Rising Scientists Award

Scholarship Sponsored by The Child Mind Institute

The multifaceted crisis in children's mental health is a pressing issue that demands our attention. It manifests in various forms such as societal stigma, barriers to accessing care, and a slow pace of scientific advancements needed to devise new treatments. To address this, we must invest in nurturing the scientific leaders of tomorrow. This will not only expedite the process of discovery but also bring about transformative changes in the lives of children. In collaboration with Hunter College, we present the Rising Scientist Awards. These awards are bestowed annually upon high school students who exhibit exceptional potential in research areas pertinent to mental health. The 2023 awards will be conferred at our annual On the Shoulders of Giants scientific symposium, scheduled for October 12, 2023. To be considered for the Rising Scientist Awards, a student must exhibit the following: 1. A keen interest and notable achievement in research related to psychology, neuroscience, or biomedical engineering. 2. A strong academic record in science courses. 3. Active participation in extracurricular activities related to the field. 4. Engagement in scientific research studies or independent research in one of the three aforementioned areas of focus. Each Rising Scientist will be awarded: 1. A $2,000 scholarship to assist with college expenses. 2. An opportunity to present their research at the Child Mind Institute’s annual On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium, attended by renowned scientists from around the world. 3. Recognition at an awards ceremony following the symposium, attended by VIP guests, including the Child Mind Institute’s Sarah Gund Distinguished Scientist. The 2023 Distinguished Scientist Awardee is Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, PhD, Professor of Child Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA and Director of the Global Center for Children and Families at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. 4. Invitations to a special educational event with representatives from the Child Mind Institute’s research programs and an opportunity to shadow a Child Mind Institute researcher for a day. 5. Recognition in press releases distributed to national media outlets, on childmind.org, and in social media promotion.