Colorado State University undergraduates majoring in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields are now eligible for a merit-based scholarship offered by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The award offers top-performing juniors and seniors $10,000 each and provides lifelong opportunities and programs sponsored by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

The scholarship is partially funded by veteran astronauts. It was started in 1984 by six surviving members of Project Mercury, the first crewed spaceflight program in the United States.

Joining with the best

CSU’s support for undergraduate research helped propel it into the program. It joins 35 of the nation’s best research universities, including Georgia Tech and MIT, in awarding the scholarships.

Curt Brown, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s board chairman and a former astronaut, welcomed CSU into the program. CSU’s leadership in science and technology keeps with the vision of America’s space pioneers, he said.

“By participating in this effort, Colorado State University will help the U.S. maintain its leading edge by recognizing and rewarding their best STEM students,” Brown said.

Four other universities were also added to the program in August: Auburn University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Massachusetts, and the University of Mississippi.

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is based in Orlando and funds 50 students every year. The foundation is partially supported by astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle, and Space Station programs, as well as other contributors.

More information about the scholarship and how it is awarded is available here.