Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation Awards $45,000 in Manufacturing Scholarships

Twenty-eight students pursuing careers in manufacturing each earned between $1,500 and $2,500 toward their post-secondary studies from Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs (NBT), The Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA).

For the Fall 2018 semester, NBT awarded scholarships to the following students:

• Erin Beaver, Winfield, Penn., welding and fabrication engineering technology at Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Drew Berkbigler, Grove City, Ohio, combination structural and pipe welding at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology
• Sam Breese, Madison, Wis., automated manufacturing systems technology at Madison Area Technical College
• Maria Cantin, Livonia, Mich., welding and fabrication engineering technology at Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Jared Conn, Hillsboro, Ohio, combination structural and pipe welding at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology
• Jeremiah Cook, Oceana, W.V., structural and pipe welding at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology
• Franziska Daumberger, Sonora, Calif., pre-engineering at Columbia College
• James Demas-Moore, Worthington, Ohio, structural and pipe welding at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology
• James Diodato, Madison, Wis., machine tooling technics at Madison Area Technical College
• Matthew Dusek, Stanley, N.D., welding at Bismarck State College
• Cheryl Gebhart, Becker, Minn., CNC machine technology at Anoka Technical College
• Ben Kirby, Cincinnati, combined structural and pipe welding at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology
• Hannah Kuperus, Hopkins, Mich., mechanical engineering at Kettering University
• Cody Majernik, Rogers, Minn., machine technologies at Anoka Technical College
• Aaron Miqueli, Elk River, Minn., CNC machining/manufacturing at Anoka Technical College
• Jacob Paine, Yakima, Wash., instrumentation and industrial automation technology at Perry Technical Institute
• John Payton, Troy, Ill., precision machining technology at Southwestern Illinois College
• Luke Peterson**, Flagstaff, Ariz., mechanical engineering at Northern Arizona University
• Daniel Pousset*, Austin, Texas, mechanical engineering at University of Texas at Austin
• Emersen Price, Corvallis, Ore., machine tool technology at Linn-Benton Community College
• John Provenza, Jr., Marysville, Penn., automated manufacturing technology at Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Mary Raway, Indianapolis, mechanical engineering technology at Ivy Tech Community College
• Norman Sabin, Jr., Williamsport, Penn., electronic and computer engineering technology at Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Robert Staudigel, East Northport, N.Y., welding and fabrication engineering technology at Pennsylvania College of Technology
• Abigail VanDuyne, Orion, Ill., mechanical engineering at Iowa State University
• Jose Vigil, Albuquerque, N.M., welding technology at Central New Mexico Community College
• William Wadkins, Scottsboro, Ala., machine tool technology at Northeast Alabama Community College
• Niles Walter, Chiloquin, Ore., advanced manufacturing engineering technology at Klamath Community College

*U.K. Gupta Family Endowed Scholarship Recipient   **John Grossheim Memorial (OPC) Scholarship Recipient

“We are pleased to award scholarships to these deserving students and are happy to assist them in reaching their academic goals,” said Edward Youdell, president of Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs. “They recognize that skilled manufacturing careers can be rewarding financially and fulfilling personally.  The knowledge and skills they obtain will help them be more competitive in the current job market.

“The most difficult jobs to fill today are those in the skilled trades and engineering,” added Youdell. “With majors in machine tool and CNC technology, structural and pipe welding, sheet metal fabrication, engineering, and precision machining technology, these students will be prepared for the skilled labor openings that American manufacturers must fill.”

To be eligible for the scholarships, applicants were required to be full-time students meeting a specified minimum GPA, and enrolled in an engineering or manufacturing-related course of study, or a trade or technical program leading to a career in manufacturing. Students were responsible for submitting academic records and an engineering or manufacturing-related program description with each application.

In addition to the scholarship, each winner also received from NBT’s industry partner SolidWorks Corporation a copy of its Student Design Kit CAD software package. The Student Design Kit is an easy-to-learn, Windows-based 3D CAD application that gives students the ability to create “real-life” 3D designs they can easily manipulate.

Since 1990, FMA’s Foundation, Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, has awarded nearly 400 scholarships to students enrolled in courses of study that will lead to careers in manufacturing. For more information visit nutsandboltsfoundation.org/Scholarships.