The initiative that’s helping change the face of aerospace
Backed by a federal grant, MSU Denver’s new SpaceTech Scholars program aims to diversify the industry’s workforce.
Program Overview
Today, Colorado boasts the nation’s largest entrepreneurial-based aerospace economy, with well over 400 employers either classified as aerospace companies or serving as suppliers to the aviation and aerospace industries. Metro Denver is ranked second among the largest metropolitan areas for aerospace industry cluster employment concentration, and first in the nation for private aerospace employment. SpaceTech Scholars, MSU Denver’s new scholarship learning community, is for students pursuing a degree in the aerospace, aeronautics, and/or engineering systems fields with the goal of becoming a technician or similar industry professional.
SpaceTech Scholars is committed to developing a pipeline for MSU Denver students into the growing Colorado aerospace industries. Within MSU Denver, it is a program dedicated to undergraduate student success, diversifying these industries from the underrepresented communities served by MSU, and engaging K-12 partners in STEM access and professional identity development. The scholarship program is federally funded by the Department of Education for Hispanic Serving Institutions of higher education and is part of MSU Denver’s broader Hispanic Serving Initiatives.
Our mission is to address the demonstrated need for Aerospace professionals in Colorado (and the United States at large), as well as the lack of diversity in this industry. Within the College of Aerospace, Computing, Engineering, and Design (C–ACED), SpaceTech Scholars will increase the recruitment, retention, graduation and career placement rates of Hispanic and other underrepresented students (i.e., minority, low-income, first-generation, female) as aspiring Aerospace professionals.
VUELO 2024
Applications for VUELO 2024 will open in 2024 and close in May. Please fill out our interest form to be contacted.
Interest FormFirst Year Experience
The First Year Experience (FYE) is designed to expose a diverse group of students to the vast breadth of opportunities within the field of aerospace.
Click here to apply for Fall 2024
Involvement Opportunities
SpaceTech Scholars has programmatic elements for our K-12 community and undergraduate MSU Denver students.
Click below to learn more!
Scholarship FAQs
All majors of incoming freshman qualify for the FYE. But preference will be given to those pursuing a career in aerospace and show a passion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
- We are housed within the Aviation & Aerospace Science Department and although we understand that Aviation is a part of the aerospace industry, the scholarship’s primary workforce pathways and efforts are to support students attempting to pursue and access the aerospace industry in an engineering, computing, programming, and manufacturing technology capacity.
- Therefore, students in the pro-flight officer concentration may apply but their application must demonstrate a strong commitment to our mission statement as well as an advocacy for equity and inclusion efforts in aviation.
- Students must have more than 12 credit hours
- A completed FAFSA
- Demonstrated Financial Need
Requirements include:
- Enrolling in the following courses: AVS 190-B (Fall) AES ??? (Spring).
- Completing the FAFSA
- Keeping an active profile on CareerLink
- Attending three events hosted by campus or other professional organizations.
- Checking in with your assigned peer-mentor twice a semester.
Login to CareerLink to keep track of your requirements. Click on Pathways and SpaceTech Scholars will appear listing the 2023-2024 school year. On this page, you will find all requirements for both semesters.
- Maintaining an active interest in the aerospace industry.
- Completing the FAFSA
- Keeping an active profile on CareerLink
- Attending 3 events hosted by campus or other professional organizations.
- Checking in with your assigned Success Coach twice a semester.
Yes, all students are required to re-apply to the scholarship. Although a student’s spot will be taken into account for the following year, there is no guarantee that their spot will be reserved.
FAQs for non-US Citizens
Yes, Non-US citizens are welcome to apply to all programs. This includes VUELO, FYE, and the undergraduate scholarship.
Jobs in the aerospace industry are most often associated with the Department of the Defense. This means that most jobs in this industry require a security clearance. A security clearance authorizes an individual to certain information they otherwise would not have access to. Most often times than not, US citizenship status is required for all clearanced positions.
Therefore, our non-US citizen SpaceTech Scholars encounter more barriers in aerospace and are therefore, encouraged to apply their talents in other related fields.
As an undocumented student pursuing a degree in any of the pathways we support, your career will look like that of an independant contractor. This means that all work that you can pursue is required to fall into the independant contractor territory.
Resources
- Paid internship and executive mentorship Fellowship for Women: Brooke Owens Fellowship| Deadline is in October for the following summer. Apply Here!
- Paid internship and executive mentorship Fellowship all to apply:Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship| Deadline is in October for the following summer. Apply Here!
- NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory Undergraduate Internships. Apply Here!
- SpaceTech Staff visit classrooms and conferences. Want to join us? Message our our Outreach Coordinator @ [email protected]
- Want to become involved with a community partner? Contact Greggory Cannady to contribute to the OneVoice Project where Greggory is looking for mentors to help his CubeSats projects which have a global impact!
Meet our SpaceTech Team
Roberto De Mata, M.A.
Project Manager
Grant & Program Oversight | Undergraduate Success Coach
[email protected]
Lisa Ratliff, M.Ed.
Outreach Coordinator
K-12 Outreach & STEM Collaboration | Undergraduate Success Coach
[email protected]