Scholarship News

Two students from the USC College of Engineering and Computing are being recognized for their exceptional academic achievements in engineering. Vernon Pryor, a sophomore electrical engineering major, is among a select few to receive a Department of Defense SMART (Science, Math and Research for Transformation) scholarship this year. Eric Bringley, a senior chemical engineering major, was named a Gates Cambridge Scholarship finalist.

The SMART program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at the DoD laboratories. The scholarship provides Pryor with full tuition and fees, a living stipend, summer research internships, mentoring and employment placement with the DoD after graduation. In 2015, 207 scholarships were awarded from more than 1,800 applications.

Bringley was named a Gates Cambridge finalist. The highly competitive and prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship funds the pursuit of a graduate degree at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. Worldwide, 95 scholarships are awarded annually with 40 of those going to American students.  Recipients are selected on the basis of outstanding intellectual ability, leadership potential, commitment to improving the lives of others, and the fit between the applicant's qualifications and aspirations and the program at Cambridge for which they are applying. One of 100 American finalists selected, Bringley will interview in Seattle, WA on January 30.