Application Available in November. Deadline: February 15, 11:59 pm, Pacific Standard Time. .
SPIE offers Optics and Photonics Education Scholarships and Travel Scholarships for students located anywhere in the world, from high school (pre-university/secondary) through graduate school, who are studying or planning to study optics, photonics or a related field. These are two different scholarship programs and students are not eligible to apply for both programs in the same year. Please apply for only one scholarship program.
Travel Scholarships
The Travel Scholarships are for undergraduate and graduate students who are planning to attend courses and conferences at SPIE's symposia. These scholarships are in the amount of $2,000. Students in a doctoral program or who have completed their PhD are not eligible to apply for the Travel Scholarship. Travel Scholarships are for travel to SPIE symposia. If students are applying for other SPIE travel funds to a symposium, they are not eligible to use the Travel Scholarship for the same meeting. If awarded a Travel Scholarship, funds should be used for an SPIE symposium during the 2013-2014 academic year (Aug 2013-Jul 2014).
Optics and Photonics Education Scholarships
The Optics and Photonics Education Scholarships are for high school, pre-university, secondary school, undergraduate and graduate students. Postdoctoral students (students who have completed their PhD) are not eligible to apply. The scholarship awards are in varying amounts ranging from $2,000 to $11,000. The Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship generally supports tuition, books, research activities, and other education-related expenses. If awarded the Optics and Photonics Scholarship, funds should be used for the 2013-2014 academic year (Aug 2013-Jul 2014).
Requirements
All Students, both full- and part-time are eligible to apply.
- You must be a Student Member of SPIE. Standard Student Membership Fee is $20 (US).
- High school, pre-university, secondary school students will receive a one-year complimentary Student Membership. Fill in the Pre-College Membership Application Form and return to scholarships@spie.org
- Must be enrolled or planning to enroll in an optics, photonics, imaging, optoelectronics program or related discipline (e.g., physics or electrical engineering) at an accredited school for the school year beginning in the Fall 2013 (Aug 2013-Jul 2014)
- Two recommendations are required. An automated message will be sent to your recommenders providing them with a link to your application where they will fill in a questionnaire. Relatives are not eligible to make recommendations.
- Please attach your Annual Scholarship Report to the online application form if reapplying. The scholarship application form must show new activities from when you last applied. Annual Scholarship reports are required from all winners.
- Incomplete applications will not be eligible for consideration.
- All students will be notified of the results of their application in May/June.
Note: Students are not eligible to receive multiple SPIE scholarships for the same academic level. For example, if you received a scholarship during your undergraduate studies and have not completed your undergraduate studies, you are not eligible to re-apply. However, if you have completed your undergraduate studies and you are now pursuing a master's degree, you are eligible to re-apply for another scholarship.
Evaluation Criteria
The key criterion in evaluating and ranking applications is the "prospect for long-term contribution that the granting of an award will make to the field of optics, photonics or related field." Need, in and of itself, shall not be considered as a criterion.
All scholarship applications are judged on their own merit, based on the experience and education level of the individual student. High school (pre-university, secondary school), undergraduate, and graduate students will be judged relative to other applicants with similar educational backgrounds.
How To Apply
SPIE is using ScholarSelect to provide an easy and secure way to submit your application. Please contact scholarships@spie.org if you experience technical problems or have questions.
Please only apply for one scholarship. Students are not eligible to apply for both programs in the same year.
Thank you,
The SPIE Scholarship Committee Team
scholarships@spie.org
