THE JAN SERIE FELLOWSHIP FOR STUDENT-FACULTY
RESEARCH AT MACALESTER COLLEGE
PROFESSOR JAN SERIE (1952-2008)
Jan Serie, Ph.D., O.T. Walter Professor of Biology, was a visionary who helped shape
Macalester College over three decades. Her leadership and innovation crossed disciplinary
boundaries and she was instrumental in shaping the education and training of students as well
as the careers of her faculty colleagues. Professor Serie was a legend in the classroom and
mentored dozens of students doing independent research in immunology. She chaired both
the Biology and the Women’s and Gender Studies Departments, and was the inaugural
director who served for six years in the Center for Scholarship and Teaching at Macalester.
Over her career, she won numerous awards for her teaching as well as her leadership across
campus. In 2008 the Center was renamed in her memory as the Jan Serie Center for
Scholarship and Teaching.
Professor Serie’s career of teaching, research, and administration at Macalester began in
1983. During this time she taught thousands of students and inspired many to pursue
professional careers in medicine, biology, and other fields. Professor Serie taught multiple
biology courses, including Cellular and Molecular Biology, Genetics, Physiology,
Immunology, Biotechnology and Society, and the popular course she created in the mid1980’s called Women, Health and Reproduction.
An outstanding classroom teacher, Serie was also nationally recognized in the area of
curriculum development and as a researcher in the areas of immunology and diabetes. For
her achievements in and outside the classroom, Serie was honored with many teaching and
educator awards, including the Minnesota College Science Teacher of the Year Award by the
Minnesota Academy of Science, the Four-Year College Teaching Award by the National
Association of College Biology Teachers, the Sears Award for Excellence in Teaching and
Campus Leadership by Macalester College, and, in 2006, the Thomas Jefferson Award, also
by Macalester. At the time of her death, Macalester President Brian Rosenberg reflected,
“Jan Serie has, directly or indirectly, touched the life of virtually everyone who has been part
of the Macalester community for the past 25 years. No one here has been more important to
the life of the college, and she will be enormously missed.”
SERIE FELLOWS:
2010: Estela Shabani
2011: Tijana Martinov
2012: Nathan Scheiner
The Jan Serie Endowment Fund for Student-Faculty Research was established in 2005 by
Karen J. Brasel, M.D., class of 1987 Biology Major, in honor of Professor Jan Serie to
support student-faculty collaborative research.
THE JAN SERIE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP FOR STUDENTFACULTY RESEARCH AT MACALESTER COLLEGE
The Jan Serie Fund was created to support student-faculty collaborative research and will be
awarded as a fellowship (called the Jan Serie Research Fellowship) to provide stipend support
of $4000 for a student doing full time research during the summer (at least 10 weeks) in any
area of science or math. Research may take place at Macalester or another site, but all
proposals and projects will require a Macalester faculty mentor/sponsor who will participate
and/or advise the student during the research experience.
Any Macalester student is eligible to apply. The fellowship will be awarded based on the
strength of the application and letters of recommendation. Applicants should have a GPA above
3.3. Because Professor Serie had an extraordinary gift of crossing traditional disciplinary lines,
projects that bring together ideas or transcend boundaries (disciplinary, geographic, etc.) are
especially encouraged. Proposed projects may be from any scientific or mathematical discipline;
projects related to natural science, health or medicine, public health, and/or those with
multidisciplinary emphases will be given priority. Students are encouraged to talk with
Professor Liz Jansen about their plans to apply.
Fellowship recipients will be expected to present a poster summarizing their research at the
annual fall poster session and to submit a one-page summary of the research project and
experience by the first day of fall semester.
To apply for the 2013 Jan Serie Research Fellowship, students must submit the
following materials electronically to Joan Toohey at toohey@macalester.edu:
1. Cover Letter addressed to Serie Fellowship Committee: The cover letter should
explain that you are applying for the Jan Serie Research Fellowship. Include your
hometown, anticipated date of graduation, major/minor/concentration(s), and the names
of two faculty members whom you have asked to provide references (one should be your
research mentor). You may also describe your goals and plans for after Macalester, any
research experience you have already had, and any special considerations or hardships
that the committee should consider. This cover letter should not exceed 400 words.
Name the document Seriecoverletter<your last name>.
2. Current Resume: Name the document resume<your last name>. For assistance, visit the
CDC website macalester.edu/cdc/careersandjobs/jobsearchskills/resumes/index.html
3. Current Transcript (official or unofficial). Name the document transcript<last name>.
Make sure that its format is legible and in .pdf format.
4. Research Project Proposal: Proposal narrative should include a description of the
project and anticipated time required. Research project’s relevance and connections to
your academic training, experience and career goals should be described. The primary
investigator with whom you will work (on or off campus) should indicate in their letter
that you have talked with them about this project. If the project is to take place at another
institution, a Macalester staff or faculty mentor/sponsor letter is still required. The
proposal should not exceed 700 words. Name the document Proposal<your last name>.
All documents should be in .pdf format. If you have questions, contact Professor
Jansen. APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED ON A ROLLING BASIS
UNTIL FEBRUARY 8, 2013.