In an attempt to breathe life into Iowa State’s engineering field, which is facing a possible labor shortage, technology giant Garmin International has established a scholarship program worth $200,000.

The scholarship money will go toward eight different scholarships in the college. The scholarships, which will be awarded to students in electrical and computer engineering, will provide continuing support.

If the student maintains an established grade point average, they will continue to receive the scholarship in the latter years of their college career.

The scholarships, which will be awarded in the 2008-09 school year, will be the first of their kind offered by Garmin, said Carla Wiedmier, senior director of development for the College of Engineering. Although it is not yet certain if the scholarship will be awarded on a regular basis, the college has hopes that it will be recurring.

The intent is that the students who receive scholarships will take interest in the internships and co-op experiences that Garmin offers. In this manner, both the scholarship recipient and Garmin will benefit from the award.

“The goal is that some of the best students that receive the scholarships will eventually go to work for Garmin,” said Mark Kushner, dean of the College of Engineering.

In the awarding of the scholarships, Garmin will set certain guidelines the College of Engineering will follow in choosing the recipients. Kushner said they will look for students who have a global perspective as opposed to a local one. Although a narrow perspective on an electrical engineering degree is not bad, he said, they would like to see their scholars be students who show interest in other fields.

“Those students who succeed to the greatest degree in their careers are the ones who tend to take pieces from different areas and put them together to see the big picture,” Kushner said.

Garmin is a company that produces commercial global positioning systems – anything from cell phones to dog trackers to chart plotters for boats.

The company is going through a similar transition as other high-tech companies, as demand for engineers is greater than what is available, Kushner said.

To further its name recognition at Iowa State in addition to the scholarships, Garmin appeared on campus for its first “Garmin Day” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday under a tent by the Marston Water Tower. The company had a table presenting samples of its products and featured several giveaways and lunch for engineering students.

“We want to get a better presence on campus and have some fun in the meantime with all the consumer products we brought,” said Larisa Conklin, college relations recruiter for Garmin.