Penn STEM Students Receive College Scholarships

Throughout the year Penn STEM Academy students worked hard to raise money from   private donors and from the Gene Haas Foundation for scholarships that could support their fellow STEM students graduating in May 2017. On Wednesday, June 14, the scholarships will be awarded to those student recipients.

Gene Haas Foundation and Penn STEM Academy Scholarship Winners:

• Connor Christ: Ivy Tech Community College, Welding
• Chris Dell: Iowa State University, Mechanical Engineering
• Adam Dewey: Purdue University, Mechanical Engineering
• Nathan Petrie: Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Computer Engineering
• Blake Witchie: Purdue University, Engineering

Selection Criteria: Penn High School seniors who will be pursuing a career in a manufacturing or engineering related field after graduation. Students must have been enrolled in an Engineering & Tech course while at Penn High School and could communicate their experiences, leadership, activities, and future plans. A committee of Penn Engineering & Tech teachers selected the scholarship recipients.

About the Gene Haas Foundation: Gene Haas is the owner Haas Automation, Inc., America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools, which he started in 1983. Haas Automation is a now a billion dollar company. In 1999, Haas started the Foundation to fill the manufacturing gap projected in reports, like “The Skills Gap in U.S. Manufacturing 2015 and Beyond,” that nearly three and a half million manufacturing jobs will need to be filled over the next decade. The Gene Haas Foundation focuses on manufacturing education in the form of scholarships for CNC machinist training. To date, more than 4000 charitable (501 C 3) organizations and schools have received funds totaling more than 50 million dollars from the Gene Haas Foundation.

Penn Robotics Scholarship Winners:

• Lizzie Heisler: Vincennes University, Nursing
• Mia Heisler: Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Nursing
• Nathan Petrie: Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Computer Engineering
• Connor Swift: Purdue University, Engineering
• Frank Salek: Purdue University, Engineering

Selection Criteria: Penn High School seniors who were on the Penn Robotics Team and are pursuing an engineering or robotic related field after graduation were eligible. Students communicated their experiences, leadership, activities, and future plans. A committee of Penn Robotics coaches, Penn Engineering & Tech teachers and private donors selected the scholarship winners.

About Penn Robotics, Team 135: The Black Knights, have a large community footprint. Team 135 has been competing and serving the Michiana area for 20 seasons! This year they decided to help their own student members by raising funds for the first Penn Robotics Scholarships. Through private donations they were able to present five robotics students with funds to use toward continuing their education.