USRA Scholarships

The purpose of the USRA Distinguished Undergraduate Awards is to provide college scholarship awards to students who have shown a career interest in the sciences or engineering with an emphasis on space research, space science education, or aeronautics-related sciences. Five scholarship awards have been established which honor individuals who have made contributions to science and the US Space Program. Students will be matched to the scholarship award most appropriate for their area of study.

THE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

Thomas R. McGetchin Memorial Scholarship Award

This scholarship award honors the late Thomas R. McGetchin, former Lunar and Planetary Institute Director, for his significant contributions in the area of volcanic and igneous processes, work accomplished through field, experimental, and theoretical investigations of volcanic activity on Earth, the Moon, and Mars. One-time award of $5000.

John R. Sevier Memorial Scholarship Award

During his 22 years of service to USRA, Sevier served as Acting Director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute and as Deputy Director of the Division of Space Life Sciences. This memorial scholarship award honors his dedication to education and advancements in aerospace technology. One-time award of $5000.

James B. Willett Educational Memorial Scholarship Award

This scholarship award recognizes the efforts of the late James B. Willett, a noted astrophysicist who worked with USRA through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Headquarters. One-time award of $5000.

Frederick A. Tarantino Memorial Scholarship Award

This scholarship award recognizes the late Frederick A. Tarantino, USRA President and CEO from 2006 - 2014, in recognition of his many contributions to USRA and his dedication to furthering the education of young scientists and engineers in space science related fields. One-time award of $5000.

Judith L. Pipher Memorial Scholarship Award

This scholarship award recognizes the late Judy Pipher for her contributions to infrared astronomy, her mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers, and her many contributions to USRA as a member of the Board of Trustees, the representative for University of Rochester, and the Chair of the USRA SOFIA Science Council. One-time award of $5000.

ELIGIBILITY

1. Applicants must be full-time undergraduate students attending a 4-year accredited college or university in the United States at the time the award is received.
2. Applicants must be majoring in a field of science or engineering, including life sciences or science education, with application to fields in space science or aerospace engineering.
3. Applicants must be within two years of a B.S. or B.A. in a space science related field of science or engineering (including life science and science education with application to fields in space science or aerospace engineering) by the time the award is received.
4. Applicants must have a Cumulative GPA of 3.50 or greater.
5. Applicants must be US citizens or lawful Permanent Residents.
6. Previous USRA scholarship winners are not eligible.
7. Non-US students attending USRA Member Universities located outside the United States are also eligible to apply. Applicants must be citizens of the country in which the university is based. In addition, all application materials must be in English, and eligibility with regard to academic grades and number of years to undergraduate degree must be equivalent to that for U.S. applicants. We recognize the differences in education systems among different countries and will apply reasonable interpretations of the guidelines. (The eligible non-US universities are University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, University of Leicester, University of Sheffield, Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Stuttgart, University of Cologne, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University, University of Canterbury, University of Bern, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Seoul National University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and University of Zurich.

The USRA Distinguished Undergraduate Awards are awarded without regard to race, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. USRA maintains impartiality in the selection of scholarship awards, and scholarships are awarded solely based on the merits of the application. USRA will not award scholarships to applicants who are not qualified and reserves the right not to award a scholarship in a given year.