2023 Astronaut Scholarship Application is open

To be considered for the Astronaut Scholarship, students must: 1) be nominated by one faculty member and recommended by a second faculty member; 2) hold U.S. citizenship; 3) be current sophomores (class of 2025) or juniors (class of 2024) and plan to enroll full time in 2023-24; 4) have substantial research experience; and 5) exhibit motivation, imagination, and exceptional academic performance.  Nominees are expected to be focused in their scientific objectives and possessed of intellectual daring.  Awards are made primarily on the basis of merit, but financial need may be considered.  Students planning to pursue professional careers in medical practice should not apply, but those who plan to focus on biomedical research are welcome.

Complete nominations must be submitted to the campus Astronaut Scholarship Committee for review.  From this pool, the Committee will select the applications to forward to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.  Nominations must be received no later than 11:59 pm, Monday, February 13, 2023 via email at natschol@umn.edu.

The complete nomination must include all items listed below:

1. Scholarship Nomination Form (attached and available from natschol@umn.edu)
2. Faculty Nominator’s narrative letter supporting nomination (*see below)
3. Recommendation letter from a second faculty member
4. Nominee’s short statement of personal research interests, experience, and goals (not more than one page of 12-point type).  Be sure to include a discussion of research interests and experience
5. Nominee’s Resume
6. Nominee’s Proof of Citizenship (copy of birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers)
7. Transcripts from all colleges or universities at which the nominee has been enrolled in an undergraduate degree program.  The U of M transcript must include final grades for fall 2022.

*The nominator should be a faculty member who knows the nominee personally and well.  The narrative letter supporting the nomination form should give examples of the involvement and commitment of the student to science beyond the formal classroom.  Creativity, drive, and intellectual daring are important attributes to document in the letter.  The nominating faculty member should also complete the scholarship nomination form with the assistance of the nominee.  Both faculty letters must be from tenured or tenure-track faculty at the U of M-Twin Cities.