Computer Science Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ECRS)
Thanks to a generous donation from ECRS Software Solutions, Boone, NC, the Department of Computer Science at Appalachian State University made its initial ECRS scholarship awards in Fall 2015 to students who intended to major in Computer Science at App State. ECRS has provided funding to support eight undergraduate students and one graduate fellow since then. The new program provides $5,000 per year to eight undergraduate scholars and $12,000 to one graduate fellow starting Fall 2023. The scholarship is an exceptional opportunity aimed at students interested in pursuing degrees in computer science and expresses an interest in development of innovative, and/or entrepreneurial ideas. Students who are residents from Western North Carolina, and or those who have demonstrated desire and interest to stay and make contributions to the Boone community are especially encouraged to apply.
The program provides mentoring opportunities to academically talented undergraduate and graduate students in CS.
Highlights: Weekly seminars, Study groups for core classes, Mentoring and tutoring corner, Leadership workshop series, Peer-mentoring, Resume writing and internship/job search workshop, internship opportunity at ECRS, and Community building
Accepted undergraduate recipients and graduate fellows will receive a $2,500 and $6,000 scholarship, respectively, in their first semester. Scholarships can
be renewed upon availability of funding and scholars' satisfactory performance.
ECRS Scholars will work closely together in academics, research, and collectively participate in
STEM seminars as a part of the interdisciplinary cohort of STEM scholars. Recipients will have many
opportunities to collaborate and share research ideas with each other. The groups and recipients
will work closely with faculty members and report on their research during the STEM seminars.
Scholars will participate in internships and part-time or full-time employment provided by ECRS
and other companies.
Applications for open scholarship positions are accepted at any time. New students
will be selected to begin every Fall Semester. Finalists might be invited to campus for
an interview.
Requirements:
The scholarship is open to incoming CS undergraduate and graduate students. Applicants will be evaluated on academic
merit, including performance in high school, involved in innovative projects, and class rigor
with a focus on a student’s aptitude in Mathematics and creative problem solving. Preference
will be given to applicants who are residents of Western North Carolina. Other preference factors,
which will be considered in the application process include; those who currently serve in the
United States National Guard or Reserve, honorable discharged status with a military branch of
any member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, foreign nationals with U.S. asylum
or refugee status who express intentions of seeking U.S. citizenship, academic competitions,
experience in research through internships or other opportunities, strong demonstration of
entrepreneurial activities, and a strong interest in living and serving the Western region
of the state including the Boone community after graduation.
Selected recipients must maintain a 15-hour (9-hour for graduate students) average course load per semester, demonstrate
academic progress in recommended course work and maintain a minimum 2.8 (3.0 for graduate students) overall GPA.
In addition to these requirements, recipients will participate in STEM seminar courses and
actively participate in all program activities.
To apply, you need:
