Idaho Engineering Scholarship Program

The Idaho Engineering Scholarship Program provides scholarships in computer science, materials science and engineering, and electrical, mechanical, or civil engineering. The program objectives include:

Establish two cohorts of approximately 14 freshmen engineering students.

Integrate scholarship recipients into the Engineering Residential College.

Incorporate recipients into existing student support programs.

Provide summer internship or research opportunities.

Decrease the freshmen attrition rate of scholarship recipients by 50%.

Attract underrepresented students to engineering and computer science.

INTELLECTUAL MERIT

The university places a strong emphasis on the undergraduate educational experience in engineering and computer science, including innovative teaching techniques, undergraduate research, and student success. The university has strong existing programs to recruit and retain students from underrepresented groups. This project provides a supportive environment for students new to the challenges of college, with the goal of significantly increasing student retention. The establishment of a cohort of students participating in the residential college and off-campus living arrangements is a creative concept that will provide an unusual living and learning opportunity.

BROADER IMPACTS

The project serves to raise the visibility and interest in the engineering programs at the university, resulting in an overall increase in the number of students pursuing engineering or computer science. The project is also designed to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in engineering. It incorporates existing activities that promote active learning. This project provides a significant source of scholarship funds for Idaho students in a relatively new engineering program.