This NSF S-STEM program provides scholarships for recruitment and retention of students in the area of electric energy and smart grid applications. The program builds on a nationally leading power engineering education and research program at Washington State University (WSU). This program offers approximately 19 scholarships per year. The objectives are to increase the number of students in power engineering at WSU by 50% for the following groups: Bachelor's, Master's, underrepresented minorities, and women. This program provides opportunities for lower division WSU students, community college students, and four-year university students to study at WSU for Bachelor's and Master's degrees. It builds on existing support structures at WSU to offer opportunities in a bridging program, faculty and industry mentorships, tutors, study groups, internships, field trips, and a hallmark annual poster event. The program is strongly supported by major power companies in Washington that provide industry mentorships and internships opportunities. Undergraduate and graduate students participate in projects supervised by WSU Energy Systems Innovation Center faculty. This project is particularly important for Washington and the Pacific Northwest, where the energy sector has a significant share of the global market.
