VERMONT SPACE GRANT UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

VSGC Awards are funded by NASA's National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program.  The recipients are recognized for their outstanding achievement as a scholar.  The purpose of this program is to establish a national network of universities with interests in aeronautics, space, and related fields; to encourage cooperation among universities, aerospace industry, and government; to encourage interdisciplinary training, research, and public service programs related to aerospace; to recruit and train professionals for careers in aerospace science; and to promote a strong science, mathematics, engineering, and technology educational base from elementary through university levels.

   THE 2010-2011 VERMONT SPACE GRANT

  UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

LOUIE DEROXAS - A first year recipient, and a resident of North Clarendon, Vermont.  Louie is a first year mechanical engineering student at University of Vermont.  His plans for the future are to increase his knowledge of the things that surround him and to use that knowledge to further enhance human life.  Space has always intrigued him as a child.  He has now chosen to pursue a career in mechanical engineering.  Louie says mechanical engineering has a big part in aeronautics.  The mechanical engineers design industrial equipment and machinery, heating and cooling systems, motor vehicles, aircraft, watercraft, and robotics.  He says to be employed by NASA would be a dream.  He also says in this day and age, technology is at our fingertips but many choose not to exercise the right to learn.  At Mill River Union High School, Louie was an excellent contributor in Senior Jazz Ensemble, National Honors Society and as a volunteer at the local library.                                                                                         

KELSIE KING  - A first  year recipient, and a resident of Lyndonville, Vermont.  Kelsie  is a first year mathematics/education student at St. Michael’s College.  Her first semester resulted in Dean’s List recognition.  She says her goal is to help spread diversity in the field by becoming an educator and hopefully, someday, encourage other women to pursue their dreams in the math and science areas.  Her future plans for education include getting her Bachelors degree in both math and secondary education and then continue to get a graduate level degree in education.  She wants to eventually teach math at the high school level, probably in the subject field of either algebra or calculus.  She says her career would benefit NASA and its goals in the fact that she would be helping train, or in reality, teach students math and engineering skills that could potentially benefit NASA.  She would love to work for or intern at NASA or any of its other programs someday.  She believes that the experience gained would be invaluable.  It is especially important for her to become a teacher in the match and science field because she believes there is a lack of women in this field today and if she could encourage even one woman to pursue their goals in this field than her dream would be fulfilled.   

EMILY PRATT - A second year recipient, and a resident of Essex Jct., Vermont.  Emily is a third year mathematics and economics student at St. Michael’s College.  Her honors include: Green Mountain Scholarship, SMC Parish Scholarship, St. Michael’s Scholarship, Dean’s list, Honor role in high school, ranked 10^th in high school, nominated for National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine, nominated for National Society of High School Scholars.  She was accepted to a Pre-REU Undergraduate Research Program at Texas A&M, College Station, TX.  She researched sound wavelets and transformations and studied voice recognition systems.  She presented research in July 2009, September 2009 and November 2009 at mini-conferences.  Her activities include Founder’s Society, 2008 to the present, full time tour guide in Summer 2009 at St. Michael’s College, Varsity Women’s Basketball 2006-2008, captain 2008, National Honor Society 2008, Student Representative, Guidance Counselor Search Committee, 2007, Green Mountain Teen Institute, Summer 2007, Relay For Life, 2007-2009, raised money for the Howard Center, 2006-2007, Dale Carnegie Leadership Training, 2006, Peer Leadership, 2005-2008 and Vermont City Marathon, 2005-2007.  She says over the past year she has started to get more of a sense of what her career goals are.  She has discovered over the last year how much she enjoys math research and she would love to be able to continue her involvement in research after she graduates.  Her long term career goal would be to become a researcher at an organization such as NASA.  She would love to do math research that would truly benefit people.  Since her summer research she presented her findings at three different conferences and presented again in April at Keene State College in New Hampshire    

 NATIVE AMERICAN AWARD RECIPIENTS 

KATIE BEDARD  - A first year recipient, and a resident of St. Albans, Vermont. She is a first year biology student at University of Vermont. At Missisquoi Valley Union High School, she ranked fourth in her class.  She was also involved with two varsity sports, softball and field hockey.  She was an active member of the National Honor Society as well as Student Government.  She has done widespread community service for many organizations such as Make-A-Wish, Operation Happiness, the Red Cross, Vermont Fish and Wildlife and the local hospital, Northwestern Medical Center.  Upon graduation from the University of Vermont, she intends to obtain a bachelors of science in biology.  She says that it will enhance her understanding of the world and it will give her the opportunity to interact with professors who are respected and internationally known.  A degree in biology will allow her to travel on scientific excursions and to have an edge on obtaining internships to further her learning.  Her educational and career plans very much relate to the interests of NASA.  With her education she would be able to investigate the possibility of life on other worlds and help recognize biospheres that might be different from those found on Earth.  She says biologists could help NASA draw conclusions based on the surface of planets, and subsurface environments.  They could also extrapolate beyond the evidence to propose theories on how life may later evolve there. 

