The National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program
champions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by recruiting, retaining and
preparing a diverse workforce, and proactively engaging and serving diverse
populations. 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.
Recognizing
that some students have historically been underserved and underrepresented (i.e.,
minority groups that are not represented in the science, engineering,
technology, or math (STEM) fields in numbers proportional to their composition
in the U.S. population) NC Space Grant supports scholarships targeted to these
individuals in order to help diversify the STEM workforce of the future.
To encourage talented underserved and underrepresented individuals (women, minorities and persons with disabilities) to pursue STEM related careers, NC Space Grant will implement the STEM Bridge Scholarship Program. This is a competitive scholarship program for underserved and underrepresented freshman and sophomore undergraduate students with the goals of:
Providing financial support to underrepresented students who demonstrate the potential to contribute to the future STEM workforce;
Promoting STEM-related careers and research at the undergraduate level and to serve as a bridge to NCSG’s Undergraduate Research Scholarship, Graduate Research Fellowship and other NASA related programs.
Connecting underserved and underrepresented students to faculty and peers (e.g. NC Space Grant-supported students) that are conducting research at their institution;
Fostering an understanding of NASA Mission Directorate research and pathways to NASA internships:
Students from Shaw University learn about NASA content.
Award Level
$2,500 per student
Up to 14 awards will be made to students across the state.
Contingent upon receipt of NASA funds.
Eligibility Requirements
Must be a U.S. citizen
Must be currently enrolled as a full-time student (minimum 12 credit hours) at an accredited Minority Serving Institution (MSI)* in the State of North Carolina
Must be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a science, engineering, technology, or mathematics (STEM) discipline of interest to NASA or aerospace industry
Must have completed at least one semester majoring in STEM at time of application and be a sophomore during the 2019-2020 academic year
Must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
Students enrolled in an accredited Dual Engineering Degree program are eligible to apply. Applied Health Science majors are NOT eligible for this program
Awardees are required to complete the
following in order to receive funding:
Fall
Semester – 2019: 2 Requirements
Awardees are required to attend a fall webinar meeting that will feature a NASA mission directorate scientist, as well as an information session with NCSG staff. During the information session you will hear about all NCSG scholarships, fellowships and internships that are available.
Apply to NASA’s Fellowships and Internships program here. Students shall send a screen shot of their finalized application to NC Space Grant as verification. Please note that should an internship be awarded to the student that it is not a binding commitment. If awarded, funding for the experience shall be discussed with NC Space Grant.
After awardees complete both fall
semester requirements, the first installment of scholarship award ($1,000) will
be released. 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 applying for NASA Internships – you never know!
Spring
Semester – 2020: 3 Requirements
Conduct 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:
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.
Attend the NC Space Symposium to be held April 3-4,
2020 in Raleigh, NC. There is no
registration cost for STEM Bridge Scholars. However, scholarship funds awarded through this opportunity shall cover travel
costs to the symposium.
After your conference evaluation
is submitted to NCSG, the second half of your scholarship award ($1,500) will
be released.
Upon selection, awardees must submit
an acceptance form and provide a photo and biographical information; inform NC
Space Grant of changes of address; and respond to academic and employment
follow-up surveys.
Students may 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 NCSG.
How to Apply
Applications are due Monday, Oct. 7, 2019.
A Faculty Letter of Recommendation is due on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019.
Awards will be announced on or before Nov. 1, 2019. Awards are contingent upon receipt of NASA funding.
Interested students must complete an online application. 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 complete or the application will not be reviewed.
