By David Wagman, Chief Editor
This marks the third year I have had the pleasure of helping to award some money to students who just might make a big addition to our industry in the not-too-distant future.
I help direct the Next Generation Scholarship Fund, which Power Engineering magazine and the Junior Engineering Technical Society teamed up to create in 2006. Funded entirely by tax deductible contributions from industry, over the past three years we have made 12, $5,000 scholarships available to promising high school students who are entering college to study engineering with an eye toward a career in the electric power industry.
This year’s scholarship winners are Nicole Marie Businelli from Morristown, N.J.; Sarah Hornbostel from Houston; Michael Loy from Portland, Ore.; and Travis Mallett from Palouse, Wash.
The idea behind the Next Generation Scholarship Fund is to identify bright and talented high school students who plan to study engineering and pursue a career in the power industry. Our financial supporters are among the most progressive companies and organizations in the industry. They are taking direct action to help address the coming workforce challenges.
Our contributors include Alstom Power, General Physics, the American Boiler Manufacturers Association, the Bechtel Foundation and CH2M Hill. Their support has been steadfast, even during the recession. Each of these organizations realizes the importance of continuing to develop and encourage young people to pursue careers in our industry.
Helping to direct future growth for the Next Generation Scholarship Fund and responsible for reviewing finalists in our annual scholarship essay competition is an equally progressive group of industry leaders who make up our Steering Committee. Members this year include Toni Martin of Hitachi Power Systems, Larry Jaworski of Black & Veatch, Nancy Mohn of Alstom Power, Betty Shanahan of the Society of Women Engineers, Joe Nasal of General Physics, Megan Balkovic of JETS and myself.
Reading our finalists’ essays is a treat for me and other Steering Committee members. For example, scholarship winner Michael Loy credits his grandfather Percy with introducing him to electrical engineering.
“Spending some of our best time together at his manufacturing plant, I was six years old when my grandfather and I studied the workings of the packaging machine to see how boxes were made, disassembled the change unit on the company soda machine so workers could get free drinks and learned that sometimes solutions were as simple as spraying WD-40 on anything that moved, including the bathroom door hinges.
“By the time I entered high school, Grandpa and I had fixed, repaired and replaced almost every movable part in the plant. I grew up experiencing the excitement, application and importance of electrical engineering. In college, I hope to further and mesh my electrical knowledge with the field of nanotechnology. My hope is to create a thin, film coating which will enhance heat conversion and heat waste into electricity. Currently, I am researching and studying the nanoscale process with Dr. Eric Sanchez at Portland State University in Portland, Ore.”
It’s a real pleasure to make a scholarship available to students like Michael, Nicole, Sarah and Travis. I wish them well and encourage you to support the Next Generation Scholarship Fund with your tax-deductible contributions. Contact me directly at davidw@pennwell.com or visit the JETS web site at www.jets.org. Together we can help build the next generation.
We’ve made some changes to Power Engineering magazine. Our popular columns Clearing the Air, View on Renewables and Nuclear Reactions now appear every month. Generating Buzz will also appear every month on the last page of each issue.
We’re moving Field Notes up to the front of the magazine and are renaming the section “What Works” to reflect its focus on solutions that can be put to work.
We’ve also added a new column that we call “Peak Load.” This is a place for thought leadership in which top industry players share their thoughts and ideas on where the power industry is headed. Look also for our new “Tech Notes” page that will highlight some interesting technologies coming out of the research labs.
Your best source for news headlines, project announcements, our weekly video newscast and other features will be Power Engineering magazine’s web site at www.power-eng.com. There, you’ll find news headlines that are updated throughout the business day. You’ll also be able to sign up for our free weekly electronic newsletter, which is packed with news, trends, features and video links.
Power Engineering magazine’s print edition—going strong and now in its 113th year—and online offerings provide you with the most comprehensive news, features, ideas, practical tools and events list available in the industry.
As always, I look forward to hearing comments from you on these changes as well as on important events in the power generation industry.