Bengal Couple Pays it Forward with Establishment of Smithibagian STEM Scholarship

An Idaho State University alumni couple is paying forward the kindness they say they received as students with an endowment of their own. 

Recently, Jacquie Janibagian and Curtis Smith established the Smithibagian STEM Scholarship at ISU. The scholarship’s unique name–Smithibagian–is a portmanteau of the pair’s last names. The couple met in an 8 a.m. calculus course on the first day of the Fall semester of 1984. Janibagian, a chemistry major, and Smith, an engineering major, were both enrolled in the required math class.

“If you want a movie reference, I was Snow White, and Curtis was Grumpy,” Janibagian said. “At the time, I didn't know he had to get up early to reach Pocatello for our 8 a.m. calculus class, which left him in a non-gregarious state of mind. Also, this was 1984, man-purses were not in style, but he proudly carried his books in one.”

“She seemed accustomed to being the center of attention, and I wasn't included in her circle,” Smith said. “That did not attract me. But once I figured out I needed her as my calculus tutor, things improved.”

Following their time at ISU, Janibagian and Smith married in 1991, and each went on to a career at Idaho National Laboratory. Smith later earned a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in addition to his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Idaho State. Janibagian retired from her role as a Scientist/Engineer at INL’s Idaho Nuclear Technologies and Engineering Center in 2000. Meanwhile, Smith supported NASA and nuclear safety projects at INL from 1990 to 2024, retiring as the Division Director for Nuclear Safety and Regulatory Research. In 2024, Smith returned to MIT after being appointed the KEPCO Professor of the Practice of Nuclear Science and Engineering.

“I loved my time at ISU!” said Janibagian. "One of the greatest gifts I got from ISU was a sense that this was only the beginning. I was there to learn Chemistry, but I also graduated with a sense that an educated life was one where success is measured by finding ways to belong, grow, and give back. I came to ISU hoping to get into dental school at Creighton. After one year, I changed my mind. I continued in Chemistry, but my advisor, Dr. Braun, encouraged me to explore...and I did! I took every history class I could fit in. I took Gourmet Foods. I took tennis. When kids ask me about college, I let them know it's ok to not know what your future might look like. I include advice about enjoying their time at university, not just focusing on studying. Ask questions. Listen to the answers. I want students to realize that one of the greatest accomplishments in life is seeking answers to questions. Maybe that question will lead to a path that wouldn't have even occurred to her or him before he asked it."

The Smithibagian STEM Scholarship at ISU will support students with a 3.0 grade point average or higher who are majoring in a program within the College of Science and Engineering, have demonstrated financial need, and have received less than $10,000 in scholarship awards in the current academic year.

“We are focusing the scholarship on those in need with the potential to be high achievers,” Smith said. “That type of student reminds us of ourselves and many of the friends from our time at ISU.”

“We are grateful for the Smithibagian Fund and its impact on STEM students across the College of Science and Engineering,” said Blair Devenberg, director of development for ISU’s College of Science and Engineering. “At a critical time, this support helps students persist and succeed. We also appreciate the donors’ sense of humor in the fund’s name, which will help to inspire students through creativity and curiosity, the heart of the STEM fields.” 

For more information about giving to Idaho State University, visit isu.edu/give or contact Blair Devenberg at blairdevenberg@isu.edu.