Alumni & Development
About Sears Crowell
Professor Sears Crowell's interest in marine biology began when he took classes at the Children’s School of Sciences in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. As a teenager, he worked at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, where he completed most of his research throughout his career. He focused his investigations on hydroids, sea anemones, and jellyfish.
Highly involved in the science community, Dr. Crowell served as trustee for the Marine Biological Laboratory and was named trustee emeritus in 1979. He also served two terms on their executive committee and was secretary of the board of trustees for two years. He was the first program officer for the American Society of Zoologists and the first managing editor of their publication, American Zoologist. Dr. Crowell also served as chairman of the zoology section of the Indiana Academy of Science from 1949 to 1950. He was a member of the Indiana University faculty for 31 years.
Sears Crowell Scholarship
Thanks to donors like you, the Sears Crowell Scholarship currently generates an income of approximately $3,600 annually. With your help, students gain hands-on experience in the field while exploring new places.
Meghan Midgley, 2013 Crowell Scholar
 Meghan Midgley. Courtesy photo |
Meghan is earning her Ph.D. in Biology. Her dissertation research in Rich Phillips’s lab focuses on the role of soil fungi in mediating forest ecosystem responses to anthropogenic changes. She is using the Crowell funds to attend a summer course, “Functioning of Boreal Forest Ecosystems,” hosted by the Department of Forest Ecology and Management at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. This is the second time that Meghan has received this scholarship, having earned one four years ago.
Erkin Kuru, 2013 Crowell Scholar
 Erkin Kuru. Courtesy photo |
Erkin is earning his Ph.D. through the Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Graduate Program. His dissertation research involves developing novel tools for probing bacterial growth in situ. Erkin’s faculty mentors are microbiologist Yves Brun and chemist Michael VanNieuwenhze. He is using the Crowell funds to attend a class, Physiology: Modern Cell Biology Using Microscopic, Biochemical and Computational Approaches, that is offered this summer at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
About the Sears Crowell Scholarship
Read about the Crowell Scholarship requirements for graduate students »
Read about the Crowell Scholarship requirements for undergraduate students »