Campus Voices: Suma Datta | TAMUtimes

Many of you read that we recently lost one of our original Mercury Seven astronauts and national Space heroes, Scott Carpenter, who was also one of the founders and ongoing supporters of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). Since 1986, ASF has awarded more than $3.7 million in scholarships and now awards 28 scholarships annually of $10,000 each to outstanding college students who exhibit motivation, imagination, and exceptional performance in science and technology fields. These scholarships go to a select group of institutions that include MIT, Georgia Tech, and others, as well as Texas A&M, based on these institutions' initiative, creativity, and excellence in the fields of science, mathematics, and engineering.

For the first time in its history, AFS has awarded two scholarships to the same institution in a single award year-Texas A&M University. I am thrilled to congratulate both of our outstanding nominees, and winners, on this honor: Dillon Amaya '14, majoring in meteorology and Amanda Couch '14, majoring in electrical engineering. One is already a gifted scientist and the other, a gifted engineer. Both have demonstrated a passion for solving complex research problems.

Dillon Amaya says he had a love of science from childhood and a curiosity to "understand how the world works." By the time he arrived at Texas A&M, he knew he wanted a hands-on approach to his field and was inspired to focus on understanding, predicting, and publicizing the immense implications of global climate change. His drive and curiosity to explain the future by investigating the past began in an Oceanography research laboratory on campus that led him to an internship in Alaska, then out onto the open ocean on a research vessel. Last year, Dillon presented his research and defended his work at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

Amanda Couch's childhood dreams of superpowers and Space battles have matured into a fascination with communication-both in Space and to local communities, to inspire others with the enormous potential of applied electronics. Her journey has taken her from the Texas A&M Electromagnetics and Microwaves Laboratory to high school engineering summer camps and an internship with Boeing. Currently she is developing a reconfigurable antenna and measurement system for educational purposes, intended for use in a high school physics or engineering setting, and presented on her work last year at a symposium of the Institute of Electronics and Electronics Engineers.

Both of these exceptional students have combined intellectual drive and talent with unique opportunities for undergraduate research at Texas A&M, and found a lifetime calling, one that we hope will lead them to become established as visionaries of their fields and improve the world for all of us. Both will be recognized for these accomplishments next week with their scholarship presentations from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

The program will be an occasion to hear from one of our leaders in the Space industry, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, a veteran of four space shuttle missions that included the first assembly mission for the International Space Station. (If you haven't seen the movie Gravity yet, I encourage you to do so and then come to hear from someone who has actually been in Space!) The program is open to the campus community and public, and is free of charge, thanks to sponsorship by the ASF, Honors and Undergraduate Research, and the Office of the Provost.

Programs like this bring to the forefront the academic scholarship of our students and the value of opportunities for them at an institution like ours through internships, international experiences, research with renowned faculty, and service to the community at large.

I hope you will join me on October 28!

Tags: ASF, Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, astronauts, research, students, Suma Datta

Leave a comment

Source: Tamu

Read More

John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation Funds Scholarships to Assist Deserving University Students

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - For the ninth consecutive year, the John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation has pledged $50,000 to fund scholarships to deserving students at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

"The Kenedy Memorial Foundation has had an immense impact on the lives of students at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi," said University President/CEO Dr. Flavius Killebrew. "Their consistent support to further education sets off a domino effect of progress for South Texas."

The 2013-2014 Kenedy Memorial Foundation Scholarship will benefit full-time students pursuing a bachelor's degree at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. To be eligible for the scholarships, recipients from the South Texas area must have a cumulative 3.0 grade point average and demonstrate financial need.

"Receiving the Kenedy Foundation Scholarship is a key component to my future success," said Jacquelyn Vaught, a Kenedy Memorial Scholarship recipient. "And, after having received the scholarship, I am confident that upon graduation I will be capable of teaching to the best of my ability, which would have only been possible with this financial assistance."

Since 2007, more than 240 students have been recipients of the Kenedy Memorial Foundation Scholarship. Each year, a Kenedy Memorial Foundation scholarship luncheon is held on campus giving honors students who receive Kenedy Memorial Foundation scholarships the opportunity to meet Kenedy Foundation members and to thank them for their generosity.