NYOKA BERTRAND - A third year recipient, and a resident of Swanton, Vermont. She is a third year social work student at University of Vermont.  She has participated in the UVM/Abenaki Summer Happening Program, and the UVM/Abenaki Outreach Program, coordinated by Mr. Ken Maskell.  She holds two part-time jobs.  She is a personal care attendant for a child with autism, and a child with ADHD.  Nyoka says that preparing to travel to space can be a very difficult and emotional process.  As a trained social worker, I could help to prepare astronauts for their long journey into space. Astronauts have intense amounts of responsibility, and need to know how to take advantage of their full potential.  She believes that she could effectively assist astronauts in preparing for space.  She also believes that she could improve the lives of many people who could be impacted by an astronaut leaving.  Preparing family and friends is also essential in this process.  Nyoka feels grateful that she has been given this opportunity to attend an accredited university, and receive an education.

 ASHLEY ERNO  - A second year recipient, and a resident of St. Albans, Vermont.   She is a second year student majoring in social work at Champlain College.  She has made the Dean’s List.  She has been involved in a few clubs including the Red Cross and the Wednesday Night Game Club.  She is enjoying herself at Champlain and is gaining knowledge in the social work field.  She has realized greatly at how this information is going to help her work with people involved in the NASA program.  She says one of the biggest jobs a social worker will entail when working with people employed with NASA is preparing them for their journey into space.  Along with the social worker being in a helping relationships with the NASA employee who is about to voyage into space it will be very important to work with their family as well.  This can leave a family falling to pieces without the help of the social worker to set goals with the family, share resources within the community with that family, and act as a support or counselor during this difficult time.  Someone who was employed with NASA would often find themselves transitioning from the real world into space, back into the real world again.  It is often a struggle for people to adjust coming back from space because so much has changed while they were gone.  Social workers also work as a job of analyst and evaluator.  This could be helpful to NASA because the social worker would evaluate programs and see how well they have worked.   

MARK ST. FRANCIS  - A first year recipient, and a resident of Swanton, Vermont.   He is a first year student majoring in financial accounting and reporting at Community College of Vermont.  He says on the surface, NASA’s goals and my intended major of Financial Accounting are very different fields of studies; however, after a deeper look, one realized that they have a lot in common.  Precision with numbers and calculations is a very big part of being in a math field and working for NASA.  In NASA, if a number is incorrect in their calculations, it has the potential to put the space craft and people in danger.  For instance, a mathematical background can be used in physics to find out the force that will be produced by the space shuttle.  In his particular career, if an accountant messes up a number on an income statement, it could put their job and their cooperation in great danger.  When it comes to funding different goals and operations in NASA, making sure that the amounts are accurate will allow them to plan accordingly.  His career and mathematical expertise could help NASA with planning and the implementation of their four goals: Aeronautics, Exploration Systems, Science, and Space Operations.  He says after talking with his professors and reflecting on his goals, it is exciting for him to know that he is not limited by his major and that he will have a useful skill set.  He realizes that there are a lot of opportunities for him that could extend to his doing work for NASA.    

                                     VSGC AVIATION TECHNOLOGY SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

                                                                         BURLINGTON TECHNICAL CENTER 

RYAN BOUVIER- A first year recipient of VSGC Aviation Technology Scholarship Award and a resident of Winooski, Vermont.  Ryan is currently enrolled in the BTC Aviation Post Secondary Program pursuing an Airframe and Powerplant Certification. 

TYLER BROWN - A first year recipient of VSGC Aviation Technology Scholarship Award and a resident of South Burlington, Vermont.  Tyler is currently enrolled in the BTC Aviation Post Secondary Program pursuing an Airframe and Powerplant Certification.

ANDREW FREDETTE- A first year recipient of VSGC Aviation Technology Scholarship Award and a  resident of Burlington, Vermont.  Andrew  is currently enrolled in the BTC Aviation Post Secondary Program pursuing an Airframe and Powerplant Certification.  

                                                                              SKILLS USA 

                                                        VSGC URECA! AWARD RECIPIENTS

TREVOR AVANT - Mechanical Engineering, University of Vermont.  Trevor’s Research Topic is “Atomistic Simulation Study of Indentation of Nickel Nanowires”.

 

ASHLEY MCKHANN - Mathematics, University of Vermont.  Ashley’s Research Topic is “Forecasting Regime Changes in a Physical Toy Climate”.

  

SUMMER AEROSPACE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (SAWDRIP)

NASA STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER

BENJAMIN SCARALIA  - Applied Physics, Rennsselaer Polytechnic Institute and a resident of Troy, New York.  Benjamin is working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, for the period of June 1, 2010 through August 6, 2010 with Dr. David Chuss and the NASA Observational Cosmology Laboratory, Greenbelt, MD on the research of “Probing the Early Universe Through Measurement of the Polarazation of the Cosmic Microwave Background.”