Growing Pathways to STEM Scholarship

1. You must be a new or current full-time CCC student who is attending for the 2018-19 fall and spring terms on the Columbus Campus.
2. Applications are restricted to students who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens qualifying for federal financial aid after filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at www.studentaid.gov.
3. Students are not required to be a Nebraska resident.
4. You must include two letters of recommendation with your application, and one must be from a STEM-area instructor.

This depends upon the number of applicants, an individual applicant’s amount of unmet financial need according to the FAFSA, and the amount of money budgeted per year for scholarships. For the 2018-19 academic year, 11 students were awarded scholarships. 

1. You must be pursuing an associate of science or academic transfer degree in a STEM-related area with the intention of transferring to a four-year school or working in a STEM-related job.
2. You must enroll as a full-time student CCC-Columbus.
3. You must have a minimum 3.0 GPA as a new or current full-time CCC student and must maintain a 3.2 GPA for scholarship renewal.

Students will be given one semester to show improvement should their GPA fall below 3.2. Eligibility reviews will be conducted by mentors and financial aid officers at semester’s end to monitor eligibility. Hardships will be taken into account and determination of award continuance will be at the discretion of this team.

You can apply for this and all other CCC scholarships online. 

Scholarship Application

To be in the selection pool for the next group of GPS scholars in fall, you must apply by March 1.

Late applications will be considered on a first-come basis pending availability of funds and number of applicants. Students should contact either Steve Heinisch at sheinisch@picturesofcornwall.net or Dr. Lauren Gillespie at laurengillespie@picturesofcornwall.net and visit with their financial aid director to discuss their options. 

What if I do not see the option to select the GPS scholarship listed on the general scholarship application? Am I still eligible and how do I apply?

As a returning CCC student, you will not see the option to select the GPS scholarship when you apply. You must contact the CCC instructor who is writing your letter of recommendation to ensure that they have given your name to the Project Directors: Steve Heinisch and Dr. Lauren Gillespie. This will ensure your application is filtered into the proper GPS scholar application pool.

Project GPS stands for “Growing Pathways to STEM.” It is a scholarship-awarding program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. CCC was awarded this grant in August 2017. It provides scholarships to FAFSA-qualifying students interested in science, engineering and related fields. Students selected for the scholarships become part of a cohort group, and all cohorts will consist of “GPS scholars,” who get to take part in special educational and career development programs. It will serve students through the 2021-22 academic year. 

"The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 ‘to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; to secure the national defense...’ The NSF's goals – discovery, learning, research infrastructure and stewardship – provide an integrated strategy to advance the frontiers of knowledge, cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens, build the nation's research capability through investments in advanced instrumentation and facilities, and support excellence in science and engineering research and education through a capable and responsive organization."

Learn more about the National Science Foundation

As a GPS scholar, you will have two (2) years of educational costs paid in full (unmet financial need per the FAFSA; including tuition and fees, room and board).  Faculty mentors will work individually with you, giving you access to educational and professional training in subject areas of your interest. As part of your cohort, you will explore various career options by touring local business’, industries, and other institutions of higher education. You and your fellow cohort-scholars will form a bond together as you pursue similar paths, build a network of relationships, and have the privilege of counting yourself among a special network of individuals earning a National Science Foundation scholarship!

You will take part in an orientation experience at the start of the fall semester with your cohort. During this time, you will get to know one another and will be matched with a faculty and industry mentor. Workshops will include (but are not limited to) sessions covering study skills, online resources, team-building and time management. You will brainstorm with your cohort and faculty/industry mentors to plan and implement a project that will serve your community. Initial start-up projects for 2018 may be part of an ongoing CCC foundation-funded ecology research program; specific project avenues pursued will be specific to each cohort’s composition of individual interests and skills.

For example, the ecology research program currently focuses on how birds use nest boxes in relation to different types of land development and human activity. Currently, there are nest boxes on the Columbus Campus and a local park with some boxes near street lamps. Scholars have the chance to examine the impacts of artificial light on wildlife while also working with industry partners to examine light energy consumption in the Columbus community and on campus. This is just one example of how GPS scholars and mentors will work together to implement science-geared community service projects.

Each summer, GPS scholars will be required to take part in job shadowing, applied research or internships offered through the research and business/industry relationships. Students will have the opportunity to actively collect data and travel to present findings at an international research conference, or land an internship at a local industry with the potential to be hired right after graduation! Scholars will have the opportunity to spend time in the workplace shadowing someone in their field or doing a summer internship to get real on-the-job experience. 

Classes may be taken in the summer but are not required by the program. Orientation in the fall and a job shadow/research experience are required.

Steve Heinisch and Dr. Lauren Gillespie are co-directors of Project GPS. Heinisch did his graduate research in plant ecology and has taught a wide range of science courses in his years at Central Community College. He has also researched the success of community college students in the workplace and at transfer institutions throughout Nebraska. Gillespie’s graduate research addresses how ecology influences hormones and the behavior of birds, fish and humans, and she is actively establishing study sites in our area. She has taught biology courses at Central Maine Community College and biology laboratory courses at the University of Southern Mississippi.  In addition to the principal Investigators, you will interact with other faculty mentors in various areas (math and statistics, engineering, physics, information technology), as well as representatives from local businesses (Loup Power District, Pillen Family Farms, DNA Genetics, and Behlen Manufacturing).  And of course, you will work closely with other GPS scholars!