Background:  Professor Allan Butterfield, Director of the UK Center of Membrane Sciences, received in 1998 a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) from President Clinton in the White House.  Professor Butterfield, through private fund raising, UK matching, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s “Bucks for Brains” program, converted the original $10,000 PAESMEM Award into a substantially larger permanent endowment.  Periodically, there is enough interest generated to make available awards to graduate students.

Purpose of the Fellowship:  In 2010-2011 three Fellowships of $3,000 each were awarded to graduate students of Center of Membrane Sciences Faculty Associates.  Since Professor Butterfield’s original PAESMEM Award was received for his mentoring efforts directed primarily at women or persons from Appalachia, priority will be given to qualified applicants from those groups, but others are not excluded.
            The Fellowship must be used on membrane-related Ph.D. research endeavors.  Some (though not all) examples of the use of these fellowships are: (a) tuition; (b) membrane-related supplies.