Five talented students from across ˿Ƶ will each receive a 4-year full tuition and fees scholarship to the ˿Ƶ (˿Ƶ Tech), thanks to a generous grant from the Robert J. and Leona DeArmond Public Foundation. ˿Ƶ Tech and the ˿Ƶ Manufacturing Innovation Center Research and Development (OMIC R&D) announced the names of the five recipients, all of whom graduated from high school in June and will begin at either the Klamath Falls or Portland-Metro campuses in September.
Earlier this year, the DeArmond Foundation awarded $300,000 to ˿Ƶ Tech in support of nurturing outstanding engineering and technology professionals in ˿Ƶ. Out of the total, $200,000 was awarded to five students from ˿Ƶ high schools in a competitive application and interview process, to establish the first class of DeArmond Manufacturing Fellows at ˿Ƶ Tech. In addition to fully paid tuition and fees for four years at ˿Ƶ Tech to study either mechanical or manufacturing engineering technology, the students will work as interns at OMIC R&D in Scappoose throughout the year. Two of the students will begin internships at OMIC R&D this summer, assisting with research and other projects before starting college this fall.
The five student awardees include:
˿Ƶ Tech dean of engineering, Dr. Thomas Keyser said, “We are proud to welcome the DeArmond scholars to ˿Ƶ Tech this fall at both our Klamath Falls and Portland-Metro campuses. They represent some of the most talented, hard-working students from across the state, and we look forward to their contributions during their time at ˿Ƶ Tech.”
Students will begin building foundational skills in their first year at ˿Ƶ Tech. In the three years to follow they will cultivate not only the technical skills needed to be innovators in industry, but a deeply engrained, hands-on applied professional development experience, allowing them to address even the most complex challenges faced by industry.
OMIC has positioned itself uniquely, with a simultaneous focus on creating state-of-the-art technology solutions in manufacturing and actively encouraging future manufacturing professionals. OMIC R&D delivers advanced manufacturing research activities through its academic research partners -- ˿Ƶ Tech, Portland State University (PSU), and ˿Ƶ State University (OSU) -- who will be working closely with industry professionals. This public-private partnership augments the region’s capabilities in metals, machinery and manufacturing, and trains the next generation of manufacturing workforce, leading to quality jobs and economic development.
