For Immediate Release
March 2, 2009

NSF Grant Provides Up To $15,000 in Scholarships for Students Studying Science, Technology, Math, Engineering or a Related Field.

Five year, $600,000 National Science Foundation grant to fund scholarships.

If you are graduating from high school this fall and plan to study science, technology, engineering, math, (STEM) or a related field at Cañada College you could be eligible for up to $15,000 in scholarships thanks to a new federal grant. This opportunity is also available to current Cañada College students studying STEM-related fields.

The college has received a five-year, $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund these scholarships. It provides $3,000 to students eligible for trigonometry and then $4,000 annually for students ready for calculus. Each student could receive as much as $15,000 over three years. This includes $4,000 for their first year after transferring to a four-year college or university.

Cañada's Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program supports students working to transfer to a 4-year university.  The MESA program engages students in math and science study groups, field trips to 4-year universities, workshops with industry professionals and provides a place for students to study and make friends with other math, science and engineering majors.

Students must be enrolled full-time at Cañada College and must be majoring in a STEM field. Applicants must demonstrate financial need. Current community college students must have a grade point average of 2.7 in math, science and engineering courses and a 2.5 overall GPA. High school students must have a GPA of at least 2.7 in high school math and science courses and must test into trigonometry or a higher math class.

The application deadline is May 1. The grant money provides scholarships for 21 students next fall; 37 students in 2010-11; and 41 students in 2011-12 and 2012-13. More information is available at National Science Foundation Grants.

For more information, contact Robert Hood, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at hoodr@smccd.edu or 306-3340