The Science Ambassador Scholarship
Celebrating ten years of Cards Against Humanity's annual scholarship program for undergraduate women and non-binary students in science, technology, engineering, or math.
Congratulations 2025 Ambassadors!
Anna
High school senior attending the University of Alaska Anchorage this fall and planning a career in ornithology
Anne-Marie
Senior at the University of Michigan majoring in neuroscience and voice performance
Mmachi
Sophomore studying neuroscience, medical sociology, and creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania
Paulina
High school senior attending Yale this fall as an aspiring ecologist and environmental scientist
Sophia
High school senior attending Princeton this fall to study computer science and graphic design
Each Science Ambassador receives a $20,000 tuition scholarship and funds to design and execute their own science communication project.
Fund the scholarship with a game you'll love
Over the last 10 years, Cards Against Humanity has contributed over $1.5M to the Science Ambassador Scholarship by selling science-themed packs and donating 100% of the profits. Fund the SAS's next decade with CAH's all-new party game, Contact: the thinky game of stumping your friends with clever clues and periodically screaming "CONTACT!"
Contact
The classic party game of stumping your friends with clever clues and periodically screaming "CONTACT!"
- Team up against your friends one at a time and outwit them with clever innuendo and secret hints.
- Includes hundreds of cards with thousands of perfectly-curated words.
- Bundled with the all-new Science Pack 2, featuring 30 fresh cards for your CAH deck.
Feeling extra-generous, or just want even more cards? CAH still donates 100% of the profits from the original Science Pack and the Climate Catastrophe Pack.
How To Apply This Fall
Applications for the 2026 academic year open this fall. To apply, film a three–minute educational video of yourself explaining a STEM topic you're passionate about. To view submissions we've liked in the past, check out our previous winners. You must be a high school senior or an undergraduate college student to apply. Your video should be:
- A mini–lecture, not a personal statement. Pretend you're a lecturer speaking to a class. Teach us something.
- Clear, creative, accurate, and a demonstration of your passion for the subject. We value novel, memorable approaches to topics. Your video doesn't need to be fancy or high–tech. Production value is not a factor.
- Three minutes or less in length. Videos longer than this will not be considered. No exceptions!
- About any STEM topic, not necessarily your field of study. Pick a topic that excites and fascinates you. We don't need to hear about the latest thing in science news (unless that's your jam).
- Scientifically accurate. We encourage you to cite the sources used to research your topic. Ideally, this would be in a slide or frame at the end of your video. You can use any citation format you'd like.
- Uploaded to YouTube and marked ‘public.’ No exceptions!
An advisory board of women and non-binary professionals who hold higher degrees and work in a broad range of STEM fields will review applications and select finalists. Finalists will be notified in early 2026 to submit additional materials, and five $20,000 winners will be announced in spring of 2026. Payments will be distributed directly to colleges or universities in fall of 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Five winning individuals will each receive a one–time $20,000 stipend to put towards their undergraduate STEM tuition in the 2026 academic year.
Applications open fall 2025.
You do not need to be a U.S. citizen to apply. You do need to attend college (or plan to attend college) in the United States or a United States Territory.
Nope! You can explain any STEM topic you find exciting. Remember to deliver a mini–lecture, not a personal statement.
No. The Science Ambassador Scholarship is only open to undergraduate students and high school seniors.
All fields within science, technology, engineering, and math are eligible. For a full list of STEM fields, click here. STEM must be your major field of study (not your minor).
Yes, you can apply, as long as you will study a STEM field for the entirety of your undergraduate career.
Over the ten years of our scholarship, we've received so many great applications from students who would have been great Science Ambassadors, if only we had more scholarships to award. Moving forward we hope to increase the impact and visibility of the scholarship by awarding five, one–time $20,000 scholarships and building a cohort of Science Ambassador Scholars.
You can spread the word to as many eligible students as possible by sharing this website. Also, you could buy this stuff from Cards Against Humanity. 100% of sales fund the scholarship.
Meet the Winners
Our goal is to highlight outstanding women and non-binary students in science, technology, engineering, and math. Thanks to Cards Against Humanity, we've awarded over $1.5 million in scholarships and created an incredible network of scientists.
Meet the Ambassadors
Meet the Judges
Advisory Board Co-Chairs
Diana Buist, PhD, MPH Founder and Principal, Data-driven Strategies in Medicine & Biotechnology
Erin Diel, PhD Head of Product, Glencoe Software
Kayt Havens, MD
Jennifer Indovina, CEO Tenrehte Technologies
Sarah Mitchell, Associate Professor Dept. of Biology, Agnes Scott College
Dr. Esther Ngumbi Dept. of Entomology, African American Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Advisory Board
Ali Rosenberg, PhD
Alison Marklein Scientist, Terradot
Amanda M Burkhardt Asst. Professor, Dept. of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Southern California
Annalena La Porte, PhD Russo Partners
Brittany Allen-Petersen, PhD Asst. Professor of Biological Sciences, Purdue University
Callie Crawford, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Coastal Carolina University
Casey Hall, PhD Head of Research, Cards Against Humanity
Christine Sierra O’Connell Asst. Professor of Biological Sciences
Cristina Carrazza, PhD Research Scientist at NORC, University of Chicago
Emily Davenport Dept. of Biology, Penn State University
Erin Aiello Bowles, MPH Director of Collaborative Science, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Golnoosh Kamali, PhD Director Neurologic Solutions, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures
Dr. Hannah Rowe Assistant Professor, Dept of Microbiology, Oregon State University
Heather Maranges, PhD Dept. of Psychology, Florida State University
Dr. Jennifer Hirsh, PharmD, MS
Jessica Gentile Solomon, DVM, MS, DACVIM-Cardiology Manager of Medical Operations, IDEXX Telemedicine Consultants
Dr. Joyce Kao, EMBA Co-Executive Director, Digital Research Academy
Julie Nadel Asst. Dean
Kara Stevens Research & Strategy Officer, Walton Family Foundation
Karina Wernecke Staff Product Manager, Skylight
Kate Sippel, DVM, DACVR Sr. Manager of Medical Affairs, IDEXX Telemedicine Consultants
Dr. Kathleen Vincent Instructor of Anesthesia, Dept. of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Mass. General Hospital & Harvard Medical School
Kathryn Henley, PhD
Dr. Laurie Bayet Dept. of Neuroscience, American University
Lindsay Marjoram, PhD Director of Research, Barth Syndrome Foundation
Dr. Lisa Carter-Bawa Cancer Prevention Precision Control Institute, Center for Discovery & Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health
Dr. Lisa Manglass Dept. of Physics and Engineering, Francis Marion University
Liz Johnson, PhD Education Programs Manager, The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
Megan Swartz, MS, MBA R&D Leader of Plant-Based Meat Alternatives, Cargill
Meghan Joly, PhD Clinical Scientist, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Melody Di Bona, PhD Radiation, Human Oncology & Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Molly Rossow, PhD
Natalie Davidson Dept. of OB/GYN, University of Colorado
Nikki (Nicole) Camlin, PhD Asst. Professor, Biological Environmental & Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi
Professor Renee Hložek Dunlap Institute & Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto
Sarah Kolitz, PhD VP Translational Medicine, Immuneering
Sona Dadhania Senior Technology Analyst, IDTechEx
Dr. Tara Mandalaywala Dept. of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University
Valerie Were, PhD Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University
Dr. Yo Yehudi Executive Director, OLS
Special Thanks
