STEM students interested in attending Lindsey Wilson College will have more opportunities for tuition and financial assistance thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation.
According to Associate Professor of Biology and NSF principal investigator Laura Nissley, the NSF STEM Grant, known as the Unlimited Pathways Scholarship, has been expanded so that LWC can branch out even further to need-based, academically gifted students who are looking for a way to pay for a college education in the sciences.
“The original framework of the grant has changed so that we can reach even more financially challenged, academically successful students – especially those from Appalachia,” said Nissley who has worked with the grant for more than two years. “The Unlimited Pathways Scholarship is available to any need-based STEM student, up to the first semester of their junior year. The grant is also available to transfer students and part-time students.”
Students may qualify to receive up to $10,000 annually for four years, amounting to a potential total of $40,000 in educational funding per student. Furthermore, if a student’s circumstances meet specific criteria, the NSF may extend the grant for a fifth year.
Historically, grants of this nature are limited to covering tuition costs, but this grant is designed to alleviate any financial hardship for the student.
“It’s not just a scholarship and that’s what makes this grant so unique,” Nissley says. “LWC’s NSF Unlimited Pathways Scholarship can be used for any financial need. If the student needs new eyeglasses, a laptop or food – this grant has been restructured to help with all of those unmet needs. We want our students to focus on academics and not worry about taking a part-time job or getting a loan.”
Through this grant, Lindsey Wilson students will have opportunities to attend field trips and hear from guest speakers showcasing careers not typically associated with STEM degrees. The grant will also provide valuable networking opportunities for students participating in these special events.
“We introduce students to a broad range of career options and give them networking contacts for after graduation. One myth we want to dispel is that if you major in something like biology, you must go into the medical field. We will inform students of all the career pathways available,” Nissley said.
Nissley, a 2006 LWC biology graduate from Russell Springs, Kentucky, says she understands how it feels to be financially insecure when you want to go to college but don’t have the resources to go.
“I did not have college money setback, and my dad told me to stick my head in a book and get good at it,” said Nissley who earned her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Louisville. “I was fortunate and was a recipient of the Kentucky Governor’s Scholarship – but even that scholarship didn’t cover basic needs like books and food. If I had been able to get a scholarship like this, that would have been amazing.”
“Lindsey Wilson is in a prime location to attract students from anywhere in Appalachia, not just Kentucky, and help them earn a degree in STEM,” Nissley said. “And truly our goal is to increase our STEM numbers in our area. The numbers are dwindling so this is an effort to get those numbers back up for Kentucky and the surrounding Appalachian region.”
To learn more about the National Science Foundation Unlimited Pathways Scholarship go to: www.lindsey.edu/nsfup or contact the LWC Admissions Office by emailing admissions@lindsey.edu or calling 270-384-8100.
By Venus Popplewell
Lindsey Wilson College
