January 1, 2022
Announcing our eleventh annual scholarship essay contest for the 2022 – 2023 academic year. This year we will be awarding four $4,000 scholarships to undergraduate students of accredited 4-year colleges and universities. The “Virginia Heinlein Memorial Scholarship” is dedicated to a female candidate majoring in engineering, math, or biological or physical sciences. The Robert A. Heinlein, Dr. Yoji Kondo, and Dr. Jerry Pournelle scholarships may be awarded to a candidate of any gender. Winners will be announced on July 7, 2022.
To apply, download and fill out the PDF application below and email to .
THS 2022 Scholarship Application Form
Deadline for scholarship applications is 11:59 p.m. PDT, April 1, 2022.
Refer to criteria below for eligibility requirements.
If you have any questions about the application, please email .
Purpose: To provide scholarship to 4 deserving full time students attending a four-year college.
Award Components: Four(4) $4,000 scholarships awarded to students selected by the Heinlein Society Scholarship Committee.
Eligibility Requirements
1. Applicant must plan to attend an accredited college that awards Bachelor of Science degrees as a full-time undergraduate student for the 2022 – 2023 academic year.
2. Major must be Engineering, Math, or Physical or Biological Sciences.
3. Open to residents of any country.
4. Previous applicants, including winners, may enter again, but must write on a different topic than their previous entry.
5. Candidates cannot have previously been awarded a bachelor’s degree in any subject.
Application Process
Applicant must submit the following items:
1. Completed application form, which includes items 2 & 3.
2. A brief explanation of career goals and biographical (background) information.
3. A 500 – 1,000 word essay on one of the following subjects:
A. How Robert Heinlein influenced your career choice. What Heinlein writings would you use to illustrate how he sparked your interest in science and technology?
B. 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.
C. 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?
D. 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.
E. 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?
Deadline for the application is 11:59 p.m. PDT, April 1, 2022. Applications emailed after this date/time will not be considered.
Please email completed application PDF to:
