Piketon, April 14, 2010— In the third year of the EnergySolutions Foundation Scholarship Program in southern Ohio, 12 of the 13 eligible high schools had a scholarship recipient. This year, Huntington High School in Ross County was added to the list of eligible high schools.
A scholarship is Scholarships were offered to the top 10th grade student from the eligible high schools in Ohio where EnergySolutions has operations. EnergySolutions is a member firm of both LATA/Parallax Portsmouth and Uranium Disposition Services, contractors to the U.S. Department of Energy at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon. The scholarship program is also offered in Georgia, Illinois, Idaho, New Mexico, Washington, South Carolina, Utah, Tennessee, and Ontario, Canada.
Students selected will each receive a $2,000 scholarship once they graduate from high school and prepare to enter college. They can choose what post secondary school they attend, as long as they plan to seek a degree in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, ecology, engineering, environmental sciences, geology, geophysics, mathematics, meteorology, or physics.
“A strong workforce in math, science, and engineering is the key to keeping America competitive during the next century. Unfortunately, we are falling behind, but the EnergySolutions Foundation is working to help solve the problem,” said Val Christensen, President and CEO of EnergySolutions.
The selection committee has representatives from all states participating in the program. Selection coma smittee members include professionals in science, math, engineering, and from academia. They evaluate each application for academic achievement, community involvement, and career goals. The Ohio selection committee includes Jeff Bauer, Ph.D., Interim Associate Provost, Shawnee State University.
The long-term goal of the scholarship program is to help create the next generation of mathematicians, scientists, and engineers for America’ths future. “This is an excellent opportunity for the Foundation to act locally and get results on a global scale,” said Miles Smith, Senior Vice President for Federal Services Eastern Operations for EnergySolutions. “We recognize the need our nation has for a well- trained workforce and this is a great vehicle to promote that,” said Smith.
The Ohio scholarship recipients will be honored at a banquet on Thursday, May 20, 2010 at the Shawnee State University Center Ballroom in Portsmouth.
Additional information on the EnergySolutions Foundation Scholarship Program is available at www.energysolutionsfoundation.org.
Ohio Scholarship Recipients 2009-2010
Chillicothe High School – Alexis Mettler
Eastern High School - Zachary Garrison
Huntington High School – Jonathon Hocker
Jackson High School – Clay Wood
Minford High School – Noah Thiel
Northwest High School – Jordan Nickles
Piketon High School – Kyla Burkitt
South Webster High School – Timothy (Ryan) Conley
Valley High School – Christopher Arnett
Waverly High School – Mark Clark
Western High School – Aaron Satterfield
Wheelersburg High School – Ciara Coriell
