Undergraduate Sustainability, Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (U-S2TEM) Scholarship Program

There is a significant national need for undergraduates trained in environmental fields to address the challenges of today and tomorrow. The U-S2TEM program, funded through the National Science Foundation, is a partnership of the Global Change and Sustainability Center (GCSC) and the Center for Science and Math Education (CSME) to provide academically talented, financially challenged, and diverse undergraduate students with unique educational and research opportunities. By using a comprehensive approach to undergraduate education, the U-S2TEM program provides scholarships for up to 4 years to students in the Colleges of Science, Mines and Earth Sciences, and Engineering. This program is targeted at incoming freshman who are interested in being a part of this program for all four years of their undergraduate career. However, qualified continuing undergraduates can apply, and may be considered for the program.

U-S2TEM Scholars work as a multidisciplinary cohort to explore how various scientific and engineering fields interact, thus preparing them to face significant global challenges related to the environment and sustainability. The U-S2TEM Scholars have opportunities to interact with faculty who study the impacts of global changes on the dynamics and sustainability of natural and human built systems through mentoring, seminars, courses designed to build an intellectual learning community that enhances the scholars’ educational development, and research opportunities.

The goal of this project is to increase the number of diverse high-need students entering the University of Utah and obtaining B.S. degrees in environmental science and engineering.  This goal will be achieved through the following objectives:

• Providing scholarships, academic scaffolding, mentoring, professional development, and internship opportunities to academically talented and financially challenged undergraduates to support them throughout their undergraduate training and help launch careers and training beyond graduation.
• Developing an interdisciplinary learning community of students, faculty and professionals that synergistically engage and support the Scholars as they move through their academic training and provide a model for similar programs in the future.

Scholarship Program Benefits

• Funding: Up to 4 years of funding towards tuition, fees, room and board, and supplies, and eligibility for additional housing funds in association with the Honors College housing
• Mentoring and cohort building: One-on-one faculty mentoring opportunities; fall retreat and spring symposium; opportunities for affiliation with the Honors College; academic advising; orientation and cohort-building experiences
• Opportunities for research: Introduction to STEM faculty who conduct environment and sustainability-related research; opportunities to conduct undergraduate research (including funding); supplemental funds available to support travel to a national professional meeting in the STEM discipline
• Curricular enhancements: U-S2TEM Seminar (1 credit / semester); opportunity to participate in the undergraduate Sustainability Certificate program

To learn more about U-S2TEM, click here.