Aiken, April 15, 2009— In the fourth year of the EnergySolutions Foundation Scholarship Program in South Carolina all ten of the eligible high schools had a scholarship recipient. A scholarship is offered to the top 10th grade student from the eligible high schools in these states. The program is also offered in Georgia, Illinois, Idaho, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, Washington, Utah, Tennessee and Ontario Canada.
Students selected will each receive a $2,000 scholarship. They can choose what 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 have fallen behind, but the EnergySolutions Foundation is working to help solve this problem.” said Val Christensen, President & CEO of EnergySolutions.
The selection committee has representatives from all states participating in the program. Selection committee members include professionals in science, math, engineering, and from academia. They evaluate each application for academic achievement, community involvement, and career goals. The South Carolina selection committee includes:
- Tom Hallman, Chancellor for University of South Carolina- Aiken
- Mike McCarty, Carolina Ag Research Services
- Clinton Wolfe, Executive Director, Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness
- Michael A. Worrell, Ph.D., Owner, MiBek Farms
The goal of the scholarship program is to help create the next generation of mathematicians, scientists, and engineers for America’s future. “This is an excellent opportunity for the Foundation to act locally and get results on a global scale,” said Jim Latham, EnergySolutions Vice President for Barnwell Operations. “We recognize the need our nation has for a well trained workforce and this is a great vehicle to promote that,” said Latham.
Scholarship recipients will be honored at a banquet on May 26th at 6:30pm at Newberry Hall in Aiken. A demonstration from the Aiken Robotic Team will be the featured presentation of the evening.
Additional information on the EnergySolutions Foundation Scholarship Program is available at www.energysolutionsfoundation.org.
South Carolina Scholarship 2009-2010 Recipients
Midland Valley High School – Ryan Arthur
North Augusta High School – Jennifer Grimm
Silver Bluff High School – Elizabeth Jarrell
South Aiken High School – Taylor Maier
Rige Spring-Monetta High School – Braxton Matthews
Wagener-Salley High School – Dillon Overton
Barnwell High School – Erik Schatzer
Blackville-Hilda High School – Rachel Still
Aiken High School – William Victor
Williston-Elko High School – Paul Walkup
