PIERRE, S.D. – High school seniors and college freshmen can now apply for Davis-Bahcall Scholarships and the chance to study next summer at the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory in Lead, Princeton University in New Jersey, and Gran Sasso Lab in Italy.

Applications are available on the South Dakota Department of Education’s Web site. Up to 12 South Dakota students will get the scholarships. The deadline to apply is Dec. 18.

Select students will be invited to interview for the program in January at various locations in the state, and recipients will be announced in mid-February.

Davis-Bahcall Scholarship recipients spend one month in the summer studying such fields as physics, engineering and geology. Their classrooms includes locations that span the globe – from the Black Hills to the Italian countryside site of the largest underground lab in the world for certain physics experiments. The teachers include distinguished professors from around the world.

In addition to the one-month summer study, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to apply for pre-selected summer internships.

Up to 12 additional students may also be chosen from the Davis-Bahcall applicant pool to participate in a two-week South Dakota Summer Science Scholarship program. Those students will travel to the Sanford Lab at Homestake in July and one other lab site within the United States, which has not yet been determined.

To be eligible for the scholarships, high school seniors or college freshman must attend public or private high schools or postsecondary institutions in South Dakota. Home-school students also are eligible. Students must have a demonstrated interest in science and intend to pursue advanced degrees in math, science, engineering or technology.

The scholarships, which are funded by the 3M company, are named for renowned physicists Dr. Ray Davis and Dr. John Bahcall.

Students and parents will find detailed information online about the scholarships. Features include a blog written by last year’s participants and detailed application procedures.

For more information, visit the South Dakota Department of Education’s Web site at www.doe.sd.gov.