Two UH-Clear Lake School of Science and Computer Engineering professors were awarded $600,000 in July 2010 by the National Science Foundation for their recent proposal, “NSF Scholar Program for Computing and Mathematics Majors.”
The NSF issues around 10,000 limited-term grants to fund the most promising proposals judged by a rigorous merit-oriented system.
This newly-acquired grant award is the third NSF grant Sharon P. Hall, a UH-Clear Lake Computer Science Program Chair, and Kwok-Bun Yue, a Professor of the UH-Clear Lake computer science program, have achieved since 2002.
The grant would be applied to recruiting students to high technology disciplines, providing mentoring and support services and facilitating career-placement through industrial partnerships.
“I am thrilled about the opportunity that this grant represents,” Hall said. “Dr. Yue and I have worked with over 60 NSF Scholars since 2002, and we have seen, firsthand, the impact that this prestigious scholarship has made in the lives of those students.”
The acceptance ratio into science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs as a result of the NSF proposal is 1 in 4, marking a success for both the UH system and the computer science program at UH-Clear Lake.
The UH-Clear Lake computer science department stands out above all NSF grant awards applicants because of the student-oriented culture in UH-Clear Lake and UH system, which is fostered by a mature student support infrastructure.
This close interaction with students ensures that demands and ideas are heard, and helps improve the development efficiency and practicality of many computer science project plans.
The award will fund approximately 18 computer science or related major, full-time undergraduate students who should show financial need through FASFA, keep a 3.0 GPA or above and play an active role in computer science activities.
“The impact of this grant went far beyond helping those scholars to complete their STEM degrees,” said Yue.
“The program has components to ensure scholar success, including faculty mentoring, guidance of scholar to conduct research and industrial programs to enhance career development.”
With the help of faculty mentors Hall and Yue, students awarded NSF grant funds from the computer science program of UH-Clear Lake have achieved a number of academic accomplishments by publishing papers in different authoritative magazines and presenting them in national academic conferences.
“The National Science Foundation has been very beneficial to me. They have prepared my interviewing skills for future jobs and they have shown me the steps to apply for graduate school,” said Maria de Jesus Garcia, a mathematics major.
“This is a great program that has helped me grow, make new friends and contacts and helped with my professional development.”
