Professor of Biology Loralyn Cozy
Hometown: Bloomington, Illinois
Student: Jessica Navarro '26
Major: Biology and International and Global Studies
Project: Genomic Characterization of Cyanophage Isolates and Analysis of a Potential Antiphage
System
Faculty Sponsor: Associate Professor of Biology Richard Alvey
Hometown: Shorewood, Illinois