[bioundgrd] Fwd: Upcoming Scholarship Opportunity: ASEE SMART Scholarship

[Janice Chang]

Begin forwarded message:

Science, Mathematics, & Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship
http://smart.asee.org/

The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program is an opportunity for students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines to receive a full scholarship and be gainfully employed upon degree completion. Students pursuing degrees related to the following are encouraged to apply:

• Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Oceanography, Operations Research (technical tracks only), Physics, Electrical Engineering, Geosciences, Industrial and Systems Engineering (technical tracks only), Information Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering, Mathematics, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Biosciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Cognitive, Neural, and Behavioral Sciences, Computer and Computational Sciences



*Please note that this scholarship has a Department of Defense Service Commitment upon completion of your degree.

Length of Service Commitment
The period of obligated service for educational financial assistance received by an SSPP shall be the period determined by ASD(R&E) as being appropriate to obtain adequate service in exchange for such financial assistance. The period of service required of an SSPP may not be less than the total period of pursuit of a degree that is covered by such financial assistance and may not be less than one year.

The SSP requires a minimum of 1 year of post-graduation employment for all SSPPs. SSPPs perform post-graduation employment with the SF at the rate of 1 calendar year of service for each full academic year (generally 9 months). Financial support for an academic term (quarter, semester) that is less than a full academic year requires an additional 6 months of post-graduation employment. For example, an award for two academic years requires 24 months of service. An award for one and a half academic years requires 18 months of service.

Please see the attached SMART Participant Handbook for more details on the service requirement.

Eligibility Requirements
All awardees must be;

  *   a U.S. citizen at time of application,
  *   18 years of age or older as of August 1, 2014,
  *   able to participate in summer internships at DoD laboratories,
  *   willing to accept post-graduate employment with the DoD,
  *   a student in good standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and,
  *   pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in one of the disciplines listed on the About SMART<http://smart.asee.org/about> page.

In addition;
*Undergraduate applicants must be currently enrolled in a regionally accredited U.S. college or university and have a high school diploma/GED. Current high school students are not eligible to apply.
**Graduate applicants can be either currently enrolled in a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or awaiting notification of admission to such. If awaiting admission, you must be accepted for entrance in the fall 2014 term.
*Students who are currently Freshman or enrolled in a First Year Associate’s Program applicants must report an ACT or SAT Reasoning Test Score. Subject tests are not required. In addition, individuals who apply during their Freshman/First Year must obtain a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale during the fall academic term of their Freshman/First Year. Freshman/First Year Associate's Program applicants will be required to submit an official transcript reflecting their fall academic term grades to establish compliance with this requirement.
**Graduate applicants must have taken the GRE and test scores must be reportable by ETS. Subject tests are not required.
SMART Participants must be enrolled in a full-time accredited program leading to a degree in a field specified in this announcement<http://smart.asee.org/about>.
Participants may study or engage in research fieldwork away from the academic institution for which they receive funding upon prior written approval from the SMART Program Office and if, in the judgment of academic or research advisor and DoD mentor the fieldwork furthers the Participant's education and contributes directly to the attainment of the degree funded by the award. The following conditions apply to all requests to engage in fieldwork:
1.      the Participant must remain officially enrolled in a U.S. academic institution approved by the SMART Program Office;
2.      the Participant must be earning academic credit toward the degree funded by the Program; and
3.      No additional funds are provided for field work expenses.
SMART scholarships are awarded for a specific time based on the anticipated degree completion and conferral dates on the SMART Service Agreement. SMART scholarships range from a minimum of 1 year to a maximum of 5 years per award, depending on degree requirements.

Benefits Summary
Participants in the SMART Scholarship for Service Program receive;

  *   Full tuition and education related fees (does not include items such as meal plans, housing, or parking)
  *   Stipend paid at a rate of $25,000 - $38,000 depending on degree pursuing (may be prorated depending on award length)
  *   Paid summer internships
  *   Health Insurance allowance up to $1,200 per calendar year
  *   Book allowance of $1,000 per academic year
  *   Mentoring
  *   Employment placement after graduation

Post-Graduation Employment Placement

•         Upon selection, awardees are assigned to the DoD laboratory where he/she will be expected to serve as a summer intern and complete a period of post-graduation employment service as a DoD civilian.

•         Upon selection, awardees sign the SMART Service Agreement<http://smart.asee.org/assets/File/2013%20SMART%20Award%20Notification%20and%20Service%20Agreement.pdf> (please note this is the 2013 agreement and that future agreements are subject to change). The employment obligation to the DoD civilian Science and Technology (S&T) workforce upon graduation is a one-to-one commitment. For each academic year of a Participant's award, he/she is required to commit to one year (12 months) of civilian employment with the DoD. Participants who fail to comply with the degree completion and conferral time lines on their application will be required to provide an increased ratio of post-graduation service to length of award. Students will be placed in DoD laboratories in civilian positions and must be geographically mobile for placement following graduation.

•         If a Participant fails to properly complete the post-graduation service commitment, he/she will be responsible for the prompt reimbursement of any and all funds expended under the Program by the U.S. Government on behalf of the Participant.

•         Students may select up to three (3) preferred DoD laboratories for placement. Every effort will be made to place awardees with one of their identified preferences, but such placement is not guaranteed. All awardees are notified of their placement upon award notification.

•         A partial list of participating organizations can be found on the Sponsoring Facilities<http://smart.asee.org/sponsoring_facilities> page. Updates to this list will be made periodically.

Interested applicants can apply here<http://smart.asee.org/apply_>. Application deadline: December 16, 2013



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