May 09, 2016
Four students earn inaugural energy scholarships
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Four scholars will receive a boost to their careers in energy this fall when they receive the first scholarships awarded by the Advanced Coal and Energy Research Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Two undergraduate and two graduate students will receive the scholarships for the 2016-17 academic year. Both scholarships are funded by the $4.6 million Energy Boost grant, which established ACERC and funds its mission of creating a new interdisciplinary academic unit charged with finding advanced coal and energy technology solutions while training a workforce to implement those solutions in the private sector in the future.
The undergraduate scholarship recipients are Evan Langley, who will transfer to SIU from Lakeland College in Mattoon; and Jake Warner, who will graduate this spring from Waterloo High School in Waterloo. The graduate scholarship recipients are Tajdar Ahmed, who will attend SIU after graduating from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, India; and Chinedu Obiakara, who graduated from Vaal University of Technology in South Africa.
The undergraduate award is valued at $2,500 for the fall and spring semesters, for a total value of $5,000. It is open to full-time undergraduate students enrolled and in good standing in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Processes.
The scholarship aims to attract local high school graduates who have been personally impacted by the contraction in the coal industry. The award can roll over each semester until the student graduates, as determined by a semi-annual review of student academic performance and/or a personal interview.
ACERC is awarding up to five such new scholarships each academic year.
The one-time, $5,000 Energy Boost Graduate Scholarship is aimed at supporting high-caliber students in SIU's professional science master’s degree in advanced energy and fuels management. ACERC will fund up to five such scholarships each academic year.
To learn more about scholarship opportunities at ACERC go here.