The Heinlein Society has opened its eleventh annual scholarship essay contest for the 2022-2023 academic year. Four $4,000 scholarships will be awarded to undergraduate students of accredited 4-year colleges and universities —

• Virginia Heinlein Memorial Scholarship — Dedicated to a female candidate majoring in engineering, math, or biological or physical sciences.
• The Robert A. Heinlein Scholarship, Yoji Kondo Scholarship and Jerry Pournelle Scholarship — May be awarded to a candidate of any gender; in addition, “Science Fiction as literature” is an eligible field of study.

The scholarships are open to residents of any country. The person’s major must be Engineering, Math, or Physical or Biological Sciences. Applicants will need to submit a 500-1,000 word essay on one of several available topics:

• • How Robert Heinlein influenced your career choice. What Heinlein writings would you use to illustrate how he sparked your interest in science and technology?
  • Biologist J.B.S. Haldane once wrote “I have no doubt that in reality the future will be vastly more surprising than anything I can imagine. Now my own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.” Find, discuss, and comment on one episode in your STEM field in the past 50 years that you find surprising.
  • Robert Heinlein said “The Age of Science has not yet opened.” Evaluate this statement compared to your technical field. Do you expect to see this golden age in your lifetime?
  • What are the structural, procedural, and operational limitations of computer simulations of which a practitioner or user must be acutely aware? Discuss with respect to your career field.
  • How might advances in your chosen field of study affect how people live 50 years from now? What changes, good and bad, might society see?

The deadline to apply is April 1. Full guidelines and the application form are on the Society’s website. Winners will be announced on July 7, 2021.

Previous scholarship winners who will still be attending college in the 2022-2023 academic year as undergraduates are eligible to apply again, but they must choose a different essay topic than previously.