Students at IU Northwest who show promise in science, technology, engineering or math disciplines are now taking advantage of the university’s NSF-AIMS initiative, which seeks to increase the number of STEM graduates at IU Northwest by 10 percent over the next five years.

Producing more STEM graduates is a key concern for Indiana’s economy, as the demand for such employees in key industries throughout the state far exceeds the number being produced by the state’s colleges and universities.

Last year, a faculty team at IU Northwest secured funds from the National Science Foundation to award as many as 26 scholarships of up to $10,000 per year over the next five years to incoming freshmen and community college graduates who major in actuarial science, biology, chemistry, computer information systems, geology, informatics or mathematics.

The awards are renewable for up to three years for incoming freshmen and one year for community college graduates. For full consideration, applicants for the 2017-2018 academic year should apply by March 20, 2017.

Read more about the program’s start this fall here.