Scholarship and Fellowship Awards

STLE grants three academic awards through its Presidential Awards Program: The E. Richard Booser Scholarship (for undergraduate students), The Elmer E. Klaus Fellowship (for graduate students) and The Jeanie S. McCoy Scholarship (for female students). These awards are administered by the STLE Presidential Council and are meant to encourage students to pursue an advanced degree or a career in tribology or lubrication engineering by subsidizing a research project related to the field. Since 1995, STLE has given out $182,000 to more than 40 recipients to support career opportunities in the field.
STLE Scholarship Applications
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Questions? Contact Karl Phipps, kphipps@stle.org

E. Richard Booser Scholarship
The purpose of the E. Richard Booser Scholarship is to encourage undergraduate students to pursue graduate degrees or a career in tribology by providing the opportunity for them to participate in tribology research. Students must be enrolled in an engineering or science program. Selection is based on letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor or educator, relevance of the research to tribology, and quality of the proposed research experience.
Scholarship amount (awarded to student): $4,500.   

Booser Scholarship Eligibility Requirements 
Students who have previously been awarded the McCoy award are eligible as long as the research is substantially different from the previous award submission. Students are not eligible to win multiple Booser awards.

The application process for 2024-2025 STLE Booser Scholarship has concluded!
Applications for the 2025-2026 scholarship period will open in September 2025.  

Click here for online application form
Elmer E. Klaus Fellowship
The purpose of the Elmer E. Klaus Fellowship is to encourage graduate students to pursue graduate degrees or a career in tribology by providing the opportunity for them to participate in tribology research. Students must be enrolled in a graduate engineering or science program at the time the research is started. Selection is based on letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor or educator, relevance of the research to tribology, and quality of the proposed research experience. Fellowship amount (awarded to student): $5,500

Klaus Fellowship Eligibility Requirements 
Graduate students who have previously been awarded either the Booser or McCoy awards as undergraduates are eligible as long as the research is substantially different from the previous award submission. Students are not eligible to win multiple Klaus awards.

The application process for 2024-2025 STLE Klaus Fellowship has concluded! 
Applications for the 2025-2026 scholarship period will open in September 2025.  

Click here for online application form

Jeanie S. McCoy Scholarship
The purpose of the Jeanie S. McCoy Scholarship is to recognize a deserving woman pursuing an education in and a future career in tribology. The applicant must be a undergraduate or graduate female student pursuing an engineering or science degree applicable to a career in the field of tribology. Selection is based on quality of a submitted essay for publication in TLT magazine, letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor or educator and extracurricular activities. Scholarship amount (awarded to student): $5,000 

McCoy Scholarship Eligibility Requirements 
Students who have previously been awarded the Booser award are eligible as long as the research is substantially different from the previous award submission. Students who have won the Klaus award are not eligible to receive the McCoy award. Students are not eligible to win multiple McCoy awards.

The application process for 2024-2025 STLE McCoy Scholarship has concluded! 
Applications for the 2025-2026 scholarship period will open in September 2025.  

Click here for online application form

Selection Process

  • Applicants will be judged based on the information and supporting documentation materials provided on the scholarship application(s) submitted.
  • All applications received prior to the application deadline will be considered and reviewed by a selection committee.
  • All applicants (including scholarship winners) will receive a notification of their application status upon completion of the review process.

2025-2026 STLE Scholarship
Program Schedule & Deadlines

September 1, 2025
Student Applications posted online

December 1, 2025
Application deadline

January 30, 2026
Scholarship award winners notified

May 19, 2026
Scholarship award winners recognized at 2026 STLE Annual Meeting
(New Orleans, LA)

December 31, 2026
Research reports deadline

Balance of award money mailed out to winners upon receipt of research reports to STLE, which will be published tentatively in the July issue of TLT magazine, along with next year’s application.

 

Section Matching Program
STLE has established a $15,000/year Section Matching Fund. A number of STLE local sections had expressed the need for this type of partnership program. The new program will enable STLE to do a better job of supporting students with an interest in engineering, science and technology and fulfill an equally important goal--support for and closer cooperation with our local sections.  Click here for more information on the Section Matching Program

 

STLE Early Career Awards 
The STLE Early Career Awards recognize the technical achievements of STLE student members, young researchers and junior-level academic faculty and provides financial support for attendance to the STLE Annual Meeting. Application deadline is December 1 of each year. 
Click here to view past recipients of the Early Career Awards.

Apply online with Submittable.