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About the Program

Academic excellence and student access to research opportunities have long been a part of the »»ÆÞÂÛ̳ mission. Formerly known as FRAP or the First-Year Research Assistant Program, the Seelos STEM Scholars program provides funding for students interested in research experiences in the STEM disciplines. Participants are selected from a large pool of eligible students based on academic promise, a demonstrated interest in STEM, financial need, and/or being a first-generation college student. 

The Seelos STEM Scholars has been endowed with a $3.4 million gift from the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation on behalf of the In Thanksgiving to Blessed Seelos Fund and Marilyn and David Zamierowski, M.D. ’64. This endowed fund provides perpetual resources for the College’s existing first-year research advancement program (formerly known as FRAP), which serves and supports academically promising first-generation college students and those with high financial need in STEM disciplines. Through dedicated mentorship, paid research experiences, and participation in a community-building peer cohort, this program increases first-year students’ sense of self-efficacy, offers invaluable learning experiences for nascent scientists, and ultimately supports their persistence and success in STEM majors. The Seelos STEM Scholars Program is not a tutoring program or designed to meet academic deficiencies. Rather, it provides a unique first-year research experience, along with support and mentorship from their peers and professors, which have been proven to help retain students in the challenging STEM disciplines. 

The Seelos STEM Scholars Program is named after Redemptorist priest Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos, CssR, who has long been important to the Zamierowskis’ family. But the Zamierowskis have also made this gift in honor of former Provost Margaret N. Freije, whose work was crucial in establishing this program.