25 Students Win Manufacturing Scholarships From FMA Foundation and Solidworks Corporation
ROCKFORD, Ill., July 8, 2008 - Twenty-five students seeking careers in manufacturing earned $5,000, $2,500 or $500 toward their college or trade school education from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA) Foundation and SolidWorks Corporation.
The FMA Foundation and SolidWorks awarded 21 traditional scholarships to college- or trade school-bound high school seniors and college students who seek careers in manufacturing. In addition, six students received a $500 "GO-Brennan" scholarship based on a YouTube promotion tied to FMA's sponsorship of 16-year-old stock car driver and welder Brennan Palmiter.
This year the FMA and SolidWorks have awarded scholarships totaling $83,000. The winners are:
$5,000 FMA Foundation/SolidWorks Scholarships
o Justin Bush, Weyerhaeuser, Wis.
o Brian Dapore, Versailles, Ohio
o Brent Denton, Appleton, Wis.
o Benjamin Eilerman, Rossburg, Ohio
o Matthew Gonitzke, Rockford, Ill.
o Adam Koesters, Maria Stein, Ohio
o Kevin Langston, Piqua, Ohio
o Drew Mescher, Minster, Ohio
o Sharissa Murphy, White Rock, BC
o Ben Shappie, Versailles, Ohio
o Corey Vossler, St. Marys, Ohio
$2,500 FMA Foundation/SolidWorks Scholarships
o Stephen Blanchard, Katy, Texas
o Daniel Cosson, New York, N.Y.
o Alanna Cummings, Long Beach, Calif.
o Cody Grebe, Milford, Mich.
o Justin Johnson, Long Beach, Calif.
o Robert Johnson, Downey, Calif.
o Tomasz Kuna, Yonkers, N.Y.
o Joseph Logsdon, Corriganville, Md.
o Brian Lutomski, Granger, Ind.
o Ryan Shenk, Suwanee, Ga.
$500 "GO-Brennan" Scholarships
o Alanna Cummings, Long Beach, Calif.
o Kevin Delyser, Marion, N.Y.
o Brian Freeman, Carrollton, Mo.
o Justin Johnson, Long Beach, Calif.
o Dave Larson, Ontario, N.Y.
o Gary Lawrence, Wolcott, N.Y.
"We applaud the students selected as 2008 FMA Foundation/Solidworks and "GO-Brennan" scholarship winners, and are pleased to assist them in fulfilling their academic goals," said Terrence Egan, director of the FMA Foundation.
To be eligible for the traditional scholarships, applicants were required to be full-time students with a minimum 3.0 GPA (for a college scholarship) or a 2.0 GPA (for a trade/technical school scholarship) enrolled in an engineering or manufacturing-related course of study, or a trade or technical program that may lead to a career in manufacturing. Students were responsible for submitting academic records and an engineering or manufacturing-related program description with each application.
Membership-based scholarships were available for individuals that are members of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA), Tube and Pipe Association, International (TPA) or the Outside Processors Council (OPC); the employee of a member company; or the child of a member or member company's employee.
College scholarships for members were $5,000 per school year and college scholarships for non-members were $2,500 per school year. Trade school scholarships of up to $2,500 per school year required membership, and students could apply for membership at the time of application. In addition to the monetary grant, each scholarship winner received a copy of Solidworks' Student Design Kit CAD software package. The Student Design Kit is an easy-to-learn, Windows-based 3D CAD application that gives students the ability to create "real-life" 3D designs they can easily manipulate.
For the "GO-Brennan" promotion, high school, trade school and college students seeking careers in manufacturing were required to create and post their own videos on YouTube explaining why they wanted to be in manufacturing, what career they sought and where they wanted to attend school. Applicants also were encouraged to include footage of themselves welding or building with metal.
For more information about scholarship winners and information about next year's awards, please visit www.fma-foundation.org/Scholarships.cfm.
About SolidWorks Corporation
SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systèmes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) company, develops and markets software for design, analysis, and product data management. It is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, giving teams intuitive, high-performing software that helps them design better products. For the latest news, information, or a live online demonstration, visit the company's Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000.
About FMA Foundation
The FMA Foundation is a charitable organization that offers grants to not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions introducing young people to metal forming careers in manufacturing, provides funding to organizations starting or expanding manufacturing camps for youth, and issues scholarships to students at colleges and trade schools pursuing careers in manufacturing. More information on the foundation is available by visiting www.fma-foundation.org.
