Academic Partners

How We Select Our Scholars

Each ARCS chapter supports scholars at academic institutions in its local area. Every institution that ARCS partners with undergoes a comprehensive evaluation and is approved by the ARCS National Board. The evaluation process considers the strength of the institution’s degree programs, faculty size and quality, scientific publications, library facilities, test scores, national research grant funding, and faculty membership in professional organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and The Institute of Medicine.

The Northern California Chapter has a University Assessment Committee whose members have no affiliation with any of the recipient schools. If a university or a department within a university does not conform to the standards of the University Assessment Committee, the department or university is dropped from the Chapter’s recipient roster.

Participating Universities: SF State, Stanford, UC Berkeley

Current List of Departments Approved for ARCS Awards, by University

San Francisco State University

Biology
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Computer Science
Earth & Climate Sciences
Geography & Environment
Mathematics
Physics & Astronomy

Stanford University

Aeronautics & Astronautics
Applied Physics
Bioengineering
Biology
Biophysics
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Energy Resources Engineering
Environmental Earth System Science
Geological & Environmental Earth Sciences
Geophysics
Management Science & Engineering
Materials Science & Engineering
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Physics

University of California, Berkeley

Applied Science & Technology
Astronomy
Bioengineering
Biophysics
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Chemistry
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Computer Science
Earth & Planetary Science
Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences (EECS)
Energy Resources Group
Environmental Science, Policy & Management (ESPM)
Industrial Engineering & Operations Research
Information Management Systems
Integrative Biology
Materials Science & Engineering
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Microbiology
Metabolic Biology & Molecular Toxicology
Molecular & Cell Biology
Neuroscience
Nuclear Engineering
Physics
Plant & Microbial Biology
Statistics

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS

Agricultural & Environmental Chemistry
Animal Behavior
Biomedical Engineering
Chemistry
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Computer Science
Earth & Planetary Science
Ecology
Geology
Integrative Pathobiology
Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology (MCIP)
Neuroscience
Pharmacology & Toxicology
Population Biology
Soils & Biogeochemistry
Transportation & Technology Policy

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bioengineering
Biological & Medical Informatics
Biomedical Sciences
Biophysics
Cell Biology
Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Developmental Stem Cell Biology
Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Genetics
Neuroscience
Oral & Craniofacial Sciences
Pharmaceutical Sciences & Pharmacogenomics

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ

Astronomy & Astrophysics
Biomolecular Engineering
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Computational Media
Computer Science & Engineering
Earth & Planetary Sciences
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Environmental Studies
Mathematics
Microbiology & Environmental Toxicology
Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology
Ocean Sciences
Physics
Science Communication

Heather Shaddox, University of California, Santa Cruz
“I am thrilled, honored and very appreciative to be selected as a recipient of this generous ARCS Award. I am a first-generation college student without familial support to pursue higher education. I am interested in slow offshore earthquakes and in using seismology to detect and study oceanic internal gravity waves. The former is important for seismic hazard and the latter is very new research and key for climate models.”
Vera Belaia, University of California, Berkeley
“As an undergraduate, I researched climate-change-related shifts of precipitation patterns to help update the Maryland State Highway Administration’s requirements for roadway designs. This experience … opened my eyes to the kind of large scale, real world problems that environmental engineering research can solve. I am excited to continue my involvement in the field of environmental engineering, and more specifically environmental fluid mechanics and hydrology, as I work towards my PhD at Berkeley by using numerical methods to research sea level rise. Your support has made this step in my research career and my move to California possible.”
Van Le, San Francisco State University
“Please know that your financial support really made a difference in my study as it allowed me to afford the necessary upgrade to my computer system to transition to the online platform and continue my educational research in collaboration with my instructors to completion … I successfully defended my thesis and completed my Masters program on 7/27/2020. I am looking forward to continuing my research in the biomedical field and working to help in the fight against infectious diseases.”
Peter Sariano, University of California, Davis
“I just wanted to reach out during these difficult times to let you know how impactful the ARCS [award] has been for the productivity of my research. Before the lab was put on lockdown due to the shelter in place, I was able to perform one final experiment that supports my hypothesis that breast cancer may be able to prevent monocytes from killing the tumor. This experiment would not have been possible without your support, and when I am able to get back into the lab once the Covid-19 situation becomes contained, I will continue working hard to expand on these results. The outcome of this study may reveal new therapeutic targets for treating breast cancer.”
Lauren Lahey, Stanford University
“As an ARCS scholar, I have been given gifts that are precious to all scientists: financial means, intellectual flexibility, and, of course, time. These resources are what have allowed me to investigate the scientific matters that I am passionate about investigating. Without the ARCS award, I would have spent a minimum of two months preparing fellowship applications to procure my own funding. Instead, I was able to perform the experiments that were crucial to solving the many puzzling aspects of my research questions.”
Manuela Richter, University of California, San Francisco
“It is an honor to receive this ARCS recognition, to meet others equally passionate about STEM, and most of all to be able to continue contributing to science in the field I love. With this award, I am able to cover basic expenses during my time as a graduate student, allowing me to dedicate myself fully to my research. Additionally, ARCS is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other scholars and donors who share my excitement for science and education. Thank you, again, for your generosity.”