Following a competitive process with many high-quality applicants, the Interstellar Research Group has chosen three students as the recipients of our 2020 scholarships. With the support of Baen Books (who sponsor the Tim Bolgeo Memorial Scholarship), Rob and Ruann Hampson, and Jay 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.

Our winners are:

Hayden Morgan, our graduate-level winner, and winner of the Tim Bolgeo Memorial Scholarship, earned a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 2019. He participated in the Midwest Hyperloop group which competed in the 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, as well as serving as a mentor to high school students in designing, fabricating, and testing robots capable of completing complex tasks.  He is pursuing a MS in Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University. His winning essay can be read here.

Our first undergraduate winner, Isabel Collins, comes from New Orleans, LA, and will be attending The University of the South in the fall, majoring in Biochemistry. In high school, she was very involved several service organizations, as well as the National Honors Society, and she took first place in the Biology AP competition.  Summer internships at Ochsner Medical Center and Tulane Medical School have led her to pursue a career in research. Her winning essay can be read here.

Evelyn Johnson, our second undergraduate winner, is an undergraduate at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. She took classes from West Georgia Technical College (dual enrollment program) and plans a double major in History and Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She plans to attend Mercer Medical School for her M.D., to serve the rural areas in her community, to dedicate her studies to the betterment of public health in this country. Her winning essay can be read here.

About IRG

The purpose of Interstellar Research Group 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. IRG 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 IRG 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

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