News

Nine Local Students Selected as Prestigious Wright Scholars

05/01/08

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (May 1, 2008) – Nine Clark County students have been selected to participate in the prestigious Wright Scholar program for 2008 out of 65 total applicants. Each student will work in a paid position this summer at the Air Force Research Laboratory in the Propulsion Directorate at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. The Wright Scholar program will foster the education of these promising young scientists or engineers with hands-on training and mentorship by a professional in the field.

“Clark County should be proud of these young people as they prepare for careers in the field of science, technology, engineering and math.  As a community, we have a plan to help prepare these young people for their futures and help make Clark County become a leader in innovation,” said Avetec Education Director Cathy Balas.

Clark County students selected for 2008 are:
    •  Anneliese Casey, junior, Northwestern School
    •   Wyatt Bridgman, junior, Springfield North High School
    •   Mary Catherine Jochum, junior, Springfield North High School
    •   Courtnay Dollinger, senior, Northeastern High School
    •   Jonathan Demeter, senior, Northwestern High School 
    •   Joseph Castle, senior, Northwestern High School
    •   David Highman, junior, Springfield North High School
    •   Jared Collier, senior, Northeastern High School
    •   Rachael Steiner, junior, Shawnee High School

Avetec and the Air Force Research Laboratory offer the Wright Scholar Research Assistant Program to high school juniors and seniors in Clark County. Juniors selected are automatically in next year’s program.

Avetec (the Advanced Virtual Engine Test Cell, Inc.), is a not-for-profit public benefit research organization, which aims to facilitate a dramatic reduction in the cost and time it takes to design, develop and test new turbine engines for commercial and military applications. Working together with industry, the Air Force, NASA and academia, Avetec is developing a world-class modeling and simulation capability to allow engineers to design, test and modify engines in a virtual setting, perfecting designs to the greatest extent possible before producing an actual prototype and resulting in a faster time-to-solution for drastically reduced cost. In the fall of 2008, Avetec will be located in the Nextedge Applied Research and Technology Park currently under construction just east of Springfield, Ohio on U.S. 40.
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