We would like to welcome the first group of MATRIX Program scholarship recipients to UAH! The students were able to meet some faculty and staff as well as view the different labs they will be working in.

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Assistance for Transfer Improvement and Excellence (MATRIX) project will provide support to transfer students with demonstrated financial need and academic promise to succeed in STEM disciplines at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

The goal of the MATRIX program is to improve the performance, retention, and graduation rate for financially disadvantaged transfer students in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department at UAH. MATRIX scholars will be fully supported financially for up to two consecutive years beginning with their first fall semester at UAH. During the first week of their first semester, the students will participate in an "Enter the MATRIX" orientation program. The first MATRIX year focuses on community building and undergraduate research. The second MATRIX year focuses on professional development, networking, and internships. Specific objectives of the program include improving academic performance, retention, and graduation rates of MATRIX students, improving the use of campus academic support services, creating specific transfer student cohorts to assist with campus acclimation, and providing research opportunities and professional development activities for students. One of the major aspects of this program is the partnership with local engineering companies to provide professional development, networking, and internship opportunities for the MATRIX scholars. The internships will provide hands-on experience in engineering to help students obtain employment post-graduation. Once students are accepted to the MATRIX program, they must demonstrate continued satisfactory progress in their degree program,