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The Frank Sturm Memorial Fellowship is administered by the Graduate Student Council (GSC) and open for applications from December to January each year. After the email-distributed call for applications in the late fall semester, the review and selection process occurs February to March, concluding in the presentation of the fellowship and award at the Graduate School Awards ceremony in April. Each recipient's name is also engraved on a commemorative perpetual plaque honoring the late Dr. Frank Sturm and all fellowship awardees, displayed in Hargis Hall.
The annual fellowship given to the selected recipient in the amount of $1,000 remains available for one full calendar year from the date the fellowship is granted. Fund availability is dependent upon submission of documentation and evidence (photos also accepted) of the event or work done plus a short statement on how funds were used.
In remembrance of Frank’s ideals, will and devotion to interdisciplinary collaboration, the Frank Sturm Memorial Fellowship provides opportunities to attend an off-campus colloquium, seminar or conference. The ideal recipient of this fellowship will be a graduate student who exemplifies leadership through campus or community involvement regardless of their GPA. Preference will be given to applicants who are involved in multidisciplinary research/teaching projects or those who intend to participate in an off-campus interdisciplinary research/teaching conference.
Applicant eligibility criteria:
- Currently enrolled graduate student
- Pursuing the highest graduate degree offered by the academic department
- Exemplifies leadership through campus or community involvement
- Completed application in its entirety, including all requested documents
- Submitted by the deadline; no late submissions will be accepted
Automatic disqualification:
- Not pursuing the highest graduate degree offered by the department of the applicant
- Failure to obtain any of the necessary documents
- Failure to submit the application by the deadline
- The application does not fulfill the objectives of the fellowship
In 2014, Frank Sturm graduated with his doctorate in Mathematics. He represented his department in the Graduate Student Council as a senator from 2011 to 2013 and served as president from 2013 to 2014. Frank’s leadership style focused on collaboration among students and faculty in many different fields of study. From creating the COSAM interdisciplinary colloquium, a platform for graduate students both to share and to practice presenting their research with those outside their field, to initiating informal seminars about topology, Frank exemplified a passion for learning and a dedication to improving academic dialogue on campus. One could always count on a multifaceted group of people at events that Frank initiated.
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Frank was always searching for new knowledge, experiences, and friends that could add to his breadth of understanding about life. He was a motorcycle enthusiast who had a passion for travel and exploration of the world around him.
In addition to his dedication to interdisciplinary research and leadership, Frank’s passion for teaching was his motivation to always look for innovative ways to instruct his students. He frequently attended and spoke at the Legacy of R.L. Moore conferences and was a huge proponent of the “Texas Style” of teaching, which was a variation of the Socratic Method. He also worked with K-12 education through a fellowship at Auburn University. Frank cared deeply about his students and colleagues, routinely placing their needs before his own. His teaching was a reflection of his dedication to students, as he encouraged them to not only understand, but also to apply the material to their lives.
