Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Award
The University of Rochester’s pool of qualified undergraduate students makes selection for the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Award highly competitive.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) Awards—also known as “Astronaut Scholarships”—are awarded annually to undergraduate students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) majors who are nominated in their sophomore or junior year by their college or university. In addition to high academic achievement, competitive applicants demonstrate passion and talent for scientific work along with a strong commitment to pursue research or technological advancements in their field following graduation.
The award includes scholarship funding for each honoree as well as opportunities to expand their professional network to include astronauts, alumni, and industry leaders.
ASF was created in 1984 by, among others, the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts and Betty Grissom, widow of the seventh astronaut, Virgil (Gus) Grissom. The foundation’s mission is to ensure the United States remains a global leader in science and technology.
The University of Rochester’s deep pool of potential applicants and the limit of two nominations per institution makes selection for this award highly competitive. Learn more about the Astronaut Scholarship and other fellowship, scholarship, and award opportunities available to Rochester students.
Recent Astronaut Scholar
Congratulations to the most recent Astronaut Scholar from the University of Rochester!
Marlena Berger ’27
Area of study: Optical engineering
Berger is one of 79 scholars chosen from 54 colleges across the US. In the spring of 2025, the Rochester native joined the lab of Tanya Kosc, a scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, and Berger spent summer 2025 conducting optical metrology research in Germany through the DAAD-RISE Scholars Program. Her active life outside the classroom includes serving as president of URochester’s Optica student chapter, vice president of Celtic, URochester’s Irish dance club, and a teaching assistant and workshop leader for several optics courses.
This summer, Berger is gaining industry experience through an internship in Connecticut at ASML, an innovation leader in the semiconductor industry.
Past Astronaut Scholars
2025-26 Scholar
Erica Sundermeyer ’26
Area of study: Physics and astronomy
Minors: Spanish and math
Sundermeyer was one of 74 scholars chosen from 51 different universities across the US. She conducted research in Professor Dominique Segura-Cox’s lab and completed an REU in physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University. Among her many activities at Rochester, Sundermeyer worked as a Welcome Week lead for orientation, and acted as workshop leader for introductory physics courses.
Sundermeyer studied abroad in Granada, Spain as part of the summer abroad program at the University of Rochester, and returned to Rochester when the program ended to continue working with Dr. Segura-Cox.
2024-25 Scholar
Lilli Tamm ’25
Areas of study: Biochemistry (BS) and philosophy (BA)
2023-24 Scholar
Margaret (Maggie) Hoare ’24
Area of study: Biochemistry (BS)
Minor: Philosophy
2022-23 Scholar
Loren Cardani ’23
Area of study: Biochemistry (BS)
Minors: Chemistry and Latin American studies
2021-22 Scholar
Madison Lang ’22
Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
Minors: Psychology and mechanical engineering
2020–21 Scholar
Caroline Cardinale ’21
Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS)
2019–20 Scholar
Daniel Krajovic ’20
Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
2018–19 Scholar
Audrey Goldfarb ’19
Area of study: Biology (BA)
Minor: Journalism
2016–17 and 2017–18 Scholar
Mollie Eva A. Hansen ’18
Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
Scholar 2014–15 and 2015–16
William E. Green ’16
Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS)
2012–13 and 2013–14 Scholar
Vincent E. Yu ’14
Areas of study: Physics and astronomy (BS) and math (BA)
Minor:Philosophy of science
2010–11 and 2011–12 Scholar
Halley J. Orshan’12
Areas of study: Computer science (BS), math (BA), and computer science (MS)
Minor: Linguistics