ASME Foundation awards scholarships to FIRST students in Atlanta

Judith Kearney
ASME Foundation

Members of the ASME Foundation attended the 2007 FIRST National Championships at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta last month to promote the Society's agreement of affiliation with the not-for-profit organization FIRST.

Founded in 1989 by ASME member and inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was established to encourage young people's interest and participation in science and technology. The innovative programs of FIRST build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math.

(Left to right) Warren Leonard, Ruthy Thayer, Keith Thayer, Nina Webb, Dan Koenig, Marilyn Koenig, George Cohen, Judith Kearney, J.C. Campbell, and Roy Dunham. Not pictured were Atlanta ASME members Bobby Green, Niranjan Talukder, and Sabastian DeLahoz.

As part of the affiliation agreement, the ASME Foundation, in conjunction with the ASME Auxiliary, offers $5,000 portable scholarships to graduating seniors who excel on their high school FIRST teams, and who have been nominated for a scholarship by an ASME member, an Auxiliary member of ASME, or a student member who volunteers on a FIRST team.

Three of the nine scholarship winners were on hand at this year's robotics competition championships in Atlanta to accept an official certificate of award from the Foundation. Those scholarship winners competing in Atlanta included Wil Hopkins of Newark, Del., who will attend Princeton; Max Mitchell of Las Vegas, who will study at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Polina Aanilyuk of New York City, who is headed for Dartmouth.

Other scholarship winners this year include Jeffrey Lewis of Newberg, Ore.; Chris Niznik of Woodbine, Md.; John Walton of Meredith, N.H.; Courtney Roberts of Redondo Beach, Calif.; Travis White of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.; and John Schoomaker of Orlando, Fla.

The ASME Foundation's Warren Leonard congratulates scholarship winner Max Mitchell in between FIRST competition rounds in the Georgia Dome.

Many long-time ASME members serve as volunteers for FIRST competitions on the local, regional, and national levels, giving ASME a strong presence at every level of competition. Several Atlanta-area ASME members also joined Warren Leonard, the Foundation's executive director, and Judith Kearney, the Foundation's director of development, for a FIRST-hand look at the competition. Ruthann Bigley, coordinator for the ASME Foundation and Governance, represented ASME at the FIRST "Scholarship Row" — a section at the exhibition featuring booths from all of the organizations that offered scholarships to FIRST participants.

The pits, which can be described as the NASCAR portion of the FIRST experience, were overflowing with enthusiasm as student tour guides Corryne LeDuc and Stephanie Richards, both from Kell High School in Atlanta, escorted members of the Foundation and explained the finer points of how teams fine-tune and test their robots. On Friday, guests had an opportunity to also see the younger teams at work in the FIRST Lego League and VEX team areas.

From the pits, guests were taken onto the floor of the Georgia Dome for an up-close look at actual competition. Friday's activities also included a reception for all scholarship winners, and an opportunity to meet Dean Kamen and his associate, Woodie Flowers, FIRST executive advisory board vice chairman.

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