Vermont Space Grant Consortium  and NASA EPSCoR
"A Statewide Connection to Aerospace, Science, Engineering, Research and Technology"

             VSGC UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM*

VSGC Awards are funded by NASA's National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program.  The recipients are recognized for their outstanding achievement as a scholar.  The purpose of this program is to establish a national network of universities with interests in aeronautics, space, and related fields; to encourage cooperation among universities, aerospace industry, and government; to encourage interdisciplinary training, research, and public service programs related to aerospace; to recruit and train professionals for careers in aerospace science; and to promote a strong science, mathematics, engineering, and technology educational base from elementary through university levels.

 2010-2011 UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES

Kelsey King
Louie DeRoxas
Emily Pratt

Last Year
 2009-2010 Scholarship Recipients

Information for the coming year
Vermont Space Grant/NASA EPSCoR"s
2011-2012
Application deadline April 13th every year. 

The Vermont Space Grant Consortium is pleased to announce a competition for up to ten undergraduate scholarships available for the academic year. These Vermont Space Grant Scholarships, each worth $2,500, will be awarded on the basis of academic standing, letters of recommendation, and an essay detailing career goals. The scholarships are to be used to help the recipients attend an institution of higher education within the State of Vermont.  

Facts Sheet for the VSGC Undergraduate Scholarships

To apply for a Vermont Space Grant Undergraduate Scholarship, an applicant should be:

• A Vermont resident and United States citizen,

• A graduating senior in a Vermont high school, or a current undergraduate enrolled in a degree program in a Vermont institution of higher education, with a GPA of 3.0 or above.

• Planning to pursue a professional career which has direct relevance to the United States aerospace industry and the goals of the National Aeronautics and Space
  Administration (NASA). Such as studies in Astronomy, Biology, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, and other
  basic sciences, including earth sciences and Medicine.
  Cross-disciplinary and other areas of study may also apply.

* Scholarships are not automatically renewable and awardees must complete all requirements when reapplying. This includes a detailed essay stating your goals with relativity to NASA's interests.

Applicants should send a completed application form and an essay on career goals, not to exceed three typed, double-spaced pages, which explicitly details the Applicant's career plans and the connection to NASA. Areas of interest to NASA are currently grouped under four Strategic Enterprises: Aero-Space Technology, Human Exploration and Development of Space, Earth Science and Space Science. Information on the programs under each Strategic Enterprise can be found on the NASA website, www.nasa.gov.

The essay is a key component of the application. Applicants are expected to articulate well-developed career plans and to have thought carefully about the connection of these plans to NASA interests. This connection should be given in detail and include as many specifics as possible. Essays which contain little or no reference  to NASA (e.g., simply saying the Applicant has always been interested
in Space) will be strongly penalized by the Scholarship Review Panel. Similarly, simply expressing an intention to major in mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, or another field traditionally associated with NASA is not sufficient to establish the required connection.

Current VSGC Scholars who are applying for an additional year of funding should include a short progress report with their application in addition to an essay. Since the membership of the Scholarship Review Panel changes from year to year, this progress report should briefly summarize the career plans and the NASA connection from the prior year's application. It should then indicate how the VSGC Scholar's experiences during the past year have strengthened or modified career plans and the associated connection to NASA interests.

Applicants should send a completed application form and an essay on career goals, not to exceed three typed, double spaced pages, to the Consortium office:
Vermont Space Grant Consortium/NASA EPSCoR
Votey Building, College of Engineering and Mathematics
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405 - 0156.
Consortium Office is located in Rm. 209, 12 Colchester Ave.

In addition, applicants should arrange to have official transcripts of their academic records and three confidential letters of reference sent directly to the Consortium at the above address. All materials must be received no later than April 13 for an applicant to be considered for the competition. Results of the competition will be announced on or about May 15.  Questions about the scholarship should be addressed to Ms. Laurel Zeno at (802) 656-1429, Email: zeno@cems.uvm.edu.

You can download the SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

STRATEGIC PLAN AND GOALS:

●    Hold a yearly competition to award merit-based VSGC Undergraduate
       Scholarships to Vermont students in STEM disciplines attending
       Vermont  academic institutions.
●    Fund special scholarships for Vermont students accepted at a NASA
      Academy  or other NASA competitive program.
●    Hold an annual Awards Night to honor VSGC Scholars and Fellows
      and  showcase VSGC and NASA-related projects and activities in
      Vermont.  Invitees will include students, their parents and teachers,
      representatives of all VSGC affiliates, state government officials, and
      a NASA representative. 

The Vermont Space Grant Consortium is an organization involving UVM's College of Engineering and Mathematics, St. Michael's College, Norwich University, Vermont Technical College, the Vermont State Mathematics Coalition, and BTC/Aviation Technology. Funded in part by a grant from NASA's National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, key goals of the Consortium are to build research infrastructure within the state, encourage Vermont students to take more mathematics and science, and promote consideration of careers in aerospace-related areas.