Program Goal 

To support students and early career professionals in environmental health and safety (EHS) with financial aid from the AIHA Potomac LS.

Eligibility

Applicant must be a resident or currently enrolled full-time or part-time in an accredited college or university in DC, MD, VA, or WV. Must be pursuing an undergraduate, graduate, or certificate program in an EHS field, such as public health or industrial hygiene (students seeking degrees in chemical, physical, environmental/biological sciences, or engineering will also be considered). Must have a minimum of 6 college credits completed (or the equivalent of a second-semester part-time student). BOD members and their families are ineligible.

Selection criteria

●        GPA (out of 4.0 scale)

●        Higher education transcript (unofficial accepted)

●        Resume

●        Answers to application questions

Application Questions (answer in 50-100 words per question)

●        What is your major(s)? What are your career goals or interests?

●        Are you conducting research in your degree program? If so, what is the topic or focus?

●        How did you learn about public health, environmental health, or industrial hygiene?

●        How would this scholarship make a difference in your studies?

Candidate Selection

Applications shall be reviewed by the AIHA Potomac LS scholarship subcommittee, which will consist of a minimum of 3 current members of the AIHA Potomac LS board of directors (BOD), as appointed by the Potomac LS President. The scholarship subcommittee shall recommend a candidate to the BOD. A majority vote by the BOD shall result in approval of the candidate for scholarship. Only one scholarship will be awarded per person per year.

Award amount and payment

The scholarship award is set at $2,000 per recipient for a single calendar year. This amount and the number of awards is subject to review and potential change in future award cycles. All applicants will receive a Potomac LS Student Membership. Student awardee shall be paid by check made out directly to the student.

Funding

Upon approval of this proposal the Potomac LS treasurer shall establish a new scholarship savings account and earmark $10,000 from general funds. Each subsequent year any directed donations and, upon approval from the BOD, up to $2,000 excess budget shall be transferred to the “scholarship” savings account.

Application announcement date: January 1, 2026 (Annually)

Application deadline: April 1, 2026

Application process: Complete this form and send it to aihapotomacscholarship@gmail.com.

Scholarship award announcement: June 3, 2026, at the Local Section Social Meeting. 

If you have any questions, contact aihapotomacscholarship@gmail.com