Richard E. Merwin Student Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by IEEE Computer Society

The IEEE Computer Society is providing student scholarships worth $40,000 to acknowledge and incentivize active student volunteers in IEEE Student Branches or IEEE Computer Society Student Branch Chapters who demonstrate potential in their academic and professional pursuits. Students can receive up to US $1,000.

The scholarships were established in memory of Richard E. Merwin, a former president of the IEEE Computer Society, to celebrate and encourage student leadership.

The recipients of the scholarships will serve as IEEE Computer Society Student Ambassadors for a year, acting as a bridge between the IEEE Computer Society leadership and student members in their respective regions.

Who Can Apply?

Active members of the Computer Society who are undergraduate or graduate students studying electrical or computer engineering, computer science, or a closely related field of engineering are eligible. Undergraduate students should be in their final two years of study.

Applicants must have been IEEE Computer Society members for at least three months before the application deadline. They should either have at least one year left to complete their degree or be planning to start further study immediately after graduation.

Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 / 4.0 (or exam marks of at least 60%), and be enrolled as a full-time student at their academic institution during the award period. Those who have received the Computer Society’s Richard Merwin or UPE/CS award in the previous year (13 months) are not eligible.

Selection Criteria

The selection process will consider participation in student IEEE branch/chapter activities (30%), academic performance (30%), extracurricular activities (10%), a recommendation letter from the student branch/chapter advisor (20%), and the quality of the Student Ambassador vision statement (10%).

Transcript Requirements

Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 / 4.0. If the GPA is based on percentages and not a 4.0 grading scale, mark sheets must be included to explain how the GPA was calculated.

• The official organization for issuing academic records (usually the Registrar’s office) must issue transcripts.
• Transcripts should cover the entire current degree program (Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD).
• Transcripts must include grades up to the most recent term completed before the application deadline (typically November/December for the 30 April deadline, and May/June for the 30 September deadline).
• If transcripts do not include grades up to the most recent term completed before the application deadline, the application must include a letter from the Registrar’s office (or the official organization at your school for academic records) explaining why the grades are not yet available.
• Upon acceptance, you will need to provide a Letter of Full-time Enrollment certificate for the duration of the Ambassador tenure with the school seal on the certificate.

Recommendation Letter(s)

Applicants should obtain a letter from their Student Branch Chapter Adviser or Student Branch Counselor. If this is not possible, a letter from the Section Computer Society Chapter Chair can be used instead. This option is designed to accommodate students whose activities take place outside their Student Chapter, such as Graduate Student Members who primarily volunteer on the Section Chapter committee. These letters should be provided by the faculty advisors associated with the student branch or chapter; officers of any associated professional chapter or section should not participate in vetting, reviewing, or approving these references. Students may also submit a second reference letter, which can be from anyone else familiar with your efforts in an IEEE context. If you have any questions about the application process, you can send an inquiry to chapters@computer.org.