News Release

Nov. 2, 2006

National Science Foundation Awards $500,000 Grant to Boise State for 'Idaho Engineering Scholarship Program'

Boise State University freshmen majoring in engineering and computer science fields are eligible for up to $10,000 in renewable scholarships as part of a new $500,000 grant awarded to the university by the National Science Foundation.

The “Idaho Engineering Scholarship Program” will offer scholarships beginning in fall 2007 for freshmen enrolled in computer science, materials science and engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering or civil engineering at Boise State.

Amy Moll, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, procured the NSF grant along with engineering professors John Gardner and Sin Ming Loo, computer science professor Amit Jain and College of Engineering Dean Cheryl Schrader.

“This is great news for Boise State students who plan to pursue careers in engineering or computer science,” Moll said. “The scholarships provide deserving students with funds and support programs when they often need them most — during the pivotal first two years.”

The NSF scholarships will provide up to $10,000 a year for two years for recipients who reside in the College of Engineering residential college, and up to $5,000 a year for two years for recipients who don’t participate in the residential college program. Applicants must demonstrate financial need in order to qualify for the scholarships and will then be selected based on academic merit.

Along with covering the costs of student fees, books and on-campus housing, a key part of the scholarship program is a support network to help students succeed academically and stay in school until they earn their degrees. Supplemental instruction in math will be offered, and recipients will also have opportunities for internships and to work with faculty on research projects as part of the college’s first-year engineering program.

“The NSF scholarship program will provide a supportive and structured environment for students new to the challenges of college, with the goal of significantly increasing retention efforts for all students, with a particular emphasis placed on students from underrepresented groups,” Moll said.

The new Idaho Engineering Scholarship Program is the second major NSF scholarship grant Moll has procured for Boise State. She was also the principal investigator on a $390,000 NSF Scholars Program grant awarded in 2004. The grant, which will conclude at the end of the 2007-08 school year, has provided scholarships for nearly 130 Boise State students in the College of Engineering.

Antonio Oblea, now a Boise State senior majoring in electrical and computer engineering from Pocatello, was among the recipients of the first NSF Scholars Program. Receiving the scholarship as a new college student made a big difference in his ability to succeed at Boise State in a demanding field of study, Oblea said.

“I am a first-generation college student. With the scholarship, I was able to focus more of my time on undergraduate research rather than working at a job that would provide me with no electrical engineering experience,” Oblea said.

Applications for the NSF scholarships will be available in early January on the College of Engineering Web site at coen.boisestate.edu or by contacting the college at (208) 426-4432. Scholarship recipients will be notified by early March 2007.

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Contact: Amy Moll, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, (208) 426-5719, amoll@boisestate.edu 
Media Contact: Janelle Brown, University Communications, (208) 426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu

Where you see blue, we see the largest institution of higher education in Idaho. For the ninth time in the last 10 years, Boise State University has set an all-time state record with a fall enrollment of 18,876 students. Since 1996, Boise State’s student population has increased 25 percent.


 

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Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007