This program makes grants to institutions of higher education to support scholarships for academically talented students demonstrating financial need, enabling them to enter the STEM workforce or STEM graduate school following completion of an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate-level degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics disciplines. Grantee institutions are responsible for selecting scholarship recipients, reporting demographic information about student scholars, and managing the S-STEM project at the institution.

The program does not make scholarship awards directly to students; students should contact their institution’s Office of Financial Aid for this and other scholarship opportunities.

Program Description:

1. The S-STEM program emphasizes the importance of recruiting students to STEM disciplines, mentoring and supporting students through degree completion, and partnering with employers to facilitate student career placement in the STEM workforce. Participating institutions are expected to support the goals of the S-STEM program including the following:
   
   • Improved educational opportunities for students;
   • Increased retention of students to degree achievement;
   • Improved student support programs at institutions of higher education; and
   • Increased numbers of well-educated and skilled employees in technical areas of national need.

Students to be awarded scholarships must demonstrate academic talent and financial need. In addition, they must be US citizens, permanent residents, nationals, or refugees. Refer to Section IV.C. (Scholarship Recipients) in this Solicitation for details.

It is expected that scholarship recipients will achieve at least one of the following by the end of the scholarship award period:

• Receive an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree in one of the S-STEM disciplines;
• Transfer from an associate degree program to a baccalaureate degree program or from an undergraduate program to a graduate program in one of the S-STEM disciplines;
• Successfully pass one or more of an institution's self-identified attrition points.

S-STEM grants may be made for up to five years and provide individual scholarships of up to $10,000 per year, depending on financial need.

Please refer to Section V.A.5., Project Description, for details about specific S-STEM project requirements.

Please see the solicitation for complete information.

Associate Deans or Designates should submit the name of the candidate selected by the School/College to limitedsub@austin.utexas.edu no later than 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The names of the nominees will be posted on OSP's limited submissions website, which will be referenced by Proposal Specialists before allowing a proposal to proceed.

Additionally, please provide the nominee's:

1. Two page maximum lay abstract describing the aims/needs of the proposed research project.
2. Short bio sketch/CV of the UT PI

Each college **that awards degrees in an eligible field** may submit one (1) proposal for this opportunity.

Dr. Mia Markey, School of Engineering

Dr. Sacha Kopp, School of Engineering