STEM Scholarships Enters Second Phase
Nine students have been selected for the next round of scholarships for the Ignite Inspiration and Innovation, or I3 project at A-B Tech.
In the fall term of 2015, the College was awarded a $612,232 grant from the National Science Foundation through its Scholarships in STEM Program (S-STEM) to better serve and support targeted STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students.
“The project provides outstanding opportunities to positively influence a next generation of STEM scholars, by offering scholarships to students who show academic promise and have an unmet financial need,” said Dr. Jon R. Wiener, the principal investigator of the grant. He is the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at A-B Tech.
Students Michelle Stephens, Kimberly Hacker, Michael Knupp, Phillip Whiting, Taahirah Hassan, Carl Hughes, Beth Scott, Chance Burnette, and Daniel Passmore will start the program in fall 2016. They are each given $2,000 for the semester to pay for tuition, books, and other expenses. The funds are renewable for a maximum of four terms, as long as the students remain eligible under the conditions of the program.
“One of the best parts about this is it’s an interactive scholarship program,” Wiener said. “We’ve had a really good first semester in terms of some of the enrichment activities. We’ve had seminars, including an excellent one on nanotechnology. Students were taken on field trips to four-year colleges, some as far as Research Triangle Park. We’ve had a shadowing experience where a student went to NOAA for the day. Another was with a U.S. Forest Ranger and was monitoring elk populations.” The activities are funded by the grant.
Wiener said the first cohort, which was selected this past spring, has been a great group of students. One of the criteria to stay in the program is to have a GPA of at least 2.8. The current students are posting grades around 3.5 to 4.0. “I’m really amazed at the quality. They are really outstanding students,” he said.
To stay in the program, students must also remain full-time in their program of study, attend at least half of the enrichment activities and meet at least once a month with a program adviser.
“The idea here is that we want ensure their success. We want them to meet with us so they stay on track. We want to provide opportunities to them in their chosen field and give them the information needed so they can make a wise choice,” Wiener said. “Judging from the feedback, I think the students have had a very enjoyable time with this and appreciate what the program offers them.”
