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Portland State University has received from the National Science Foundation a $630,978 grant that will provide scholarship money for students studying green building.

The grant will fund at least 108 scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students over the next five years. The scholarships will help cover tuition for students who enroll in architecture or engineering classes that relate to green building.

The Engineering and Design Green Building Scholars program is geared to encourage more female and minority students to consider a career in architecture or engineering, said assistant architecture professor Corey Griffin. Scholarships will also be an incentive for freshmen and sophomores to take a course in the building sciences, he said.

Students majoring in architecture and engineering can take advantage of the scholarships to learn more about green building techniques – a valuable skill in today’s market, Griffin said.

“The bottom line is we need more trained professionals who know about these sort of things in practice,” he said. “We need students more than ever going into this particular niche.”

The first freshman and sophomore scholarship recipients will be recruited beginning in September.