The Simplr Artificial Intelligence and Technology Scholarship

The 2021/2022 Simplr Artificial Intelligence and Technology Scholarship application period is now closed! The deadline for applications was December 31, 2021.  The scholarship funds will be distributed by February 28, 2022.

Note: this scholarship will be running again for the 2022/2023 academic year, please bookmark this page.

Summary: Simplr is offering a $7,500 scholarship to a passionate and deserving student who submits a winning essay in our specialized scholarship contest encompassing artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain technology and Intellectual Property (IP) law. Apply today!

Why write about AI?

The tech sector is continuing to grow rapidly and artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain technology and Intellectual Property (IP) law are poised to offer some of the most exciting and challenging career opportunities for today’s students.

As a successful Silicon Valley startup involved in machine learning and AI, we would like to give back by offering our support and encouraging students in the US to be creative while also studying and earning degrees in these more difficult and technical fields. For our third annual scholarship we are offering a $7,500 award to a deserving student who is pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Computer Science (CS), Mathematics, Information Technology (IT) or is attending or will attend law school.

Scholarship presented by Simplr

Simplr provides e-commerce companies with top-notch, U.S.-based customer service that’s scalable and affordable. Simplr was incubated and funded by Asurion, a global leader in customer service with over 300 million customers and shares Asurion’s legacy of excellence in customer experiences.

In The News

  • Essay Requirements

    In order to apply, please write a 1000-2000 word essay on one of the following topics. Make sure to include why you chose your field of study and how it applies to these future technologies.

    Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Blockchain technology – Select the field you’re most passionate about and explore a specific role you think this technology will play in our future, and how this will effect positive change. Describe the key technological aspects as well as the human element that will likely be involved.

    or

    Commercial AI-generated music and AI-created inventions, for example, are not far off but they will forever change traditional intellectual property concepts. Explore the challenges in attributing and incentivizing the creation of new knowledge when the lines between human/machine creation and open/proprietary data are blurred. The scholarship will be awarded to the applicant who best demonstrates willingness and ability to be a candidate for success in the tech industry. Please note relevant hobbies, projects or extracurricular activities as they will be considered

  • Scoring Criteria

    Applicants will be scored by senior members of the Simplr team and scholarship sponsors (if applicable). Scoring will be based upon three categories:

    • Passion
    • Merit
    • Financial Need
  • How to Apply

    Please submit your essay and contact information on the application form below. Remember to upload both your essay and a copy of your unofficial transcripts.

    Timeline and Deadline: The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2021.

  • Eligibility and Requirements

    To be eligible for our scholarship contest you must be currently enrolled full time at an accredited community college, college or university, or accredited law school, or will be enrolled in the Winter of 2021 or Spring of 2022. International students and students studying under the DACA program are eligible. Students with full academic scholarships are not eligible to enter this contest.

    Proof of Enrollment: Please provide a digital copy of your unofficial transcript as proof of enrollment. (You will need to submit by mail an un-opened copy of official transcripts if selected as a finalist.)

    Additionally, you must:

    • Verify you have read and understand the Simplr Artificial Intelligence and Technology Scholarship requirements.
    • Submit your entry (only one entry per student is permitted) by the December 31, 2021 deadline.
  • Winner Notification

    The winner will be selected by January 31, 2022. The winner will be notified by phone or email on or before this date. Scholarship funds will be distributed by February 28, 2022.

  • Description of Award Monies

    The award winner understands and accepts that the scholarship award monies will be sent directly to the winner’s school and shall be used only for tuition and education-related purposes.

Apply today

Application Form

We are honored to announce the 2020 winner of the Simplr Artificial Intelligence and Technology Scholarship: Ernest Fok

Ernest “Ernie” Fok is a J.D. candidate at Santa Clara School of Law, with a M.Ed. from Harvard University and a B.A. in Molecular & Cell Biology from University of California, Berkeley. Ernest has acquired quite extensive work experience in the legal field as a patent litigation summer associate at multiple law firms, as well as with an internship at Uber Technologies.

Ernie’s passion for Intellectual property law and inventorship is readily apparent and his submitted work on artificial intelligence (AI) Inventorship was powerful, intellectually stimulating and grounded in up-to-date U.S. patent law. In his essay, Ernie makes a strong argument for why the U.S. patent system has the potential to strongly benefit from recognizing inventing-AI as inventors.

 

We are honored to announce the 2019 winner of the Simplr Artificial Intelligence and Technology Scholarship: Alexander Conner!

Alex is a candidate for A.B. in Economics and Sc. B. in Applied Mathematics from Brown University. Alex is very involved in artificial intelligence and machine learning and runs his models with Keras and Tensorflow on top of PyCharm. Alex’s submission, titled “Artificial Intelligence, Intellectual Property, and Incentive Structure” does an excellent job at covering the interplay between AI and IP ownership, and offers a great balance of both technical detail and big picture thinking that few other applicants were able to provide.

Congratulations to Ethan Adams, winner of our 2018 Simplr Artificial Intelligence and Technology scholarship!

Ethan Adams, a Penn State Berks junior with a double major in information sciences and technology, and security and risk analysis, is the first recipient of the Simplr Artificial Intelligence Technology Scholarship. He plans to use the Scholarship to use for his tuition and research, as well as in preparation for graduate school.

Ethan’s application, vision and demonstrated aptitude for AI and related technologies made him the clear favorite out of a strong field of competitors. Congratulations, Ethan!

  • Submissions

    All content and creative work become the property of Simplr Solutions Inc. (Simplr) upon submission and may be reposted or displayed online or through any media channels, in whole or part, without notification. When you send email communications to Simplr, its agents and/or representatives may retain those communications.

    By submitting an application, the applicant grants Simplr, its agents and/or representatives permission to post the applicant’s name, school or university, applicant’s photo, and the winning entry on the company website http://simplr-2021.local, and on other marketing platforms, including but not limited to blogs, social media accounts, and related websites. The winning applicant also agrees to assist Simplr and its agents with any tasks deemed reasonable or necessary to help with the above and other promotional activities.

    Simplr does not collect information from visitors participating in this scholarship program in any way other than specified on the scholarship’s official rules page. Contact information submitted through application will not be used for any solicitations or extraneous emails.

  • Responsibilities of Award recipient

    The recipient must be actively enrolled full-time for the entire academic year without interruption, barring illness, emergency or military service. It is the recipient’s responsibility to verify receipt of funds with their designated institution and notify Simplr should the award monies not arrive within 30 days from the issue date.