STEM Bridge Scholarship Program

OVERVIEW:

A major goal of the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) is to help produce the engineers and scientists of the future. While opportunities for careers in aerospace have expanded, the number of talented students pursuing degrees in mathematics, engineering and the sciences has declined. To encourage talented individuals to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related fields and research, the VSGC established the STEM Bridge Scholarship Program.

ELIGIBILITY:

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must enrolled as a full-time student (minimum 12 credit hours) at one of the five Virginia Space Grant Consortium member institutions (College of William and Mary, Hampton University , Old Dominion University, University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech)
• Must have completed at least one year of a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) undergraduate program and be classified as a sophomore during the 2020-2021 academic year.
• Must have a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Must be in a program of study demonstrating an interest in STEM or supporting NASA’s mission
• Award is contingent upon review of spring 2020 final transcript
• Sophomores must not graduate before May 2023.
• Students who are members of a federally recognized minority which include ethnicities such as African American, Native American, Hispanic, or Pacific Islander are strongly encouraged to apply.

GOALS:

The STEM Bridge Scholarship Program is a great entryway into the NASA pipeline and can lead to future VSGC scholarships and fellowships and NASA internship programs. This is a competitive scholarship program, funded by NASA and the Commonwealth of Virginia contributions, with the goals of encouraging students to pursue STEM careers through the following:

● Keeping students aware of STEM opportunities through VSGC as well as NASA opportunities

● Retaining students in STEM through mentoring

● Fostering participation in research by providing students with initial research experiences

BENEFITS:

• Students enter into the VSGC scholarship pipeline. This opportunity can lead to future VSGC scholarships and fellowships as well as NASA internship programs
• Students are also encouraged to apply for the NASA Internships and Fellowships program. The link can be found here.
• Students are exposed early in their college careers to STEM-related research and will be connected to faculty and students conducting research at their institution. Scholars can use this opportunity to identify research projects to be submitted for future scholarship opportunities.
• Students receive feedback and guidance on how to prepare applications for NASA-related and other STEM internships.

AWARDEE REQUIREMENTS:

Upon selection, awardees must submit an acceptance form and provide a photo and biographical information; inform the Consortium of changes of address; and respond to academic and employment follow-up surveys. Students may also be asked to share their experience in public forums, classroom presentations and professional meetings. Presentations that encourage interest in aerospace careers and research to high school students are of particular interest to the Consortium.

FALL requirements for Sophomores:

Requirement 1 :

Awardees are required to attend a fall web meeting with VSGC scholarship Coordinator. At the information session you will hear about all VSGC scholarships, fellowships and internships that are available.

Requirement 2 :

1. Conduct some online research about NASA’s current missions or planned missions, from any of the four NASA Mission Directorates. NASA aligns its research and other activities into these four Directorates. Links to NASA Mission Directorates can be found here.
2. Interview a current faculty member at your university who teaches and conducts research in an area of interest to you. This research should be of interest to NASA but not necessarily already being conducted by NASA. You will want to do some of your own research to identify someone who could possibly be a good mentor for your future research. Awardees are required to submit a 1-2-page report summarizing what you learned during the interview and the NASA Mission Directorates.
3. Apply to NASA’s Fellowships and Internships program here.

After you complete both requirements, the first half of your scholarship award ($500) will be released.

Spring requirements for Sophomores:

The spring requirement is to attend our annual Student Research Conference and Luncheon held in March/April. (no cost to students)

After your conference evaluation is submitted to VSGC, the second half of your scholarship award ($500) will be released.

FALL requirements for Juniors

Requirement 1

Awardees are required to attend a fall meeting at your schools via webinar with VSGC Scholarship Coordinator. At the information session you will hear about all VSGC scholarships, fellowships and internships that are available. You will be required to send your resume to the VSGC. You may also meet current awardees and hear about NASA internships.

Requirement 2

Write a research abstract that will be the basis of your research and a 1-2 page outline of your work plan to develop the final proposal.

After you complete both requirements, the first half of your scholarship award ($500) will be released.

Spring requirements for Juniors

Requirements

1. Apply for the Undergraduate Research Scholarship.
2. Apply to the NASA Internships and Fellowships program found here.
3. Attend our annual Student Research Conference in March/April.
4. Be prepared to present your research ideas/proposal to sophomore candidates during the Student Research Conference (Powerpoint, Prezi, etc.). *No more than 3 minutes

After you complete both requirements, the first half of your scholarship award ($500) will be released.

SELECTION CRITERIA

VSGC established this program to promote STEM-related careers and research at the undergraduate level and to serve as a bridge to VSGC’s Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Graduate Research Fellowship and other NASA related programs.

Awardees should have an academic background that demonstrates a strong interest and ability in science, math, and technology reflected by completion of a significant number of these courses with high achievement.

The student should have the necessary academic coursework and preparation to be successful in a STEM major at the institution.

Awardees should also possess a strong interest in a STEM-related career demonstrated by participation in extracurricular activities and prior school projects in STEM.

Prior participation in research, NASA programs or similar STEM-related educational programs, both formal and informal, would also indicate the student has a good chance of sustaining interest in STEM.

Student applications will be judged based on academic merit, background, faculty recommendation and demonstrated interest in NASA and a career in STEM.

More information about NASA four Mission Directorates can be found here.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

March 13, 2020: Applications are due by 11:59 p.m on this date.

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Application link can be found here.

A printable flyer for the STEM Bridge Scholarship Program can be found here.

Any questions can be directed to Joyce Kuberek jkuberek@odu.edu

Please visit our other research scholarship and fellowship programs:

Graduate Fellowships

Undergraduate Scholarships

Community College Scholarships