The Kelman Scholars is a paid Summer Internship Research Program that honors the legacy of Dr. Arthur Kelman, a plant pathology professor emeritus at NC State University and a member of the American National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Kelman earned his Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Rhode Island in 1941 and his masters and doctoral degrees in plant pathology from North Carolina State University (NCSU) in 1946 and 1949, respectively. After graduation, he joined the faculty in the department of Plant Pathology at NCSU until 1965, when he moved to the University of Wisconsin as Chair of the Plant Pathology Department. Upon his retirement in 1989, he returned to NCSU and the Raleigh area and was adamant about fostering scientific curiosity among younger generations of scientists.

• The program is open to all rising sophomore, junior, and senior undergraduate students with a demonstrated interest to explore the biological sciences through the field of plant pathology.  Plant pathology is the study of 1) the biological agents (eg pathogens) and the environmental conditions that cause diseases in plants; 2) the mechanisms by which these biotic and abiotic agents produce disease in plants; 3) the interactions between the disease-causing agents and the plant, and 4) the methods of preventing or managing diseases and alleviating the damage they cause.
• Dr. Kelman believed that the complex interactions between microbes and plant hosts made plant pathology a stimulating and versatile biological discipline that could attract diverse talent into the discipline responsible for helping mitigate crop loss due to plant diseases. Research projects for Kelman Scholars can range from assessing novel chemistries to managing emerging pathogens (e.g. viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes) on important crops in North Carolina to collecting, isolating, purifying, and sequencing the genomes of these pathogens to pinpoint the underlying genetic factors that lead to their ability to cause disease.
• The Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology values diverse perspectives and life experiences and we particularly encourage students from underrepresented minority groups and from colleges with limited research opportunities to apply. Prior research experience is not required. NC State is an equal opportunity institution and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and veteran status.