Scholarship programs can make college possible for students interested in pursuing careers in bioscience, technology, research and engineering. Students and Georgia institutions with research projects have been among the winners of these two national scholarships, which provide funding, internships and job opportunities.
In addition to these programs, industry groups as well as colleges and universities offer scholarships. For example, you can read how Katie Gutierrez received a scholarship from the SouthEastern Association for Clinical Microbiology, among other awards.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship Program
About the scholarship: Dedicated to helping students with significant financial need that are committed to careers related to health, biomedicine and social science.
Amount: Up to $20,000 per academic year for the recipient’s living and tuition costs. The scholarship is awarded for one year and may be renewed for a total four years.
Job opportunities: In addition to the scholarship, the student will train for 10 weeks as a paid summer research employee in an NIH research laboratory and also serve one year of paid full-time employment at the NIH lab of their choice for each year of scholarship that is awarded.
Recent Georgia winner: Joshua McCausland, a senior biology major at the University of North Georgia, was chosen for the NIH program in August 2014. “I still just can’t believe that this happened to me,” he said. “NIH will open doors to future career possibilities and help me obtain my Ph.D.”
Deadline: March 2, 2015
Learn more: For application details, visit training.nih.gov/programs/ugsp
Watch a YouTube video on the application process: youtube.com/watch?v=TpEiIhhfb-s
National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM)
About the scholarship: Awards grants to post-secondary institutions to support students interested in careers in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
“There are very talented students that are interested in STEM fields that do not have the necessary financial means to support their career. We offer awards to a wide range of institutions including technical colleges, community colleges, public colleges and private institutions,” said Connie Della-Piana, NSF S-STEM Scholarship Program Director.
Recent Georgia Recipients: In the past few years, 17 Georgia institutions have received 30 NSF S-STEM awards.
How to apply: The program does not make scholarship awards directly to students. Contact the financial aid office at your college or university (or prospective school) to find out if the school has been awarded a grant through the NSF. Schools disperse the NSF awards to students. Students must demonstrate sufficient financial need while working toward an associate, baccalaureate or graduate degree.
Learn more: nsf.gov
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