LAWRENCE — Four outstanding University of Kansas undergraduates are representing KU in the Astronaut Scholarship program.
The six surviving members of the Mercury 7 mission founded the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation in 1984 as a means to encourage students to pursue scientific endeavors to keep the U.S. on the leading edge of technology. Astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs have joined the foundation, which has awarded $4 million in scholarships to more than 400 of the nation’s top scholars.
With the support of the ASF and the Office of the Provost, up to two KU undergraduate students will be selected to receive a $15,000 scholarship during their junior or senior year. Nominations were sought from faculty members in all STEM disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — for students with exceptional academic records and considerable research experience. A committee coordinated by the Office of Fellowships and chaired by Steven Hawley, KU professor of physics & astronomy and former astronaut, selected the university’s candidates for the award. The winners of the scholarship will be announced later this spring.