Science and Engineering Scholarships and Fellowships Blog

Western Washington University has recently been awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation to train people to become middle school and high school math and science teachers from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields (STEM).

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program will provide funding as well as stipends for professionals and students in STEM fields to acquire their teaching certificate from WWU.

“Someone at Boeing in Everett, for example, or at a local engineering firm here in Bellingham who has always wanted to teach and bring their science or mathematics knowledge, expertise and experience into the classroom would be a perfect fit for one of these scholarships,” explained Bruce Larson, professor and administrator of the grant for WWU.

As part of the agreement, for each year the student accepts funding from the grant, he or she must commit to teaching in a high-need school district for at least two years.

Related: Marquette University Awarded NSF Grant to Train STEM Teachers, Colorado State University Scientists Receive NSF Grant

Tennessee Tech University recently received a federal grant from the Department of Energy worth $265,000. The purpose of the grant is to fund research for a wind power storage technology. David Wenzhong Gao, assistant professor of electrical and computing engineering, will lead the project.

The research is meant to address a major challenge of sustaining wind energy: the fact that wind does not blow consistently.

Tennessee Tech research will incorporate “plug-and-play” energy storage modules at different levels of a wind power system — the control center, wind power plant and wind turbine generator. The project will last two years, during which researchers analyze the modules in the lab, create a prototype and test them in the field at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and wind power plants. One potential demonstration site is the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Buffalo Mountain Wind Power Plant.

The DOE has currently initiated funding for 28 wind energy projects worth $14 million dollars in grants.

This week, 260 students attended a three-day orientation in Monterey, CA as part of the SMART Scholarship Program (Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation). The SMART Program is sponsored by the Naval Postgraduate School located in Monterey.

As part of the orientation, representatives from various defense firms and military forces will be on exhibition and will meet with the students.

Students who were accepted into the SMART Program will receive the following:

• Full tuition and education related fees (does not include items such as meal plans, housing, or parking)
• Cash award paid at a rate of $25,000 – $41,000 depending on prior educational experience (may be prorated depending on award length)
• Paid summer internships
• Health Insurance reimbursement allowance up to $1,200 per calendar year
• Book allowance of $1,000 per academic year
• Mentoring
• Employment placement after graduation

The 2010 SMART Program application will be available online on August 15, 2009.

The National Science Foundation has recently announced that the anticipated fall deadline to apply for Research Experiences for Undergraduates proposals (REU) will be in early October. The exact deadline date will be released in the REU Program Solicitation, which will be published at least 90 days before the deadline.

The purpose of REU is to support undergraduate students pursuing research in any field supported by the NSF. According to the solicitation, there are two ways a student may be supported for their research:

(1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department, or on interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. A partnership with the Department of Defense supports REU Sites in DoD-relevant research areas.

(2) REU Supplements may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects or may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements.

In order to participate in REU activities, students must contact the REU sites directly, not through NSF. NSF has provided a list of REU sites.

*For more information on the REU proposals, please reference the archived REU Program Solicitaion.

*Students with questions in regards to choosing a REU site, may check with the following NSF REU Contacts.

Ten college students throughout South Dakota were recently awarded the Davis-Bahcall Scholarships for Underground Science (sponsored by the 3M Company). As part of the scholarship, the students will travel to Sanford Lab at Homestake in Lead, S.D., the Gran Sasso National Underground Laboratory in Italy, and Princeton University to engage in laboratories that specialize in engineering, physics and geology. All tuition and room and board will be covered for each student who participates in this program, and will also receive college credit.

The following recipients of the scholarship are:
*Mandi Durch, Newell
*Karin Hanson, Sioux Falls
*Travis Hoon, Aberdeen
*Brennan Ireland, Hermosa
*Bhavatharini (’Rini’) Kasinathan, Brandon
*Keely Krolikowski, Spearfish
*Daniel Parrot, Sioux Falls
*Haaken Phelps, Brookings
*Lane Raffaldini Rubin, Sioux Falls
*Tyler Vogel, Rapid city

The Davis-Bahcall Scholarship Program is open to applicants who “attend a public, private or home school, South Dakota high school or postsecondary institution”.

To apply for the Davis-Bahcall Scholarship, candidates must submit:

*Scholarship application form
*Official high school and college transcripts, including standardized test scores when possible
*500- to 700-word essay detailing qualifications and interest in the program
*Letter of support from a current science teacher
*Resume detailing academic achievement and extra-curricular activities

Applicants also will participate in a 30-minute interview.

*Interviews to take place early March in Pierre.
*Interview panel to include three to five people.

The National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant has been awarded to Marquette University.The grant, worth $899,514, was awarded in order to train 24 graduate students to become K-12 teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Funding for the program began June 1 with scholarships intending to be awarded between 2010 and 2014. Students can also benefit from the program by receiving their engineering degree and teaching certificate after 5 years, as opposed to the traditional 6 or 6.5 years.

Barbara Silver-Thorn, associate professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Marquette Noyce Scholarship Program, is very excited about the opportunities offered to her students.

“This is an opportunity to get STEM majors in high-need schools and make their students aware of valuable engineering, science and math career opportunities,” explains Silver-Thorn.

According to Marquette officials, this program will allow up to three years of scholarships: $10,000 for the student’s first year, $12,000 for the second year, and $14,000 for the third year. As a result of receiving funding from the program, students are expected to work two years in a high-need school for every year they accept funding from the program.

Related: Colorado State University Scientists Receive NSF Grant