TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Nine University of Alabama College of Engineering students have been selected as NASA Scholars for the 2003-2004 academic year. Each student will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Alabama Space Grant Consortium.

Scholarship awards are based on academic excellence by individuals whose fields of study and career interests coincide with NASA’s aerospace, science and technology program. The following students were awarded:

Andrew Coley -- a resident of Huntsville and a junior majoring in mechanical engineering

John Crawford -- a resident of Montgomery and a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering

Ashley Erickson -- a native of Tuscaloosa and a junior majoring in mechanical engineering

Courtney Graham -- a native of Tuscaloosa and a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering

Charles Mobley -- a resident of Andrews, S.C., and a junior in aerospace engineering and mechanics

Kimberly Sayles -- a resident of Montgomery and a junior in computer science

Prentice Singleton -- a resident of Columbia, S.C., and a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering

Karen Torres -- a resident of Arab and a sophomore in aerospace engineering and mechanics

Nathan Wiegand -- a resident of Cullman and a sophomore in computer science

Dr. Beth Todd, associate professor of mechanical engineering, encouraged the students to apply to the program. “This is a unique opportunity, and we are proud that these students were selected for this scholarship program.”

In 1837, UA became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering, with about 1,900 students and more than 90 faculty, is one of the three oldest continuously operating engineering programs in the country and has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.