STEM+ Educational and Scholarship Initiative
"Today, more than ever, better schooling provides a down payment on the nation's future. As President Obama puts it, 'education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success, it's a prerequisite for success.'"
- Arne Duncan, United States Secretary of Education, from remarks on the Race to the Top education fund
Toward a Future of Excellence
Students with degrees in STEM+ fields will be the future leaders who drive change in areas of global significance: energy independence, improving people's health, protecting the environment, and strengthening national security.
IIT STEM+ Financial Aid Packages
Click to view a brochure (PDF) with information about the 2012 scholarship packages.
Community and Service Learning
Over the course of their undergraduate study at IIT, recipients of STEM+ scholarships are strongly encouraged to complete 100 hours of community service and 100 hours of campus service to the IIT community. There is great flexibility in this service learning; we regularly see that our scholarship recipients respond with imaginative and novel activities.
- In the past, students have served as tutors, mentors, and volunteers in a wide range of projects over the summer and during school breaks in elementary and high schools in the IIT/Bronzeville community and in their own neighborhoods, as part of their community service outreach activities.
- CPS students have served as IIT hosts, mentors, science fair judges, or volunteers at dozens of events and programs, including Commencement, orientations, open houses, the Chicago History fair, the Chicago regional Bridge Building Contest, FIRST robotics competitions, and many more.
IIT Students Excel in STEM+ Fields
Emily Mick
2010 B.S. in Chemistry, IIT
Fourth-year chemistry student Emily Mick's experience in cancer research helping to develop a novel iron chelator as an antitumor agent set her on a path for continued academic success. The recipient of a 2008 College of Science and Letters Undergraduate Summer Research Stipend, Mick worked with Joy Chong, assistant professor and cancer researcher, and coauthored a paper on her findings in the peer-reviewed chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie. Mick also presented a poster at the Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposium and was named winner of the Chemistry Division.
For her outstanding work in the classroom and laboratory, Mick was recognized with the 2008 Division of Analytical Chemistry Undergraduate Award from the American Chemistry Society and the 2008-09 Kilpatrick Scholarship from IIT.
"Having such a great research experience is a huge advantage for the future," says Mick, who is applying to pharmacy school. "I have learned some fundamental organic synthesis skills as well as gained insight into how a college research group functions."
Mick came to IIT because she was seeking a comprehensive chemistry program within an intimate environment that would give her ready access to faculty. Born in Park Ridge, Ill., she was already familiar with the reputation and small-school environment IIT offered.
"IIT has given me so many opportunities to show myself and others my potential," says Mick. "I have gained a lot of confidence in my academic ability by being here."
Anita E. Thomas
2nd year Applied Mathematics Undergraduate
"After graduation, I will completely focus my efforts on a career in national security, my goal being to achieve the title of National Security Agency mathematician," says Thomas. "I will earn my Ph.D. in applied mathematics, which will grant me the challenge of solving our nation's top security questions."
Thomas, who attended Lake Central High School in St. John, Ind., came to IIT because she was looking for a small technology focused school close to home that offered an academically challenging environment and high-quality undergraduate research opportunities. By her second year in the program, she had already worked on a summer research project on computer-assisted graph theory and presented research talks on her results to fellow students and faculty.
Thomas's faculty mentor, Associate Professor Michael Pelsmajer, has encouraged her to travel to mathematics conferences, where she will have opportunities to further showcase her endeavors.
While coursework keeps Thomas busy throughout the year, she still finds time to mentor and tutor high school students in a program she founded, Math and Mentorship. She helps to lead IIT's Math Club, serves as a representative on the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, and has been offered membership in the IIT Chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success. When Thomas wants a change of pace, she practices the art of belly dancing.