Richelle Smith is a rising senior studying Electrical Engineering. She has conducted research at USC’s Optical Materials and Devices Lab, Stanford’s Brains in Silicon Lab and USC’s Computational Oncology Lab. She has served as the Engineering Honors Colloquium Moderator, USC Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) Vice Chair and Treasurer and is a starter on the USC Horse Polo team. Richelle is dedicated to working on intellectually stimulating problems in electrophysics science and technology, and developing novel circuits and devices to improve the lives of people affected by disease or disability. Richelle’s career goals include obtaining a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, conducting research on integrated circuits and teaching at a research university.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation was established originally in 1984 as the Mercury Seven Foundation by the six surviving members of America’s original Mercury Seven astronauts. Since its founding, more than 100 astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs have united to aid the United States in retaining its world leadership in science and technology by providing college scholarships for the very best and brightest students pursuing science, technology, engineering or math degrees. The foundation now awards 28 scholarships annually, each worth $10,000, for a total of $280,000. They seek college students who exhibit motivation, imagination, and exceptional performance in the science or engineering field of their major.