<p>So ill start with Jimmy. The merit scholarships for the Engineering School for freshman center on the Hodson trust. I don't know what the specifics are of the admissions process but I do know several Hodson trust fellows and from that I'd imagine it has a lot to do with aptitude for original research. As you might know thats pretty much the center of the program, and I do know they have a reception for their students and parents that I attended this year where they talked more about the dedication to research being the major theme. More information is available at <a href="http://www.jhu.edu/admis/finaid/scholarships.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.jhu.edu/admis/finaid/scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>And also, there is a Vice Dean's office for research programs that oversee's a lot of this stuff so you might want to contact them via the University admissions office.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>