Astronaut

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation awarded its first seven scholarships in 1986. Each founding Mercury 7 astronaut sponsored a $1,000 scholarship and they then began to fundraise to support future scholarships. Each astronaut would donate proceeds from their speaking engagements and shared the ASF mission wherever they went to raise awareness of both the mission and the scholarship program.

Today, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation awards more than 60 scholarships valued up to $15,000 to each selected scholar. Scholarship programming includes an Astronaut Scholar conference, mentorship, professional development, networking and recognition. This is the beginning of a life-changing experience for Astronaut Scholars that launches students to positively change and influence society through innovation.

Applicants for this scholarship must be a citizen of the United States (native born or naturalized), be at least a sophomore or junior, enrolled in one of the participating universities (NDSU is one of those that participates) as a full-time student. Applicants must be seeking a STEM degree with intentions to pursue research or advance their field upon degree completion. Research is again a key component of the selection process. If you were eligible for the Goldwater, you should also apply to the Astronaut. Like the Goldwater, there is an internal selection process before nominees are advanced to the national competition. For more information, check out their website: https://astronautscholarship.org

Deadlines:

• NDSU Call for Nominations (students can ask faculty for nomination) Opens:
  • December 3, 2025
• Internal FULL Application Package Due to NDSU Liaison:
  • February 27, 2026
• Liaison Review of Applications with Revision Suggestions:
  • March 6, 2026
• Nominee Pool (at least 8 candidates) Due to Astronaut Foundation:
  • March 13, 2026
• Internal Review and Submission of NDSU’s Two Finalists:
  • March 27, 2026
• Astronaut Scholarship Selection Committee Meets:
  • April 2026
• Scholars and Honorable Mentions Announced:
  • May 2026

Past Recipients of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Award from NDSU:

• Emily Mikhail, 2025, Mechanical Engineering
• Garrett Honzay, 2024, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Jacob Sundberg, 2023, Mechanical Engineering
• Max Salzer, 2022, Mechanical Engineering
• Kathleen Schmidt, 2021, Microbiology
• Alyssa Roberts, 2019 and 2020, Biochemistry and Chemistry
• Carly Snell, 2017, Physics
• Katie Gisi, 2016, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
• Bridget Eklund, 2015, Microbiology
• Nicole Marie Snyder, 2014, Zoology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Brandon Johnson, 2013, Physics, Mathematics, and Music
• Cody Gette, 2010 and 2011, Physics and Mathematics
• Matthew Wold, 2008, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
• Jonathan Pikalek, 2005, 2006, and 2007, Computer Science
• Paul Haugen, 2004, Electrical Engineering
• Kimberly Stanek, 2002 and 2003, Mechanical Engineering
• Kirt Hartel, 2000 and 2001, Biotechnology
• Joey Rexine, 1998 and 1999, Chemistry