Fergus and Harris Receive NSF Grant for Minority Engineering Scholarships

NSF logo The National Science Foundation, through the Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, has awarded the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering's AT&T Minority Engineering Program (AT&T MEP) almost $600,000 for scholarships over the next five years.

Jeffrey Fergus

Jeff Fergus

The proposal, "Scholarships for Engineering Students from Underrepresented Groups," was submitted by Jeff Fergus, associate professor in materials engineering and Shirley Scott-Harris, director of AT&T MEP.

"The project will provide renewable $5,000-$10,000 scholarships to students based on academic merit and financial need," said Fergus. "In addition, it will enhance the academic support activities provided by the AT&T Minority Engineering Program." The funding will begin in August 2008, with the first scholarships awarded in fall 2009.

Shirley Scott-Harris

Shirley Harris-Scott

The grant will increase the diversity of qualified engineers by making an engineering education accessible to students from underrepresented groups with limited financial resources, specifically African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander and female students. The proposed project develops an interdisciplinary group of engineering majors and involves them in AT&T MEP activities, which provide peer tutoring, collaborative learning, an interactive learning lab and a student life skills component.

These AT&T MEP program efforts have dramatically increased retention rates of minority engineering students at Auburn University. The AT&T MEP activities are enhanced in the proposed project with career development workshops, support for technical society participation and advanced-level tutoring.

For more information about AT&T MEP, visit http://www.eng.auburn.edu/admin/attmep/.