Boston University Trustee Scholars Program

About:

Boston University’s most prestigious merit-based award recognizes students who show outstanding academic and leadership abilities. Trustee Scholars are intellectually and creatively adventurous and demonstrate viewpoints, experiences or achievements beyond the usual. They are, in other words, not just top students, but extraordinary people.  At BU, scholars also become part of a unique campus community that offers many intellectual, cultural, and social opportunities

While the competition is especially rigorous, the benefits are considerable. A Trustee Scholarship covers full undergraduate tuition plus the University orientation and mandatory undergraduate student fees and is renewable for four years if certain criteria are met.

 
How To Apply:

To apply to become Biotechnology High School’s Trustee Scholarship Nominee, you must submit an essay of 600 words or less in response to one of the following topics.

Essays are due to in Mr. Brown’s mailbox by 2:30 pm on Monday, November 18. Late submissions will not be accepted. 

Trustee Scholarship Essay Prompts:

(1) Recent disclosures have revealed that the US government maintains a database that logs all American telephone calls and actively collects the contents of large numbers of domestic and foreign emails. National security officials have testified that these once-secret programs have disrupted more than 50 “potential terrorist events.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a suit against the Obama administration demanding an end to this surveillance, contending that it “gives the government a comprehensive record of our associations and public movements, revealing a wealth of detail about our familial, political, professional, religious, and intimate associations.” In your opinion, what are the considerations in determining how much domestic surveillance is warranted to prevent possible terrorist attacks? Do you agree with the ACLU’s position or that of the government? Where do you draw the line regarding data collection and when this should be prohibited?

(2) According to Dr. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, scientists will soon be able to perform genetic testing to determine an individual’s likelihood of developing 25 major diseases such as cancer, arterial sclerosis, and diabetes. Similar in-vitro testing will be available as well, permitting parents to know the probability of debilitating—as well as “undesirable”—traits in fertilized eggs before they are implanted in the womb. What are the arguments against making such information widely available? Do you agree or disagree with these arguments?

(3) Responding to the overwhelming amount of facts, information, and opinions that come to us through our electronic devices, the author Pico Iyer has written: “The only way to do justice to our onscreen lives is by summoning exactly the emotional and moral clarity that can’t be found on any screen.” Do you agree with this statement? Why?