Martinez, GA April 23, 2010: A student from Georgia will be able to worry a little less about paying for his college education. Mihir Patel, a sophomore at Lakeside High School is the $2,500 Distinguished Award recipient of the EnergySolutions Foundation scholarship. This is in addition to the initial $2,000 scholarship they received from the Foundation earlier this year.
“Because the scholarship program is an extension of our commitment to this great community where EnergySolutions employees live and work, I am so happy for the difference this will make in Mihir’s life,” said Val Christensen, CEO of EnergySolutions.
Exemplary students from eligible schools in eight states and Canada were selected to receive a $2,000 merit-based scholarships. All recipients were then entered into the competition for the three Distinguished Awards. Mihir was selected from a pool of applicants from Canada, Idaho, Illinois, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, and other Georgia students to receive the additional $2,500 Distinguished Award scholarship which is to be used in math, science, or engineering studies. A student in Washington was selected to receive the $5,000 Distinguished Award and a student in New Mexico was selected to receive the $25,000 award.
The EnergySolutions Foundation began the scholarship program in 2006 as a way to promote the study of math, science, and engineering to encourage the next generation of professionals to seek degrees in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, ecology, engineering, environmental science, geology, geophysics, mathematics, meteorology, or physics. As of this year, the EnergySolutions Foundation has awarded 760 scholarships to students in eligible schools.
Mihir wants to pursue a degree in biochemistry as a way to combine his love for biology and chemistry and appease his passion for science education. His goal is to become a researcher and perhaps look into manipulating prokaryotic organisms such as E. coli to produce energy sources.
Mihir has competed in the Science Olympiad for two years. Last year his team won second place in the state. Mihir was the only 9th grade student on the team. He has been a member of the math team for three years and they have placed first a couple of times. Last year he received the FLAIR Award for excellence in Spanish from August State University and was also presented an academic letter. He has been on the school’s math league for two years and is currently a member of Mu Alpha Theta a math honor society where he tutors students in what he calls, “the art of math.”
His AP Biology teacher says, “Mihir is one of the brightest young students that I have ever taught. He has a grasp of scientific topics far above the average student his age and grade. His work is impeccable. On the science team, his is one of the most valuable members even though he is among the youngest on the team.” His Accelerated Math teacher says, “Mihir often asks questions that probe beyond the concepts we are covering in class. He works methodically and is unphased by anything going on around him. He has the great combination of ability and motivation.”
“Our goal with the EnergySolutions Foundation scholarship program is to help these motivated students fulfill their desire of a college education and keep America competitive in a global marketplace,” said William Morrison, Vice President of Southeast Operations, EnergySolutions.
The EnergySolutions Foundation will honor all Georgia and South Carolina scholarship recipients at a banquet on Thursday, May 27th at Newberry Hall in Aiken, South Carolina.
For more information about the scholarship program, please contact Pearl Wright at (801) 870-1505 or visit our website at www.energysolutionsfoundation.org.
