Amelia Earhart Fellowship in USA 2022

Zonta International is taking applications for the Amelia Earhart Fellowship program in Aerospace Engineering and Space Sciences in the United States in 2022.

Internationally, women make up about 25 per cent of the workforce in the aerospace sector. In an effort to implement its mission that women have access to all resources and are present in decision-making roles on an equal basis with men, Zonta International provides the Amelia Earhart Fellowship program.

The Amelia Earhart Fellowship program was created in 1938 in honour of famed pilot and Zontian, Amelia Earhart. The US$10,000 Fellowship program is awarded yearly to up to 35 women pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degree programs in aerospace engineering and space sciences. It may be used at any university or college providing accredited postgraduate courses and degree programs in these fields. 

Since the program’s start in 1938, Zonta has granted 1,674 Amelia Earhart Fellowship programs, totalling over US$11 million, to 1,245 women from 75 nations.

Their Fellows have gone on to become astronauts, astronomers, aerospace engineers, geologists, professors, heads of companies, business owners, even Secretary of the US Air Force. 

About Zonta

The first Zonta Club was established in Buffalo, New York, the United States, in 1919 by a cohort of businesswomen under the headship of Marian de Forest. It was structured along the lines of the Rotary Club, with one woman from every business categorization admitted to the local club and all members expected to allocate 60% of their time to the “work under which they are classified”. By 1923, clubs had been created in New York City, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, and Toledo, Ohio. The National President was Miss Harriet A. Ackroyd of Utica, New York.

The Confederation of Zonta Clubs was created in 1930. Originally planned as a female equivalent of the Lions Clubs (an establishment that, until 1987, was all-male), Zonta supports programs to help women in the area of public affairs and policymaking. It has advice-giving status with the Council of Europe, ILO, the United Nations (UN),  and several UN agencies.

Presently, Zonta International has its headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. The organization has over 31,000 members in 65 nations.

Worth of Amelia Earhart Fellowship

Amelia Earhart Fellowship awards are made attainable by generous donations to the Zonta Foundation for Women Amelia Earhart Fellowship Fund. 

• The US$10,000 fellowship award is granted yearly to up to 35 women pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degree programs in aerospace engineering and space sciences.
• It may be used at any university or college providing accredited postgraduate programs and degrees in these fields.

Eligibility for Amelia Earhart Fellowship

• Women of any nationality studying a Ph.D./doctoral degree who display a superior academic record carrying out research related to aerospace engineering or space sciences are eligible.
• It is important that students be enrolled in a full-time Ph.D./doctoral program and have finished a minimum of one year of that program or have obtained a master’s degree in an aerospace-applied field at the period the application is submitted.
• Candidates should not finish from their Ph.D. or doctoral program prior to April 2023. Please be aware that post-doctoral research programs are not qualified for the Fellowship.
• Classified members (club members and persons with direct membership with Zonta International) and personnel of Zonta International and the Zonta Foundation for Women, and their family members (descendants, ancestors, siblings, adoptees, nieces or cousins, and those of their significant other or cohabiting partner), are not qualified to apply for the Fellowship.

Note that past Amelia Earhart Fellows are not qualified to apply to renew the Fellowship award for a second year.

How to Apply for Amelia Earhart Fellowship

All applications for the Amelia Earhart Fellowship program should be made online through the official website.

The Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship Panel evaluates the applications and recommends beneficiaries to the Zonta International Board. All candidates are assessed on the criteria specified in the requirements part of the application. All details of the assessments are kept confidential; assessments are not disclosed to candidates. All candidates will be informed of their status by the end of April. 

Application Deadline

The 2022 Amelia Earhart Fellowship award application is due by November 15, 2021.

For more information, Visit here

Not interested in this particular scholarship? See other USA scholarships here