The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, the Space Shuttle Children's Trust Fund and other organizations and individuals have established a permanent endowment honoring the late Dr. John McLucas for the purpose of studying and improving astronaut safety.
The endowment was used to create the John McLucas Astronaut Safety Research Fund aimed in part at promoting research by students. The fund sponsors the annual John McLucas Research Prize administered by USRA. The prize is awarded to support undergraduate student research that examines ways to enhance crew safety on manned space vehicles. It can also be awarded to recognize new approaches to safety in future human space flight endeavors.
About John McLucas
John McLucas was Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, Administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Director of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, President of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, satellite executive, inventor, author, educator, and writer with a life of service in the field of aeronautics and astronautics.
Dr. McLucas made important contributions to the founding of the International Space University and its permanent Central Campus in Strasbourg, France. He played a key role in the creation of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation of the U.S., which he chaired from 1983 to 2002, and to the Arthur Clarke Institute for Telecommunications and Information (CITI) that connects telecommunications research and development organizations around the world. At the time of his death on December 1, 2002, John McLucas was the Chairman of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation.
The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation of the U.S. and the global Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Telecommunications and Information recognize Arthur C. Clarke's work and life through support of research, education, awards, scholarships and other initiatives that join science, technology, and the humanities as companion pursuits. Its sponsorship of the John L. McLucas Student Research Fund is one of the ways that it carries out its research mission.
Applying for the John McLucas Research Prize
To be considered for the McLucas Research Prize, applicants must complete an application and return it to USRA by May 1. The application must include:
- A completed application form. Only completed application forms will be considered. The application packet can be downloaded here.
- Two completed recommendation forms (included in the application packet) with at least one from a teacher or school official at the college level
- An official college transcript for the last two years with GPA
- A one-page (<500 words) typed statement stating the applicant's qualifications and educational and career goals
- A one-page description of the applicant's proposed astronaut safety research project
All of the above items must be submitted before the application will be considered.
Before the end of the academic year, Research Prize recipients are required to submit a written report on their research to USRA with no restriction on publication. USRA will provide the report to the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation.
To complete your application, download and print the Scholarship Application Package consisting of:
- Program Overview Page
- Scholarship Application Form
- Recommendation Forms
- Help Page
To print your forms, click on the above link to view the forms and use your browser's print option to print your own copy. The forms can be filled online and printed or printed first and completed by hand. In either case, mail your completed forms back to the address given in the instructions. The same procedure should be followed for the two recommendations forms. DO NOT email us your completed application; emailed submissions will not be considered.
