With the global demand for scientists and engineers rising, it is more important than ever to interest the nation’s youth in careers in math, science, engineering and technology.

Missouri University of Science and Technology now will be able to give elementary and secondary students a chance to explore these fields, thanks to a $100,000 endowment from Missouri S&T graduate Ellis J. Smith, who earned a ceramic engineering degree in 1955. Smith’s gift will provide need-based scholarships for Missouri S&T’s pre-college summer programs.

“I think that these programs are a very good idea,” Smith says. “It allows kids to see whether or not they would be interested in a career in science or engineering.”

Smith’s own high-school-aged granddaughters have spent summers on the Missouri S&T campus, participating in Summer Solutions for Girls, Jackling Introduction to Engineering and Aerospace Camp.

Since graduating from Missouri S&T, Smith has supported the university in a variety of ways, including making regular donations to the university’s Solar Car Team and creating the Ellis J. and Carolyn Smith endowment to support Missouri S&T’s ceramic engineering department. He also is a member of the Order of the Golden Shillelagh.

“Missouri S&T is my only alma mater,” Smith says. “I got a lot from the university, and I believe I should give something back.”

This summer, Smith’s endowment will yield about $3,000, which will be divided among about a dozen students in need of financial aid. These students might just turn out to be the next generation of scientists and engineers.

“Summer enrichment is probably the number-one way to spark a kid’s interest,” says Will Perkins, director of Missouri S&T’s Center for Pre-College Programs. “Sometimes, that is the beginning of that kid’s love for math, science, engineering and technology."