Washington, DC:  The National Space Society, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, and the Space Generation Foundation today announced a new scholarship for the International Space University.  The scholarship, worth $12,000, will be awarded to a promising young person with a dedication to space advocacy and the creation of a spacefaring civilization.

"We are pleased to partner with SEDS and SpaceGen to open this opportunity for a young leader who will help create the spacefaring civilization we seek," said George Whitesides, Executive Director of the National Space Society.  "These organizations represent the future of space, and NSS is committed to that future."

The deadline for the scholarship is December 31, 2004.  Forms for the scholarship can be downloaded from the NSS website, www.nss.org.  The scholarship can be used for either the 2005 ISU summer session, to be held in Vancouver, Canada, or for a one-years masters degree, at ISU's permanent campus in Strasbourg, France.

"Students of all disciplines, from all corners of the United States, have shown a huge interest in space exploration," said Josh Neubert, the current chairman of SEDS.  "The ISU is emerging as a truly world-class, life changing experience for these students. Now with the aid of the new NSS ISU scholarship and the student network provided by SEDS, more and more of these students can participate in these great opportunities. With the strong connections being forged between organizations like SEDS, NSS, and the ISU, we as students can see a good possibility of actually being able to realize our dreams of space exploration!"

The scholarship builds on past awards that NSS has made to enable students to attend ISU.  Erika Wagner, currently a graduate student at MIT, attended ISU on one such scholarship.

"ISU is an incredible global family," said Ms. Wagner.  "Thanks to my NSS scholarship, not only did I have the opportunity to spend a summer in Germany placing my space interests in a more interdisciplinary context, but I got to tackle those challenges with 90 other classmates from 30 different countries, building terrific friendships and memories along the way.  What really amazes me, though, is that the experience has only gotten better.  Every time I turn around in my career, I am meeting more alumni in the ISU family -- colleagues who share a slightly larger view of what space can be."

  About the National Space Society:

The National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, international, grassroots organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Founded in 1974, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen's voice on space.  NSS counts thousands of members and over 50 chapters in the United States and around the world.  The society also publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space.

For more information about NSS, and how to join, visit:  http://www.nss.org

About the International Space University

The International Space University provides graduate-level training to the future leaders of the emerging global space community at its Central Campus in Strasbourg, France, and at locations around the world.  In its two-month Summer Session and one-year Masters program, ISU offers its students a unique Core Curriculum covering all disciplines related to space programs and enterprises – space science, space engineering, systems engineering, space policy and law, business and management, and space and society.  Both programs also involve an intense student research Team Project providing international graduate students and young space professionals the opportunity to solve complex problems together in an intercultural environment.

Since its founding in 1988, ISU has graduated more than 2200 students from 87 countries. Together with hundreds of ISU faculty and lecturers from around the world, ISU alumni comprise an extremely effective network of space professionals and leaders that actively facilitates individual career growth, professional activities and international space cooperation.

More information about ISU's programs is available at:  www.isunet.edu

For More Information:

George Whitesides
(626)833-5869
george@nss.org