A group of 40 students majoring in Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics will be recipients of an NSF funded Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics (CSEM) scholarship which will enhance their opportunity to complete a degree in a technical major. The scholarships will be administered by the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Engineering Program (MEP), whose major objectives are to recruit, retain and graduate educationally disadvantaged students pursuing technical majors.
Criteria for receiving a CSEM scholarship include the following:
1. An essay from the applicant explaining why he or she wants to be an engineer, computer scientist or mathematician. 2. A letter of recommendation from a faculty member describing the student's potential to succeed in the technical field. 3. The student's grade point average and an assessment of his or her coursework taken in the major discipline. 4. Other criteria include involvement in academic student organizations, parents' education, number of siblings in school, full-time enrollment in school, financial need and U.S. citizenship (national or alien admitted as refugees at the time of the application) or permanent residence. 5. Strong consideration will be given to students coming from groups with historically low entrance rates into four-year institutions and which are under-represented in engineering professions (i.e., Mexican-American, African-American, American Indian, women, etc.).
A committee consisting of faculty and staff from the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, College of Natural Sciences, and a member from the MEP Industry Advisory Board, will decide the scholarship selections.
The students selected for a scholarship will be expected to progress in their chosen technical discipline and required to meet with an advisor in the MEP program to discuss progress, academic advising and other retention efforts administered by the office.
