40 Hours for the Forty Acres Spring 2023

The College of Natural Sciences is home to alumni who helped to land the Apollo 11 crew on the moon and guide their safe return to Earth, who commanded nuclear submarines to protect the United States and who founded successful technology ventures. We are proud to count Nobel Laureates, MacArthur “genius” Fellows and members of the National Academy of Sciences among our faculty and alumni. These Longhorns represent the power of a science, mathematics and computing education from UT Austin, and the resources and talent we benefit from across the Forty Acres. 

The College of Natural Sciences reported 11,334 enrollment of undergraduates for Fall 2021. CNS is committed to providing its students a world-class, research-based science education, to discovering important new knowledge through research, and to creating an environment that fosters the economic and technological development of Texas and the U.S. 

Our focus is transformative summer experiences for undergraduates. In today’s world, students need an array of experiences outside the classroom, like research, internships and study abroad trips, to compete for graduate school admission or top jobs after graduation. These formative experiences that help build a student’s skills, network and resume come at a cost and are typically unpaid—access can be limited by income.

There are thousands of CNS students who need support. During the summer of 2022, we were able to provide partial summer fellowships to only 190 students. Your gift will help create experiences for Longhorns like Favour Umeakuana, a College of Natural Sciences Sophomore studying Biology. 

“Thanks to your generous contributions to my studies, this past summer has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my academic career. I’m incredibly grateful to have received your support and the opportunity to spend these last few months in Austin focusing on my research. If the high school freshman version of myself could travel through time and see the progress I’ve made as a college freshman, she’d be overjoyed!”

The summer months, when students are not typically enrolled in classes full-time, provide a great chance for students to dedicate time and energy to these experiential learning opportunities. Based on student need and interest, summer experiences vary widely.

INTERNSHIPS: Internships enable students to acquire skills not learned in the classroom and create professional networks that are vital to post-baccalaureate careers.
 
RESEARCH: collaborating with professors and graduate students on research provides opportunities to study on a wider range of topics. The College of Natural Sciences offers several unique research experiences for undergraduates, including the Freshman Research Initiative and the Inventors Program. Students also have the opportunity to co-author research articles, which translates into higher graduate school acceptance rates.
 
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Austin is ranked by Forbes as one of the best in the United States for young entrepreneurs. A summer fellowship could provide students the time to expand their ideas and secure seed funding.
 
STUDY ABROAD: Studying abroad offers students an opportunity to become global leaders, gain confidence to try new things and have experiences vital to working in today’s global economies. College of Natural Sciences students have the opportunity to study in countries around the world, including France, Singapore and Australia.

CONFERENCES: Presenting at and attending conferences provides rich networking and professional learning experiences for students, as well as the opportunity to build valuable communication skills.