With a $2 million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is offering scholarships in Computational Mathematics, Meteorology and Data Science to help students overcome financial barriers as they pursue their degrees.

The project, offered through NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program, will provide the students with up to $15,000 a year for up to five years, as well as special mentoring, research experience and professional development opportunities, such as internships.

“The project is intended to provide students with an opportunity to really focus on their academics, to engage with a support system across campus and to gain professional experiences outside of campus,” said Dr. Daniel Halperin, associate professor and program coordinator of Meteorology in the Department of Applied Aviation Sciences and the project’s principal investigator.

Dr. Mihhail Berezovski, associate professor in the Department of Mathematics, director of undergraduate research and a co-principal investigator, said the project is designed to create “a cushion of financial stability” for students to reach their full potential.

“At Embry-Riddle, we are offering a great education, but in addition we provide extracurricular opportunities, like research possibilities and connections to companies,” Berezovski said. “Many students who have to work to pay their tuition are missing those opportunities, and we don’t want that to happen. We want to say that you will be working later on, but for now, take the most that Embry-Riddle has to offer.”

Students who are already in the Computational Math, Meteorology or Data Science degree programs and who are eligible for federal Pell Grants can apply for the scholarships. Some of the scholarship recipients will continue in a fifth-year program after earning a bachelor’s to then pursue a master’s degree in Data Science.

The first cohort will be awarded their scholarships for the spring semester. As the project progresses, the organizers will recruit students in high schools and community colleges in Volusia County, Florida, home to Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus, and surrounding areas.

All three degree programs teach students how to use large amounts of data to solve complex problems. For example, accurate hurricane forecasting requires atmospheric observations, computer models that solve equations predicting how storms will evolve and statistical post-processing techniques to correct model biases.

“Being able to better predict those high-impact weather events is critical to making sure that our local communities are as well-prepared as possible,” Halperin said, “but also to prevent potentially needless evacuations in areas away from the impacts of the storms.”

Berezovski added that meteorology is also crucial to aviation planning and safety, with aviation being a “pillar for our signature research agenda for the whole university.”

Other faculty participating in the project as co-principal investigators include Dr. Joshua Wadler, assistant professor, and Dr. Sarah Strazzo, associate professor, in the Department of Applied Aviation Sciences; and Dr. Jennifer Wojton, professor in the Department of Humanities and Communication.

To help the scholarship recipients succeed in their degree programs, they will receive faculty and peer mentoring. Also, organizers hope to encourage fellowship among the scholars with experiential learning activities, group events and opportunities to live with other members of their cohort in the dorms. The organizers report that a wide range of campus offices offering services from career and professional development to financial aid have pledged to assist the scholars.

Berezovski said a professional evaluator will later assess project data to improve the effort as it proceeds and gauge its ultimate effectiveness, so its methods can be disseminated and potentially applied to other educational programs.