Scholarship Program Targets Minority, Female Engineering Students

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Mechanical Engineering Professor Yong Gan with students in his lab. The new Engineering Scholars Program will give $5,000 scholarships annually to 20 academically gifted engineering students who are minorities or females and who are the first in their families to attend college.
Mechanical Engineering Professor Yong Gan with students in his lab. The new Engineering Scholars Program will give $5,000 scholarships annually to 20 academically gifted engineering students who are minorities or females and who are the first in their families to attend college.

Minority and female students who are the first in their families to attend college and want to study engineering can receive help through a new support program.

The Engineering Scholars Program, coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR), will give $5,000 scholarships annually to 20 academically gifted students. In addition to providing support services such as development workshops and career planning, the program allows the scholars to participate in undergraduate research projects.

“OUR recognized that although an undergraduate research experience is one that is well-documented for increased retention and graduation rates, many students cannot participate due to their need to work outside of school,” says Professor Winny Dong, principal investigator of the program. “For the College of Engineering, the Engineering Scholars Program offers a broader group of students to participate in undergraduate research and raises the profile and the reputation of the college and the university.”

The program augments other efforts in the college that aim to boost graduation rates in engineering fields, including the Maximizing Engineering Potential and Women in Engineering programs.

Applications for the first cohort of students are due Oct. 14. For specific eligibility requirements and the online application, visit www.cpp.edu/~our-cpp. For more information, email our-cpp@cpp.edu or visit their office in Building 1, room 110.

The Engineering Scholars Program is supported by a nearly $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, which will provide funding through 2019.