Dorothy Thomas-Lain Memorial Scholarship
University of Illinois
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering
The scholarship will be awarded based on the results of an essay contest as stipulated in
the Dorothy Thomas-Lain Memorial Scholarship Fund Document. The essay
competition will adhere to the following standards:
1. The essay must be an original work written by the student.
2. The topic will be, “How Mechanical Engineering Will Shape the Future of Our
Culture.” The department reserves the right to change the topic.
3. The department will notify its students who are eligible, and invite their
application. Preference will be given to women and minorities and to students
who reside outside of the state of Illinois.
4. The essay should be at least 1000 words in length. It must be typed and may be
submitted electronically.
5. Each scholarship will be for approximately $2,000 per year for up to four years,
as long as the student remains in the Mechanical Science and Engineering
Department and in good standing, with a 3.33 or better GPA. Typically two to
three new scholarships of approximately $2000 per year would be awarded
annually. It is understood that the total amount awarded in any year cannot exceed
the funds available, as provided by The Pittsburgh Foundation. The department
reserves the right to change the amount and duration of any new scholarship
awards. The department may choose not to award the scholarships if the essays
are not deemed worthy in a given year. The awards will be deposited in the
winning students’ university accounts where they will be automatically applied
for tuition, fees, and campus housing.
6. The checks should be made payable to and sent to the Dept. of Mechanical
Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The
Pittsburgh Foundation will send the payment after receipt of a copy of each
student’s essay, application form, and transcript.
7. The Pittsburgh Foundation will hold the money for the second through fourth
years of each scholarship in account, and send each year’s payment after
receiving the student’s transcript.
8. The essays will be judged by a committee appointed by the Associate Head for
Undergraduate Programs.
9. Winners will be recognized at the annual Mechanical Science and Engineering
Fellowship/Scholarship Luncheon and will be announced in various departmental
publications.
Guidelines for the
Thomas-Lain Fund
of The Pittsburgh Foundation
Published February, 2007
The Thomas-Lain Fund was created for essay competitions at the University of Pittsburgh
Department of Physics and Astronomy. The essay competition will adhere to the following
standards:
1. The essay must be an original work written by the student.
2. The Department of Physics and Astronomy will provide a discussion topic each year on
which the essay should be based. Depending on the topic chosen, the Department may
choose to provide different requirements for graduate and undergraduate students.
3. The completed essay should be no longer than five (5) pages. Footnotes and references must
be included at the end of the essay and may extend the length of the document.
4. A cover page must be included on the front of the document. This is the only page on which
the name should appear. Other information to include on the cover page includes title, name
of the competition and preferred e-mail address of the submitter.
5. A 12-point font should be used with double spacing on the essay. Margins should be 1” on
all sides of the paper.
6. Both undergraduate majors and graduate students in the Department of Physics and
Astronomy will be invited to participate in the contest.
7. For undergraduates, the award may be used for tuition, books, fees, campus housing, or other
expenses directly related to the academic program. For graduate students, if tuition and all
others fees are covered by University support, a stipend or award may be given directly to the
student.
8. An award may be made to one or more students, but a maximum of three students will be
chosen each year. The department reserves the right to choose to make no awards in any year
when the committee judges the quality of the submissions to be inadequate and potentially
damaging to the integrity of the award.
9. The award will be paid to the University for the student. In the case of a stipend, the
department will present the student with a check or the Foundation make partial payments
each year during the student’s enrollment in graduate studies.
10. The award committee will be composed of three faculty representatives including a
representative of the Undergraduate Program, a representative of the Graduate Program, and
a third member appointed by the department chair.
Thomas-Lain Fund
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11. Criteria for judging will be determined by the committee before essays are read. In advance
of the judging, to preserve anonymity, the cover page will be removed from the file and each
page will be marked with an identifier unique to the individual, in addition to a G or U to
denote class status.
12. The recipients will be announced at the annual departmental awards luncheon held near the
end of the spring term.
13. The Department of Physics and Astronomy will establish an awards display to honor the
winners of this award. The name of the Fund “Thomas-Lain Fund” will appear prominently
on the display.