MSI STEM Bridge Scholarship Program

Background

North Carolina Space Grant (NC Space Grant) is committed to building inclusive research, education and public outreach programs that serve people with unique backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives and ways of thinking.

Objectives

This scholarship provides an opportunity for undergraduate students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) to cultivate knowledge and skills that will enable them to develop research plans and/or proposals, as well as scholarship and fellowship applications relevant to NASA and STEM.

This scholarship has the following objectives:

• Provide financial support to students who demonstrate a desire to pursue STEM-based degrees of relevance to NASA, inclusive of commercial space, aviation/aeronautics, and/or research conducted on the International Space Station (ISS).
• Promote STEM-related research at the undergraduate level.
• Cultivate skills to develop research proposals and competitive scholarship, fellowship, and internship applications.
• Connect students to faculty, NC Space Grant alumni, professionals, and peers conducting research.
• Foster an understanding of NASA Mission Directorates and introduce students to the NASA internship process.
• Expose students to STEM-based careers at NASA, research organizations, and/or commercial space.
• Bridge students to NC Space Grant’s higher education scholarships and fellowships.

Although it is not required, the intended next step for scholarship recipients would be to apply for a NASA Internship, the NC Space Grant Undergraduate Research Scholarship program, or the Graduate Research Fellowship program.

Award Details

• $5,000 per student.
• Up to 13 scholarships may be awarded contingent upon receipt of federal funds and quality of proposals.
• Period of performance is November 1, 2024 – May 15, 2025.

Eligibility Requirements

• The student must be a U.S. citizen. Permanent residents (i.e., green card holders) are not eligible to receive a NASA award.
• This is a competitive scholarship program for undergraduate students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) who attend an accredited 4-year Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) or a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the State of North Carolina identified by NASA’s Minority Serving Institutions Exchange. A list of eligible colleges and universities is provided below.
  • Eligible universities/colleges: Bennett College, Chowan University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Livingstone College, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina Wesleyan College, Saint Augustine’s University, Shaw University, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and Winston-Salem State University. If you are unclear as to whether your university/college is eligible, please send an email to the contact listed below.
  • Students must remain enrolled with a full-time status throughout the duration of the award period and maintain at least a 2.8 GPA or equivalent. NC Space Grant must be informed of changes to enrollment status or GPA/equivalent.
• The student must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline of interest to NASA, commercial space, aviation/aeronautics, and/or research taking place on the ISS, inclusive of astronaut health and earth science. Links to NASA Mission Directorates:
  • Aeronautics Research
  • Exploration Systems Development
  • Science
  • Space Operations
  • Space Technology
• The student must have completed at least one year of study in a STEM field (e.g., astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, geospatial information systems, geology, meteorology, etc.) at the college/university level, inclusive of community college, at the time of application. Freshmen are not eligible for this award.
  • Students who have transferred from an accredited community college are eligible to apply if all other eligibility requirements are met.
• The student must have a grade point average of at least 2.8 on a 4.0 scale.
• Students enrolled in an accredited Dual Engineering Degree program are eligible to apply.
• Allied Health Science majors (i.e., healthcare) are not eligible for this program at this time. Art majors are not eligible for this program at this time.
• Students may receive up to two (2) MSI STEM Bridge Scholarships over the course of their studies.

How to Apply (Online Application System)

Interested students must complete an online application (see link below). Please read all program guidelines including applicant eligibility and reporting requirements before submitting your application. The application must be submitted online and all information must be completed or the application will not be reviewed. Please allow ample time to complete the online application.

• Applications are due by 5:00pm EST, Monday, October 14, 2024. Late applications will not be accepted for any reason.
• A faculty member or academic advisor must submit a Letter of Recommendation to the application system no later than 5:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. The faculty member or academic advisor must submit the letter to the system themselves.
• Respond to 5 short (400 words) essay questions (provided below).
• Upload a prior academic year transcript with GPA or equivalent.
• Awards will be announced on/around, Monday, October 28, 2024.

There are informational data fields required for the application in the online system (e.g., name, contact information, etc.). Please allow ample time to complete the online application.

Application Evaluation Criteria

Student applications will be evaluated based on academic merit, prior success in STEM coursework (GPA), described interest in STEM research, described interest in research related to NASA, demonstrated preparedness to engage in scholarship activities, and a faculty letter of recommendation.