The Kenedy Memorial Foundation is organized exclusively for charitable purposes. Founded in 1961 by Sarita Kenedy East, granddaughter of Mifflin Kenedy and Petra Vela Kenedy, the Foundation has donated more than $200 million to charitable causes and organizations in Texas. In South Texas, where the majority of its contributions have been made, the Foundation is one of the major charity contributors.

Source: Tamucc

Read More

Funding | Graduate | Prospective Students | College of Engineering

The Zachry Department of Civil Engineering has numerous opportunities for its graduate students to obtain financial assistance through Assistantships and Fellowships. Unless the applicant has specified in the application that he or she will have external funding, either by a governmental agency or by industry, the Departmental Graduate Advisor assumes each applicant is in need of financial assistance.

Assistantships, Fellowships and Graduate Scholarships

All selections for financial assistance are competitively based but may also be based on the needs of the department and faculty researchers. Students holding assistantships qualify for Texas A&M employee benefits and graduate students holding either a teaching or research assistantship, or a fellowship of $1000 per year qualify for in-state tuition. Additional fellowships are available through the Office of Graduate Studies.

Texas A&M University offers two types of assistantships: teaching (GAT) or research (GAR). These assistantships normally provide a stipend of $1200 to $1400/month, depending on a student's degree status, and also pay the student's tuition and health benefit costs. Fees are not covered by these assistantships.

The department has numerous graduate fellowships from both endowed and departmental funds. For the 2013-2014 school year, over $300,000 is available to our graduate students as fellowships. For students who are not Texas residents, receiving a fellowship of $1000 or more provides them with the additional benefit of reducing their tuition rate to the in-state rate (basically reducing the rate by two-thirds).

Decisions on who to employ as research and teaching assistants, and to whom fellowship funds should be given are made by the faculty. Applicants and students should contact the graduate student advisor in their area of study to indicate their interest in being considered for any of these sources of funding.

All students holding an assistantship must be registered for a minimum of nine credit hours during the fall and spring semester and six credit hours during the summer semester. This is a University requirement and cannot be waived.

The department also regularly nominates entering students for University fellowships, such as the Association of Former Students Graduate Merit Fellowship. Students interested in these fellowships should contact the graduate student advisor in their area of study. The deadlines for these fellowships should be noted - please make sure your application is submitted by December for consideration. Applicants should also note that these fellowships are given only to students entering in the fall term.

Application Deadlines

To be eligible for all teaching assistantships, research assistantships and fellowships, including merit and diversity fellowships, you must apply by January 1st for admission the following Fall semester. Applications for the fall semester not seeking financial aid will continue to be accepted until March 15th . To be considered for all teaching assistantships, research assistantships and fellowships you must apply by June 1st for admission the following Spring semester.

All documents have to be received by the deadlines listed above. Documents include official transcripts and records, official test scores from GRE and TOEFL, three letters of recommendation, statement of purpose and your resume or curriculum vitae (optional). If the application fees are not paid your application will not be processed and will not be sent forward for a decision.

International students must meet the International Student Service deadlines for the documents which are require for the processing of their I-20. Failure to meet those deadlines may result in not receiving the I-20 in time for entrance into Texas A&M University.

Water Scholars Program

Note for master's students with water-related research interests: The WATer Engineering Research (WATER) Scholars program provides scholarships to engineering graduate students pursuing a master's degree and who have an interest in water-related research. Scholarships are awarded in civil engineering (emphases in environmental engineering, water resources engineering, coastal engineering).

How much will it cost?

The cost of attendance (COA) is an estimate of what it costs the typical student to attend Texas A&M University. Don't be startled by the sticker price of a college education. Your cost of attendance (COA) doesn't just cover your college tuition; it takes into account your basic living expenses. When comparing financial aid packages from other schools, make sure you are comparing the total cost of attending that school, not just the total financial aid awarded. It is important for you to budget and make wise decisions regarding how to utilize the financial aid funds you receive.

Other Helpful Links

Source: Tamu

Read More