The Secretary shall establish and administer through the National Ocean Service the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program. Under the program, the Secretary shall award graduate education scholarships in oceanography, marine biology or maritime archeology, to be known as Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarships.

The purposes of the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program are—

(1) to recognize outstanding scholarship in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archeology, particularly by women and members of minority groups; and

(2) to encourage independent graduate level research in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archeology.

Each Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship—

(1) shall be used to support graduate studies in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archeology at a graduate level institution of higher education; and

(2) shall be awarded in accordance with guidelines issued by the Secretary.

The amount of each Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship shall be provided directly to a recipient selected by the Secretary upon receipt of certification that the recipient will adhere to a specific and detailed plan of study and research approved by a graduate level institution of higher education.

Of the amount available each fiscal year to carry out this chapter, the Secretary shall award 1 percent as Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarships.

The Secretary shall require an individual receiving a scholarship under this section to repay the full amount of the scholarship to the Secretary if the Secretary determines that the individual, in obtaining or using the scholarship, engaged in fraudulent conduct or failed to comply with any term or condition of the scholarship.

In this section the term “maritime archeology” includes the curation, preservation, and display of maritime artifacts.

(Pub. L. 92–532, title III, § 318, as added Pub. L. 106–513, § 18, Nov. 13, 2000, 114 Stat. 2392.)