FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ASF Contact: Beth Higdon 321.455.7013
Beth@AstronautScholarship.org
August 21, 2009
Astronauts Take Flight to Present Scholarships to Outstanding College Students
Kennedy Space Center, FL — U.S. Hall of Fame Astronauts will blast off to colleges and universities nationwide this fall to personally award twelve of the eighteen 2009–2010 Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) scholarship recipients with an oversized $10,000 check.
Astronauts will present the scholars with their award and honor them for their outstanding perseverance and dedication to their college education in a public ceremony on each campus. In addition, the astronauts will offer a free public lecture on their space travel.
"These students are the pioneers of our future," said Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Chairman and Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden, "They will forever be included in the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's elite group of Astronaut Scholars. Our scholars have gone on to work with the Hubble Telescope discovering the furthest galaxy documented to date, helped design several of the world's most prestigious fighter jets, been named some of the top 50 technical leaders by Scientific America and much more."
In order to be eligible for the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation award, students must be a U.S. citizen, attend one of the 19 institutions the Foundation supports, be entering their junior or senior year or pursuing a master's degree, and be nominated by a professor. An on-campus committee reviews the applicants and then nominates the top two students to present to the ASF Scholarship Committee for consideration. The committee then selects one student from each institution (when applicable) to receive the prestigious award.
Astronauts are scheduled for 2009 check presentations at the following colleges and universities:
Mercury Astronaut Scott Carpenter will award Senior Meteorology Major Tyler McCandless on September 18 at Pennsylvania State University.
Apollo 16 Astronaut Charlie Duke will award Senior Aerospace Engineering Major Jonathan Walker on September 22 at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Duke will also visit North Carolina State University on September 23 to award Senior Civil Engineering and Applied Mathematics double Major Brittany Boudreaux with her check.
Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden will honor Senior Mathematics, Statistics, and Environmental Science multiple Major Iordan Ganev on September 25 at Miami University.
Apollo 7 Astronaut Walt Cunningham travels to Harvey Mudd College on October 1 to honor Senior General Engineering Major Bryan Teague.
Apollo 13 Astronaut Fred Haise congratulates Senior Chemistry and Biochemistry double Major Andrew Ishizuka on October 2 at the University of Washington.
Skylab and Space Shuttle Astronaut Jack Lousma returns to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, to award Senior Chemistry Major Christine Morrison with her check on October 14.
Space Shuttle Astronaut Hoot Gibson will visit the University of Kentucky on October 15 to present Senior Electrical Engineering Major Samuel Nicaise with his check.
Gemini and Apollo Astronaut Jim Lovell will honor Senior Electrical Engineering Major Yuri Kubo on October 22 at Purdue University.
Space Shuttle Astronaut Fred Gregory travels to the University of Minnesota on October 23 to award Senior Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics Major Cole Kazemba and Senior Biomedical Engineering Major Rebecca Jo Szarkowski with their checks.
Worden will also travel to the University of Colorado on November 18 to award Senior Electrical and Computer Engineering and Applied Mathematics double Major Riley Pack with his award check.
Additional 2009–2010 Astronaut Scholars include Chemistry & Biology Senior Amy Rabideau from Syracuse University, Texas A&M University Physics Major David Rahmani, Biology Major and Tufts University senior Adam Steinbrenner, University of Central Florida second year scholar and Mechanical Engineering Major Ashley Ewh, Meteorology Senior Zachary Flamig from University of Oklahoma and Mechanical Engineering Senior Katlyn Sullivan of Washington University.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the six surviving members of America's original Mercury astronauts. Its mission is to aid the United States in retaining its world leadership in science and technology by providing scholarships for college students who exhibit motivation, imagination, and exceptional performance in these fields. ASF has awarded $2.8 million to deserving students nationwide. Today, more than 80 astronauts from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and Space Station programs have joined in this educational endeavor. For more information, call 321-455-7015 or log on to www.AstronautScholarship.org.