Microbiology Society Prize

Benefit

You get a certificate and one year of free undergraduate membership of the Microbiology Society. This membership links you to a scientific society based in London that runs conferences, journals and grants in microbiology. So the award gives you recognition and a professional network. There is no cash payment. At University College Cork (UCC) the prize goes to one microbiology student per year.

Eligibility

• Year of study: You are in the second or second-to-last year of a full-time Bachelor's degree, or the part-time equivalent.
• Subject: Your degree has a strong microbiology content. This includes not only BSc Microbiology but also subjects like Biotechnology or Applied Biology.
• University: You study at UCC. (The wider prize is open to recognised universities in the UK or the Republic of Ireland.)
• Grades: You have at least a 2(I) (Upper Second Class Honours) overall by the time the award is made.
• Top of your year: At UCC the prize goes to the microbiology student with the highest overall mark in the Third Science Examination at the first attempt.

How to apply

You do not apply yourself. UCC selects and nominates its own student based on exam marks, and only one prize is available per university. UCC then passes the certificate and membership offer on to you.

How realistic are your chances?

You cannot enter this yourself, so it comes down to being the strongest microbiology student in your year at UCC, measured by your Third Science Examination mark on the first attempt. Only one student per university is chosen, so it is narrow. But you compete only within your own year group, not a national field. Strong, consistent results in your microbiology modules are what put you in reach.