St. Mary’s Receives National Science Foundation Award for New STEM Scholarships Program

News from Saint Mary's College:

Saint Mary’s College has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant, the largest from the organization in the College’s history. The grant, an NSF Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) award, is for $613,477 over five years and will help support full-tuition scholarships for academically talented low-income students majoring in STEM fields.

“We are extremely grateful to the National Science Foundation for supporting the College’s efforts in creating STEM education opportunities for Saint Mary’s students,” said Saint Mary’s President James Donahue. 

“This award, in combination with resources from the College, will allow intellectually qualified but financially needy students to do more than prepare for careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, it will help them pursue their dreams, and that is the ultimate goal of higher education.”

The College will combine the NSF grant with institutional support from Saint Mary’s for the new initiative “Mentored Access to Programs in Science,” or MAPS.

The program will recruit and enroll 24 academically talented and financially under-resourced students into undergraduate programs in chemistry, biochemistry, physics and mathematics.

Math Professor and Department Chair Chris Jones, who directs the MAPS program, said he is excited about the educational opportunities it will provide.

 “The College has been developing the new program over several years and to see it come to fruition with NSF support is tremendous,” said Jones. “All of the award recipients I’ve spoken with have been just ecstatic about being selected as a MAPS scholar.”

In addition to full-tuition scholarships, MAPS students will benefit from robust enrichment programs, academic support services and will work with mentors. The program also includes career placement services to prepare the students to enter the workforce or attend graduate school in STEM fields after they graduate from Saint Mary’s.

Roy Wensley, dean of the School of Science, said the MAPS program reflects the convergence of Saint Mary’s mission of service with science education. 

“Securing scholarship funding through the NSF’s S-STEM program is a significant milestone for the College,” said Wensley. “These funds will allow us to attract the best and brightest math and science students regardless of their financial need and help the College to fulfill its Lasallian mission.” 

Wensley added that in addition to College resources, donors and friends of Saint Mary’s are invited to help support the new MAPS initiative.

The National Science Foundation’s S-STEM program provides institutions with funds for student scholarships to encourage and enable academically talented students demonstrating financial need to enter the STEM workforce or STEM graduate school following completion of an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree in fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics. 

The program was established by the NSF in accordance with the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998, which reflects the national need to increase substantially the number of American scientists and engineers.