posted 05-06-2005 11:24 AM               

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) announced today the establishment of the Howard Benedict Memorial Scholarship, a $10,000 annual award for deserving college science and engineering students. The fund brings the total number of scholarships offered annually by the Foundation to 18.

Howard Benedict served as the Foundation's Executive Director for 14 years beginning in 1990, when he was approached by the Mercury 7 astronauts to help lead their organization. He retired from the ASF's staff in 2004 but continued to serve on its board of directors until his passing last month. Prior to joining the Foundation, Benedict introduced generations to space exploration, covering more than 2,000 missile and rocket launches as the senior aerospace writer for The Associated Press.

Founded as the Mercury Seven Foundation in 1984, the first seven scholarships, at $1,000 each, were awarded in 1986. The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation now awards annually 17 scholarships each worth $10,000, for a total of $170,000. To date, the Foundation has awarded over $2 million in scholarships to 195 deserving students.

The Foundation raises money for scholarships for upper level college students and those pursuing masters or doctorates in the fields of science and engineering. Scholarship money is raised through astronaut appearances, fund-raising events, corporate and individual donations, and memberships.

posted 05-06-2005 03:11 PM               

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
...a $10,000 annual award for deserving college science and engineering students....

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According to the scholarship guidelines, only college science and engineering juniors and seniors enrolled at a hand full of colleges will be considered as "deserving recipients" for the scholarships.

It would seem a fairer way if the foundation awarded its scholarships to deserving students rather than favored institutions.

I'm not saying the foundation should not be able to disperse of their funds to whomever and whereever they want to. And I have no doubt that the supported colleges deserve their favored places at the receiving end of the financial pipeline.

However, the foundation solicits financial support from sources nationwide (if not worldwide). In order to reflect that fact it may fairer to the donors and the recipients as well if scholarships were awarded to deserving students no matter where they happen to have matriculated.

On edit: Fairness aside, I can understand the logistics of why it's done the way it is. With (1) one and only one award each going to the clutch of favored colleges and (2) candidates who must be nominated by its faculty, probably no more than one or two candidates for each award ever needs to be considered per year. The 18 awards would therefore generate a total of several dozen nominations to evaluate.

If the awards were opened up to science and engineering schools nationwide (not even worldwide) the number of nominated candidates could explode to dozens, hundreds, or even thousands per award.