LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — IEEE Computer Society is again offering $40,000 in student scholarships through the Richard E. Merwin Student Leadership Scholarship program. The scholarships are designed to recognize and reward active student volunteer leaders who show promise in their academic and professional efforts.

This scholarship was created in honor of the late Richard E. Merwin, past president of IEEE Computer Society, to recognize and reward student leadership. The selected winners of this award have the opportunity to serve as IEEE Computer Society Student Ambassadors for their IEEE region.

Duties as Student Ambassadors will include collecting and disseminating information to student branches or chapters in their region and serving as a liaison between IEEE Computer Society Member and Geographic Activities Board (MGAB) and student members in their region.

More than a dozen scholarships of $1,000 and up are available, for one academic year (approximately 9 months). Graduate students, and those in the final two years of an undergraduate program in electrical or computer engineering, computer science, or a well-defined computer-related field of engineering who are active members of a student branch or chapter, are eligible. The deadline to apply is 30 September.

"IEEE Computer Society has helped me tremendously in keeping up with the fast-paced world of ever-changing technology," said C.V. Farish, a 2012 Richard E. Merwin Scholar. "The organization has inspired me to challenge my limits and raise the bar to achieve significantly and contribute to the community, both in terms of technical expertise and volunteering. The opportunities I have received to network with like-minded peers and ace professionals were invaluable and have played a big role in shaping my career interests"

Applicants are required to have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 over 4.0, and be a full-time student. Evaluation criteria include participation in Student IEEE branch/chapter activities, academic achievement, extracurricular activities, letter of recommendation from student branch/chapter advisor, and quality of Student Ambassador vision statement.

A half-year IEEE Computer Society student membership is available for $20. IEEE student members can add Computer Society membership for just $4.00 (United States and Canada) or $6.50 (worldwide).

Computer Society student members are eligible to apply for the scholarship and get exclusive benefits such as unlimited access to the Computer Society Digital Library (CSDL); 600 technical and business titles from Safari Books Online; hundreds of eLearning courses covering topics relating to Cisco, IT Security, Java, Project Management, Leadership, Oracle, MS Office 2010, among others; and networking opportunities through conferences, social media sites, and student chapter activities.

To join IEEE Computer Society as a student member, visit http://www.computer.org/portal/web/membership/join. For information on the Merwin scholarship, visit http://www.computer.org/portal/web/studentactivities/merwin.

About IEEE Computer Society

IEEE Computer Society is the world’s leading computing membership organization and the trusted information and career-development source for a global workforce of technology leaders including: professors, researchers, software engineers, IT professionals, employers, and students. The unmatched source for technology information, inspiration, and collaboration, the IEEE Computer Society is the source that computing professionals trust to provide high-quality, state-of-the-art information on an on-demand basis. The Computer Society provides a wide range of forums for top minds to come together, including technical conferences, publications, and a comprehensive digital library, unique training webinars,professional training, and the TechLeader Training Partner Program to help organizations increase their staff’s technical knowledge and expertise. To find out more about the community for technology leaders, visit http://www.computer.org.

Media Contact:

Margo McCall, IEEE Computer Society, (714) 816-2182, mmccall@computer.org