1) Background

Nidhi Kadir Watson was an accomplished scientist and a medical doctor when she passed away due to cancer in 2007 at the young age of 31. She was an inspiration for her colleagues, professors and young doctors she was training.

She achieved a lot in academics and professional excellence during her short span of life. She was a top ranked student in Delhi Public School, New Delhi and a graduate in Chemical Engineering with Honors from University of Texas at Austin. Then she pursued studies in medical sciences and graduated from the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio. Her training for Doctor of Medicine in Neurology was at Rush Presbyterian Medical College in Chicago. Further, she continued her research and fellowship in Movement Disorders, published number of papers in medical journals. She was also the spokesperson for Rush Presbyterian Medical College and helped with fund raising for research activities and public awareness programs and was interviewed by the leading major TV News Channels in USA. At the time of her death in May 2007 at the age of 31 Nidhi was the Associate Medical Director for Clinical Research at Abbott Laboratory, Chicago, U.S.A.

Dr Nidhi Kadir Watson Memorial Scholarships for eligible students are awarded by Nidhi Kadir Watson Program, here in after called NKW Program or Program, and is established by Nidhi's parents Kadirpillai Chollampattu and Tara Fatima.

Program is offering scholarships for students born in Kerala andenrolled in universities in the state of Kerala to pursue studies leading to a bachelors degree in the fields of engineering / medicine/technology / computer science / architecture / naval-architecture / arts / general science etc. Number of scholarships to be awarded in a year will be decided and notified by NKW Program at the time of invitation of applications.

2) Basis of Award:

The criteria for the selection of the scholarship award shall be based on the academic merit and financial hardship of the applicant. A panel of members elected by the Program shall select the scholarship winners based on merit and financial hardship of the candidate. The panel may also consider other criteria as defined elsewhere. The student will become eligible for the FIRST year scholarship based on the evaluation of the statement of facts provided in the application by the NKW Program panel of members. Scholarships for the future years will be based on the criteria stated in Para 8.0 below.

3) Amount of Scholarship:

Rs. 50,000/- for Engineering and Rs.75, 000/- for Medicine per year for four years subject to the conditions stated in the “Scholorship Guidelines- Amount of Schlorship”. For other courses, the amount will be notified at the time of invitation of applications. Program may revise the maximum amount of scholarship referenced above depending on the need of each academic year due to change in fees, living expense etc.

4) Eligibility Requirements:

• Student shall be enrolled in an accredited Engineering or Medical College or University in a 4-year (8 semesters) course leading to a Bachelors Degree.
• The combined income of the student's parents shall be below Rs. 100,000/ year from all sources.
• Applicant’s awards, honors and extra-curricular activities shall be considered in selecting the scholarship recipient when more than one deserving candidates are identified based on academic merit and income criteria.
• If the student has already accepted another scholarship, he/she shall provide complete details of such other scholarship(s).
• Students who are not ranked in the first 2000 in the entrance exam and have not scored above 90% marks for SSLC/ICSE/CBSE and Plus-2 will not be considered for an award unless they provide satisfactory reasons.
• Students admitted through management-quota are not eligible for the award.

5) Application Guidelines:

• (a) During the student's course of study, if it is found that any willful misrepresentation of facts or false information has been used to win a scholarship award, Program will immediately terminate the student's scholarship. The student shall then return to Program all scholarship amounts received. In addition, Program may take appropriate legal action.
• (b) The student shall submit the completed application form provided by Program on line. Blank Application Form may be downloaded from Program web site www.NKWprogram.org in case candidate prefers to send the completed application through registered mail/speed post. NKW Program prefers the candidate apply through on line which is convenient for both the applicant and the Program. The candidate can select any method to submit the application based on their choice which is acceptable to the Program.

Candidates should make accurate statements only in the application form. While making statements, particular attention shall be given on the following. No copies or attachments are required at the time of submission of application form. However, on receipt of notification from the Program, the selected candidate should submit the original (if available) or certified copies of the documents listed in items 1 and 2 below (Mark lists and Rank Certificates). The original documents, if submitted, will be returned to the candidate after verification by the Program.

• State the marks/percentages as in the marks-lists for: (i) SSLC/CBSE/ICSE (ii) Plus-2.
• State the % of marks and ranks as in the Marks-list and Rank Certificate for Entrance Examination.
• State the annual income of parents received from all sources. Explain in detail the source of income from agriculture/business, from daily work/labour etc.
• State the details of awards, honors and extra-curricular activities.
• Provide statement describing any extraordinary circumstances (example: handicap, father expired-mother is the only help) which you feel makes your application worthy of special consideration.
• Statement with details of scholarships, grants and non repayable financial awards the student may be receiving / applied and expected to receive from sources other than the Program. Include amounts, duration of payment, source’s name and basis of award in your statement.

Program preference is the completed application submission through On Line. In case candidates prefer, the completed application shall be sent by Registered Mail/Speed Post. On Line: kadir_pillai@hotmail.com AND mi.zeena@gmail.com

By Registered Mail / Speed Post:
M.I.Zeena,
Program Director
I/723, Tharakandathil House
Neelathope, Kodikuthumala
Aluva - 683101, Kerala State, India

• (c) Completed application in all respect (no space should leave blank) should reach the Program through On Line or Registered Mail / Speed Post not later than the date (s) specified in the Application Form. Do not send any other document with the application; Program will NOT return any documents to the applicants.

6) Award of Scholarship:

Scholarships will be awarded before the date indicated in the Application Form. Students who are awarded scholarships will be required to submit the documents listed 5 (b) (1 & 2- Mark lists and Rank Certificates) above, two copies of passport size photograph and a signed affidavit affirming that he / she understood the terms and conditions under which the Program scholarships are awarded and renewed.

7) Method of Payment:

NKW Program Director shall send the scholarship award cheque to the scholarship recipient or make direct deposit to recipient’s bank account. The scholarship recipient shall be advised to open a bank account and provide the bank account details to NKW Program Director for direct deposit of scholarship amount.

8) Continuation of Scholarship and Amount:

A student, who is awarded scholarship in the first year, will continue to receive the scholarship for the remaining three years of studies if he/she secures an average of 80% marks (equivalent GPA) in the semester examinations forEngineering and 70% marks every yearfor Medicine.. It is the responsibility of the student to submit certified copies of mark lists as soon as they become available to show proof of securing required marks. The exact amount for each year will be decided by NKW Program at the beginning of each academic year based on the place of residence of the candidate (staying in hostel or day scholar), tuition fees, expenses for books, cloths and other incidentals. In case during the course of study, candidate receives any other financial assistance from government or private institutions such as e-grant etc. NKW Program reserves the right to reduce the scholarship amount to that extent. It is the responsibility of the candidate to inform NKW Program immediately in writing receipt of any such financial assistance. Failure to do so will lead to cancellation of future scholarship and return of the amount already received by the candidate. Refundable educational loans from banks and other financial institutions will not disqualify applicants.