The P.O. Pistilli Undergraduate Scholarship, funded by Design Automation Conference (DAC) and directed by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group on Design Automation (SIGDA), is awarded to students from under-represented groups (female, African-American, Hispanic, Native American, and disabled students). This scholarship is meant for increasing professionals who have potential in the Electrical and computer engineering and computer science fields. These $4000 per year scholarships are renewable for up to five years and given to two to seven high school seniors who have demonstrated high skills and achievements in math and science courses and have displayed intentions of joining electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science industries.
Scholarships are awarded to outstanding students who showed potential for greatness in their fields. Nowadays, we are always in need of professionals who have high skills, achievements and willing to make a difference in the various fields. Students who are unable to pay for their tuition and any related expenses are given scholarships from different organizations. Usually, students in need of financial aid take loans from banks and/or agencies, but as soon as they graduate they end up with a burden of repaying their loans. Scholarships are meant to ease this burden and help students focus solely on their education while graduating with the best results they can get.
The Design Automation Conference, commonly known as DAC, is an annual premier conference for the design and automation of electronic systems. DAC is the oldest and largest conference in Electronic Design Automation (EDA).DAC is popular for offering outstanding education, training, exhibits and superb networking opportunities for researchers, designers, tool developers and vendors. This conference started almost 60 years ago in 1964 and since then, thousands of people have participated every year. It is conducted in June and since the last few years, the locations have been alternating between San Diego, Austin and San Francisco in the United States.
Brief Description
Refer to the below table for more details of the scholarship:
| Organization | Funded by the Design Automation Conference (DAC) |
| Educational Level | Undergraduate |
| Subjects | Math and Science |
| Amount | $4000 per year |
| Access Mode | Offline |
| Number of Awards | 2-7 |
| City | California |
| Nationality | Domestic |
| Country | United States |
| Application Deadline | May 14, 2021 |
| Application Fees | N/A |
| Requirement | 3.00 GPA or better on a 4.00 scale |
 Who May Be Eligible
To eligible, the candidates must be following all the eligibility criteria:
- A high school senior from an underrepresented group: African-American, Hispanic, Native American, female, or disabled
- A 3.00 GPA or better on a 4.00 scale
- Demonstrate high skills, involvements, interests and achievements in the fields of math and science, which can be accomplished/displayed through participation in academic or non-academic math/science activities, letters of recommendations from teachers in math/science or related subjects, and achieving good grades in math/science
- A resident of the United States, but US Citizenship is not required
- Express enthusiasm and a strong desire to pursue a career in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or Computer Science.
- Demonstrate financial need and involvement in activities associated with the underrepresented group which you represent.
How to Apply
Applications along with any and all required documents must be mailed to the following address and will only be considered if postmarked by May 14, 2021
Professor Andrew B. Kahng
P.O. Pistilli Scholarship Director
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Dr. #0404
La Jolla, CA 92093-0404
Supporting Documents
- Completed application form printed from the website.
- Three recommendation letters from non-relatives out of which two must be from teachers who know you and familiar with your academic achievements. The third letter should be from an adult who knows you well but is not involved in your academic performance.
- Official transcripts with ACT/SAT and/or PSAT scores.
- Personal cover letter depicting your future goals and why you think you should receive the scholarship.
- Copy of your 2019 (or, 2020 if available) income tax return (Form 1040) and, if you are a dependent, a copy of your parent or guardian’s return (Form 1040) showing your name as a dependent. This information will be held in the strictest confidence by the Selection Committee. However, you may redact (blackout) Social Security numbers or other information in the copy that you provide.
- Copy of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that you filled out when applying for financial aid.
Benefits
The main benefit of the P.O. Pistilli Undergraduate Scholarship, a $4000 award, which is renewable for up to five years and can be used by a current or future undergraduate student to increase the pool of professionals in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science from under-represented groups.
Application Deadline
Applications along with any and all required documents must be mailed to the above-mentioned address and they will only be considered if postmarked by May 14, 2021.
