In July 2021, the College of Engineering and Technology at Utah Valley University (UVU) received a $1.5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The Building Exceptional Talent in Engineering & Computing (BE-TEC) NSF scholarship program will build on the success of a previous S-STEM Track 1 program by promoting student success and degree completion through scholarships to low-income, academically promising students, beginning in their freshman year. The project will also implement evidence-based activities to support scholars including intentional faculty mentoring, high impact practices, and professional preparation. "In addition, the grant will advance knowledge about evidence-based, context-specific interventions for STEM programs at primarily undergraduate institutions," said Dr. Afsaneh Minaie the Principal Investigator for the grant. BE-TEC will increase support of financially needy students with an interest and aptitude for engineering and computing degree programs by offering an average of 23 scholarships per year over a six-year period to at least 43 unique students. The CO-PIs for the project are Dr. Ehsan Rohani, from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Programs, and Dr. Reza Sanati-Mehrizy of the Computer Science Program at UVU.