North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium

Pearl I. Young Scholarship

The NDSGC has established the prestigious Pearl I. Young Scholarship for a female student in science at the University of North Dakota. The award, for $2500 per year, is given to honor the ideals of scholarship as exemplified by Pearl I. Young.

Young grew up in North Dakota and attended school there. At age 11 she left home to work as a domestic in order to attend high school. After attending Jamestown College for two years, she transferred to the University of North Dakota. She graduated from UND in 1919 as a Phi Bet Kappa with a triple major in physics, mathematics and chemistry.

Despite her heavy course load, financial necessity dictated that Young work while pursuing her studies. She served as a laboratory assistant in the Physics Department and also worked for the U.S. Weather Bureau.

After graduation she taught physics for two years at UND. She then accepted an appointment at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia. She was the first woman hired as a technical employee-a physicist-of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). That agency later became NASA. She was the second woman hired as a physicist by the federal government.

When Young died in 1968, her obituary noted that she had been a scientist, university professor, journalist, lecturer, author and world traveler.

Recipients must be an American citizen, have at least a 3.5 grade point average and ideally be involved in a research project that would be of interest to NASA.

Apply Today!

For addition information, please contact Caitlin Nolby at:
Email: cnolby@space.edu
Tel: 1-701-777-4856

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