By Rema Atiya/reporter
A $5,000 scholarship could be awarded to a TCC science major who transfers to the University of Texas at Arlington.
Dr. Kevin Shug, professor of mass spectrometry, visited SE Campus Oct. 11 to talk about science and science opportunities at UTA.
Faculty in the chemistry, biochemistry and physics departments have won, Shug said.
“We also have state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities and both laboratories and instrumentations with $3 million in research funding annually for the chemistry and biochemistry programs and over $5 million in research expenditures in the physics department annually,” he said about UTA.
Shug said the funding allows teachers to work closely with and give special attention to the students who need it.
The chemistry and biochemistry departments offer 10 different degrees from bachelor’s to doctorates.
The physics department has eight.
Knowing that some students cannot afford to pay the high cost of college, the university established a scholarship program for students majoring in chemistry, biochemistry or physics: the Arlington Academy for Community College Exceptional Students in Science.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, AACCESS provides scholarships to TCC students.
Shug said the program awards undergraduate scholars up to $5,000 a semester for a maximum of five semesters.
However, the actual amount depends on the student’s qualification based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Also, students who receive the AACCESS scholarship can receive two additional semesters of support if they enroll in the FastTrack master’s degree program.
For acceptance into AACCESS, students must first be nominated by a TCC faculty member. Then they must be invited to apply for the program.
Shug said students must have a grade point average of a 3.2 or better with at least one year at TCC, be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident of the United States and major in chemistry, biochemistry or physics.
“This program is not available for students in other majors and can only be used for the specific science majors,” he said.
UTA does have similar scholarships for other majors.
The math department has the SURGE program for students.
Those students can apply to the Noyce scholarship program, similar to the AACCESS scholarship program.
Shug said students could contact his office at 817-272-3541 if they have any questions.
