Major National Grant Extended Four Years for Engineering, Computer Science and Math Students
For release: July 27, 2004
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey

The Herff College of Engineering at the University of Memphis has been awarded a $343,750 grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF), extending for four additional years a scholarship program that will aid economically disadvantaged undergraduate students majoring in engineering, computer science, engineering technology, or mathematics.

The program addresses the national shortage of engineers, mathematicians and computer scientists, said Dr. David J. Russomanno, interim chairman of electrical and computer engineering and principal investigator of the program.

The NSF initially awarded the U of M $172,000 to start the program in the 2002 fall semester; the additional grant will fund scholarships from fall 2004 through spring 2008. The program will assist at least 25 students per semester who are within two years of graduation with scholarships of up to $3,125 each. This will enable them to reduce or eliminate time spent at part-time jobs just when academic expectations are highest. Recipients will be able to trim their financial debt, graduate more quickly, and be better prepared to compete for highly-sought-after positions with industry partners.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, Federal Express Corp., Wright Medical Technology, Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division, and Solae Company will participate in the program by providing summer internships for some of the recipients. Other corporate sponsors have also agreed to participate in the program, Russomanno said.

"We expect that every scholarship recipient will have the opportunity to secure a paid summer internship position so they will not need to seek out other employment that might impede their career goals," said Russomanno. "Our intention is to get more math, science, and engineering students into the workforce as quickly as possible."

An additional goal of the program is to get more low-income students into well-paid high tech positions. The program also is designed to produce more engineers, computer scientists and mathematicians from traditionally under-represented groups, particularly women and minorities.

Recipients must be full-time engineering, engineering technology, computer science, or mathematics students, must be U.S. citizens, and must demonstrate financial need. Students must also have evidence of good character, motivation, and professionalism, as documented in two letters of recommendation.

Applications and more information are available online at: www.ee.memphis.edu/csems/csems.html.

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