This scholarship program is recruiting and supporting highly promising, but financially needy, computer science and mathematics students. Students are being provided a strong technical education in a supportive environment within the context of a broad liberal arts curriculum. This prepares graduates to enter the workforce with not only technical proficiency but also the written and oral communication facility, critical thinking skills, and intellectual flexibility essential to success in today's rapidly advancing workplace.
Intellectual Merit: Students benefit from institutionally supported models of teaching-scholarship and joint faculty-student research. They have opportunities to participate in independent study and research projects culminating in conference presentations, published papers, and software packages. Many other students gain experience through industry internships. These initiatives result in highly competent students with robust technical backgrounds who are prepared to contribute to industry, government, and graduate research programs. The program provides individual attention in classes, one-on-one mentoring, and a supportive collaborative environment. The program builds on an effective CSEMS award.
Broader Impacts: The project targets rural and first-generation students in recruitment efforts. The college emphasizes community involvement, a global perspective, and service activities. These opportunities are important as graduates' professional decisions are based in part on the humanitarian perspective they develop during their baccalaureate experience. Thus, the broader impacts of this program include the nurturing of future members of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) area industries who are responsible global citizens.
