Academically talented students with financial need will benefit from a $639,136 grant the National Science Foundation has awarded SUNY Geneseo to recruit students interested in geology, geochemistry and geophysics programs at the college.
Called the “Geoscience Scholarship to Improve Recruitment and Retention of Academically Talented Students,” the funding program will provide an estimated 34 students with 114 annual scholarships of about $4,575 over the five-year project period from April 1, 2015 through March 31, 2020.
“The faculty members of geological sciences are excited to launch the GeoS program,” said Benjamin Laabs, chair of the Department of Geological Sciences, when the grant was announced. “The program is timely and important given the growing interest in the geosciences at SUNY Geneseo and the national need for more and better-trained geoscientists.”
The college will recruit freshman and sophomore students to the program who will be granted scholarships for three to four years. Department faculty will work with the Office of Admissions and some 20 alumni who are geoscience teachers in area high schools to recruit candidates for the scholarships.