Applications will be evaluated as follows, including essay questions as part of the online application:

(Word limits – 400 per question)

MSI STEM Bridge – 100 points

Academic merit (GPA & Related STEM coursework) – 5 pts

Essay 1: What STEM courses/classes are you pursuing? Why did you decide to pursue these as part of your major/program? – 15 pts

Essay 2: If you could research anything as a student, what would you like to explore and why? – 20 pts

Essay 3: How are your interests related to NASA? (Tip: Check out the NASA Mission Directorate links.) – 20 pts

Essay 4: What do you hope to learn as part of this scholarship to prepare you or inspire you along your academic or career pathways? (Tip: Review the scholarship objectives listed above.) – 20 pts

Essay 5: Describe any STEM-related extra-curricular activities in which you have participated (e.g., clubs, teams, camps, mentoring, jobs, internships, etc.) that have prepared you to fulfill your scholarship requirements. – 10 pts

Letter of recommendation – 10 pts

Awardee Requirements

Awardees are required to complete the following in order to receive funding: 

Fall Semester 2024: 4 Requirements

1. Awardees are required to attend a fall semester webinar (date TBD) that will feature a NASA expert(s). During the information session awardees will also hear about opportunities for NC Space Grant scholarships, fellowships and internships. 
2. Awardees are required to create a profile in NASA Gateway no later than December 15, 2024. Students shall send a screenshot via email to the NC Space Grant contact listed below by December 15, 2024 as verification.
3. Awardees are required to apply to NASA’s Fellowships and Internships program in order to experience the application process. Students shall send a screenshot of their finalized internship application via email to the NC Space Grant contact listed below by December 15, 2024 as verification. Please note that should an internship be awarded to the student it is not a binding commitment. If awarded, the student must discuss funding for the experience with NC Space Grant. Note: Receipt of scholarship funds is not contingent upon successfully obtaining a NASA internship, since offers are dependent on the NASA selection process. Rather, NC Space Grant values the experience of applying for NASA Internships – you never know unless you try!
4. Awardees are required to conduct online research about any of the NASA Mission Directorates. The student shall notify the NC Space Grant contact listed below about their research topic via email no later than December 15, 2024.
   • Aeronautics Research
   • Exploration Systems Development
   • Science
   • Space Operations
   • Space Technology

After awardees complete fall semester requirements, the first installment of scholarship award ($2,500) will be released. The anticipated date is late December 2024.

Spring Semester 2025: 3 Requirements

1. Awardees are required to interview a current faculty member, subject matter expert, or other professional who conducts work related to your research interests, which should also be of interest to NASA. Awardees should consider identifying a mentor for future research – a mentor is a person who can support your interests, guide you, listen to your concerns, and give you advice. Students shall send an email with the name, title, and institutional affiliation of the person who they interviewed to the NC Space Grant contact listed below by February 28, 2025 as verification. (Tip – Take notes since we’ll ask you about it in your final report!)
2. Awardees are required to attend an early spring semester webinar to network with program alumni, PhD and graduate level researchers, faculty members, and career professionals. Date and time are yet to be determined.
3. Awardees are required to submit a final report via email to the NC Space Grant contact listed below. The report should reflect what the student has learned from the scholarship and lay out a plan for future research or other next steps. The report should be no more than 5 pages. The report is due to the NC Space Grant contact listed below via email no later than May 31, 2025.

Although it is not required, MSI STEM Bridge Scholars are strongly encouraged to use what they have learned from this scholarship to apply for the NC Space Grant Undergraduate Research Scholarship, Graduate Research Fellowship, or other scholarship programs. Please note that other NC Space Grant scholarships are due mid-March, so the earlier you get a head start on your scholarship requirements, the more competitive your application may be!

OPTIONAL (But strongly recommended!): Attend the NC Space Symposium scheduled for Friday, April 11, 2025, in Raleigh, NC. There is no registration cost for MSI STEM Bridge Scholars, however, scholars are expected to cover their own travel costs (e.g., transportation, hotel, etc.) through their MSI STEM Bridge Scholarship funds or other funds (e.g., department funds). Scholars who wish to attend but are experiencing hardships are invited to bring this to the attention of the NC Space Grant contact listed at the bottom in advance, for confidential individual discussion as needed.

After your final paper is submitted and approved by NC Space Grant, the second half of the scholarship award ($2,500) will be released (anticipated date: late May 2025).

Additional Requirements

• Upon selection, awardees must submit an acceptance form and provide a photo and biographical information.
• Students must set up an account in Payment Works, the online system through which payments will be processed. The student must update any changes of address, banking information, etc. over the course of the award in Payment Works.
• NASA requires awardees to create a student profile in the online NASA Gateway system to collect award and demographic information for annual NASA reporting purposes.
• Notify NC Space Grant if you drop below full-time status or there is a change in your proposed research plan.
• Update your profile in NASA Gateway and Payment Works if any of your contact information changes.
• The student must respond to academic and employment surveys requested by NC Space Grant and NASA.
• Awardees may be asked to share their experience in public forums, on social media (#ncspacegrant), in an NC Space Grant news story, in professional meetings, etc.

Virtual Information Sessions

In order to attend a virtual information session, you must register, but can do so up to the meeting time. A recording of the session will be posted, but will not available to view until a later date. These webinars are meant to share tips and tricks for submitting competitive applications.

MSI STEM Scholarship Virtual Information Session Recording

Access Password: 7C%+TBB&

Contact

Sandy Canfield, Assistant Director
srcanfie@ncsu.edu
919-515-5943