11 UNH Students Awarded ASPIRE Engineering Scholarships

WEST HAVEN, CT (10/22/2013)(readMedia)-- Eleven University of New Haven engineering students have been awarded grants as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) program to improve retention rates of engineering students nationwide.

The UNH program is funded with a $600,000, five-year grant from the NSF. The program, "A Scholarship Program to Increase Retention in Engineering (ASPIRE)," is a nationwide NSF initiative to increase the retention rate of engineering students, especially those from underrepresented groups who are facing financial need.  

The program is especially helpful to engineering students who face challenging curricula and still find that they need to work just to remain in school. These students are so busy that they often lack the time to participate in the full range of activities and professional development available to other students.

Ron Harichandran, dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering at UNH, said 85 percent of UNH students need financial aid, but the university cannot fully meet all of their needs.

"In 2011-2012, the average gap between financial aid and what is still needed for engineering students enrolled was $7,750, which makes it very difficult for students with families–particularly women–to complete their degrees on time," he said.

All students in the UNH engineering program must work at least part time, the dean noted, and each year more than 20 percent reduce their course load to accommodate additional work hours.

"Another benefit of awarding scholarships to these students is that they will gain confidence and have more time to participate in the extracurricular programs, including service, internships and other activities, that the college has to offer," he said.

The ASPIRE grant permits the university to provide scholarships to sophomore- and junior-level students who have both financial need and have demonstrated merit. UNH also awards ASPIRE scholarships to community college transfer students and provides support services including engineering tutors and mentors to guide the students.

"The scholarship program also will encourage students to complete the engineering internship requirement of the college during the summer while they are not taking a full course load," said Jean Nocito-Gobel, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UNH and principal investigator on the grant.

Nocito-Gobel, along with Christopher Martinez, assistant professor of computer engineering, and Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, were the authors of the grant proposal.

The grant runs through 2017.

Students awarded scholarships this fall include:

Lamar Leonard of Harve De Grace, Md.; Frank Pellicano, of Westerly, R.I.; Michael Laurice, of Oakland, N.J.; Kayla Fitzgerald, of Lunenberg, Md.; Eric Brundage, of Brewster, N.Y.; Elvia O. Baca, of Elmsford, N.Y.; Michael Dellolio, of Rockfall, Conn.; Michael Montanari, of New London, Conn.; David Dejean, of Orange, N.J.; Rhonia Moreau, of Bronx, N.Y.; Christian Ruiz, of Temecula, Calif.

The University of New Haven is a private, top-tier comprehensive institution recognized as a national leader in experiential education. Founded in 1920 on the campus of Yale University in cooperation with Northeastern University, UNH moved to its current West Haven campus in 1960. The University operates a satellite campus in Tuscany, Italy, and offers programs at several locations throughout Connecticut and in New Mexico and California. UNH provides its students with a unique combination of a solid liberal arts education and real-world, hands-on career and research opportunities. The University enrolls approximately 6,400 students, including nearly 1,800 graduate students and more than 4,600 undergraduates – the majority of whom reside in University housing. Through its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, Tagliatela College of Engineering, and College of Lifelong & eLearning, UNH offers 75 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. UNH students have access to more than 50 study abroad programs worldwide and its student-athletes compete in 16 varsity sports in the NCAA Division II's highly competitive Northeast-10 Conference.

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