HispanicBusiness

Attention undergraduate students studying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics: you have the opportunity to apply for a program that may provide a scholarship covering up to half of your annual college tuition, along with a paid internship opportunity with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). But you only have until Feb. 2, 2009, so get going now!

Known as the Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology (MUST) program, this scholarship is open nationally to all students, but is particularly focused on students from underserved and underrepresented groups pursuing these fields of study, including women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and people with disabilities.

To be eligible for the scholarships, undergraduate students must be pursuing careers in the fields of; science, technology, engineering or math, be college freshmen, sophomores or juniors, have U.S citizenship and reside in the U.S., have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale, and be enrolled as full-time students during the 2009-2010 school year.

Those students who meet the criteria and are accepted will receive a one-year scholarship that will cover up to half their tuition and fees, equaling a maximum of $10,000 per academic year limit. They will also receive additional support from the MUST Professional and Academic Support System (PASS), which provides students with online communities and professional leadership and development training. Also included is a $6,000 stipend to participate in a 10-week summer NASA internship program that also includes a transportation and location allowance of up to $1,000.

As long as students continue to meet the requirements of the program they will be able to renew the scholarship up until their junior year. The application deadline for the MUST program is Feb. 2, 2009. For more details on how to apply go to education/must" target="_blank">www.nasa.gov/education/must.

NASA funds the MUST scholarship in conjunction with the Hispanic College Fund, the United Negro College Fund Special Programs, and the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers.

100 students received MUST scholarships in the 2008-2009 academic year.