Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Nevin Carr announced an incentive plan to award up to $8 million for ideas aimed at boosting K-12 education in the sciences during a June15-16 conference in Alexandria, Va.

“Today’s approaches to training and education must seek new innovative ways to sustain America’s position as a global technology leader,” Carr told the more than 650 government, academia and business leaders gathered at the Naval Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) forum.

“I wouldn’t begin to pretend that the Navy is going to solve the country’s STEM problem…there are others out there working very hard to do that,” Carr continued, “but we also want to make sure we are all intersected in a way that we can get the most out of the collective.”

The challenge is one of many efforts the Navy has developed to encourage students, parents and teachers to pursue STEM education and careers. Through its STEM initiatives, the Navy seeks to increase the talent pool of future Sailors, naval scientists and engineers.

The Navy will award up to $1.5 million to each Phase One selectee. Teams will compete to advance to Phase Two. In the second stage, up to two teams will be awarded as much as $1 million each to extend their Phase One success to a Navy training challenge for another year. The technologies will be designed to meet students’ individual learning style.

Todd Mitchell, an Information Technology student at USF Sarasota-Manatee’s North Port location, will receive full tuition and fees, a stipend of $25,000 per year, a paid summer internship, and a guaranteed job after graduation.  He has accepted a civilian position with the Quantico, Virginia Marine Corps Systems Command to begin in 2012.  Marine Corps Systems Command is the Commandant of the Marine Corps’ agent for acquisition and sustainment of systems and equipment used to accomplish their war/fighting mission.

Mitchell had been in the Navy for 20 years and worked as a civilian in retail management before deciding to go back to college to get a degree in Information Technology.  He chose USFSM for its convenient North Port location and its real-world training that he knew would be applicable in the workforce.

“My family was already established in North Port, so I needed a convenient degree program option, and USF Sarasota-Manatee was exactly what I was looking for,” Mitchell said. “I liked that the IT program was actually teaching job skills that would make you employable, as opposed to business theory that doesn’t always apply in the real world.  The classwork I’ve done here is real-world stuff that I’m going to use in my career.”

Much of the real-world training that Mitchell has gotten at the university includes a specialization in Internet Security, which will be useful as he does research on cyber warfare for the Marine Corps.  He believes that his university experience and previous experience with the military helped him get the position, which was offered to only 300 of the 3,000 applicants who applied for the scholarship through the Office of National Scholarships.

The SMART Scholarship for Service Program is an opportunity for students pursuing degrees in STEM disciplines to receive full scholarships and employment upon degree completion. In the video above SMART Scholar, Ryan Swindle discusses his involvement with his work in astronomy related to his SMART award working with the United States Naval Observatory in Washington DC.

Related: More videos of SMART fellows – NC State Students Receive NDSEG and SMART Fellowships – Students Attend 2009 SMART Orientation in Monterey

The NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Program, which invests in the educational development of the aeronautics workforce by providing opportunities to attract undergraduate and graduate students to the aeronautics and related fields, sent out notifications late last week.

The Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation Scholarship, which also let applicants know their status late last week, is a scholarship for service program which gives awardees a fully scholarship for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines.

Notifications of awardees were sent out early this week for the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. This fellowship supports graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines.

Congratulations to all applicants and awardees for all your hard work!

SMART has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories.

Eligibility requirements for applicants include:
*Must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years of age or older as of August 1, 2010.
*Able to participate in summer internships at DoD laboratories
*Willing to accept post-graduate employment with the DoD
*Must be in good standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (as calculated by the SMART application)
*Pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in one of the disciplines listed on the About SMART page

The universities chosen include:

• California State University in Long Beach for the Center for Human Factors in Advanced Aeronautics Technologies
• Delaware State University in Dover for the establishment of a NASA Optical Sciences Center for Applied Research
• North Carolina A & T State University in Greensboro for the Center for Aviation Safety
• North Carolina Central University in Durham for the NASA Center for Aerospace Device Research and Education
• University of Texas in Brownsville for the Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy
• University of Texas in El Paso for the Center for Space Exploration Technology Research

The development of a “competitive aerospace research and technology” program at the nation’s Historically Black Colleges, Universities, and other minority schools is one of NASA’s top priorities.

*Office of Naval Research Summer Faculty Research Program and Sabbatical Leave Program (ONR)*
The ONR program provides participants the opportunity to research for 10 weeks in U.S. Naval Laboratories beginning in May 2010. Stipends range from $1,400 to $1,900 per week for the summer program and fellows are allowed to bring one undergraduate or graduate student to participate in the research. The application submission deadline is December 4, 2009. Apply Now

“The Sabbatical Leave Program provides fellowship appointments for a minimum of one semester to a maximum of one year in length. Participants in the Sabbatical Leave Program receive a monthly stipend making up the difference between salary and sabbatical leave pay from their home institution. Applications for the Sabbatical Leave Program should be submitted six months prior to the start of the proposed sabbatical.” Apply Now

*Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Program (SFFP)*
“The Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Program (SFFP) offers hands-on exposure to Air Force research challenges through 8 to 12 week research residencies at participating Air Force Research Facilities for full-time science and engineering faculty at U.S. colleges and universities.” The application submission deadline is December 1, 2009. Apply Now

*NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Program (NASA)*
The NASA Scholarship program focuses on investing in aeronautical research and related degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The application submission deadline is January 11, 2010. Apply Now

SMART has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories.

Eligibility requirements for applicants include:
*Must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years of age or older as of August 1, 2010.
*Able to participate in summer internships at DoD laboratories
*Willing to accept post-graduate employment with the DoD
*Must be in good standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (as calculated by the SMART application)
*Pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in one of the disciplines listed on the About SMART page

Image provided by http://cisr.nps.edu

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 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.