The Loser-Savkar Science PaTHS Scholarship, established by NOVA  Professor Emerita Reva A. Savkar, and NOVA Professor Emeritus Robert C. Loser,  provides a $1000 scholarship to encourage completion of the AS in Science degree at NOVA, to support academic paths and careers in science, and to promote the use of scientific knowledge to help women and children thrive in society.

Student must currently be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more) or part-time (6 – 11 credits) at NOVA.  Student must be in a science-related curriculum, as part of the AS in Science degree program at NOVA.  Student must have completed at least 24 credits at NOVA with at least 12 science credits in BIO, CHM, ENV, GOL, NAS, and/or PHY courses.  Student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher.  Up to 6 science course credits earned at other institutions or through testing programs are acceptable if they appear on the student’s NOVA transcript.

Professor Emerita Reva A. Savkar, NOVA Chemistry Professor for three decades, who has taught, guided, supported, and encouraged thousands of students through their journey at NOVA, and Professor Emeritus Robert C. Loser, NOVA Instructional Designer for three decades, who has helped numerous faculty in various academic disciplines develop, design, and teach courses that helped thousands of students, established the PaTHS scholarship to support students in science and honor the commitment to education of their parents, Prabha, Theodore, Hazel, and Shrikrishna.

“We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” — Marie Curie, physicist and winner of Nobel Prizes for physics and chemistry

“Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.” — Rosalind Franklin, physical chemist and contributor to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA

“For whatever reason, I didn’t succumb to the stereotype that science wasn’t for girls. I got encouragement from my parents. I never ran into a teacher or a counselor who told me that science was for boys. A lot of my friends did.” — Sally Ride, physicist and astronaut

“We look at science as something very elite, which only a few people can learn. That’s just not true. You just have to start early and give kids a foundation. Kids live up, or down, to expectations.” — Mae Jemison, engineer, physician, and astronaut