Following a competitive process with many high-quality applicants, the Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop has chosen three students as the recipients of our 2019 scholarships. With the support of Baen Books (who are sponsoring the Tim Bolgeo Memorial Scholarship), Rob and Ruann Hampson, and J and Beth Roye, we are awarding these deserving students one graduate scholarship ($2500) and two undergraduate scholarships ($2500 each). These scholarships were created to encourage the next generation to study science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields that support the research needed to get humanity to the stars. The purpose of TVIW is to facilitate interstellar research and exploration by hosting regular summit meetings, encouraging educational advances, publishing technical and scientific papers, and supporting literature and culture, all in the service of enhancing public understanding and dialogue toward interstellar exploration. TVIW will assist in building a technological, philosophical, and economic infrastructure that advances the goal of establishing outposts throughout the Solar System and, finally, achieving a pathway to the stars.
Our winners are:
Lauren Oldham, our Graduate winner, and winner of the Tim Bolgeo Memorial Scholarship, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Kentucky summa cum laude in 2014. She worked for a small company in mapping, going on to earn a Graduate Certificate in Digital Mapping in 2016. She will be pursuing a Masters in Digital Mapping at the University of Kentucky in the fall of 2019. She has been working with Women in Engineering to encourage local high school girls in STEM fields. Her winning essay can be read here.
Alex Tharpe, one of our undergraduate winners, lives in Dyersburg, TN, with his family and two dogs, and has been very involved with his local community. He will be attending Tennessee Tech University this fall, majoring in Engineering, possibly going into Mechanical or Chemical Engineering. He is considering a possible career with the military (Air Force) or an aerospace organization. His winning essay can be read here.
Tatiana Cheves, our other undergraduate winner, is an undergraduate from St. Petersburg, Florida, and will be attending Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, in the fall. She has taken classes from St. Petersburg College in Seminole, FL for the past few years, and plans to major in Biology and Environmental Studies. She is a member of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math; as a member, she mentors underclasswomen in STEM careers and programs. Her winning essay can be read here.
About TVIW
The purpose of Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop is to facilitate interstellar research and exploration by hosting regular summit meetings, encouraging educational advances, publishing technical and scientific papers, and supporting literature and culture, all in the service of enhancing public understanding and dialogue toward interstellar exploration. TVIW will assist in building a technological, philosophical, and economic infrastructure that advances the goal of establishing outposts throughout the Solar System and, finally, achieving a pathway to the stars.
Learn more about TVIW 2019 online, and connect via social media:
Web: https://irg.space
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InterstellarResearchGroup
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tviwus
YouTube: http://youtube.com/tviw