Five talented Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) students have been awarded a DeArmond Manufacturing Fellows Scholarship, which provides a four-year scholarship to cover tuition and fees to pursue a degree in manufacturing or mechanical engineering. The scholarship includes an internship at the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center Research and Development (OMIC R&D) facility in Scappoose to work collaboratively with researchers and industry representatives.
The five scholarship recipients are:
Zander Ortega – Mechanical Engineering, Sandy High School
Cole Erhardt – Mechanical Engineering, Scappoose High School
Abby (Abigail) Gibson – Mechanical Engineering, Henley High School
Dylan Davis – Mechanical Engineering, Glide High School
Zack Kane – Mechanical Engineering, Ashland High School
The DeArmond Manufacturing Fellows Scholarship, a total value of $320,000, is provided by a generous grant from the Robert J. and Leona DeArmond Public Foundation. In addition to the Fellows Scholarship, the DeArmond Foundation has donated $100,000 over four years to renewable scholarships for incoming freshmen who are enrolled in health sciences or engineering degrees.
The scholarship provides a distinctive, four-year educational experience designed to develop exceptionally talented graduates. Recipients spend their first year building foundational skills, then in the three years that follow, they begin more hands-on courses to cultivate the technical skills needed to be industry innovators. In addition to their Oregon Tech courses, recipients learn from practicing professionals and respond to industry needs through internships at OMIC R&D.
OMIC R&D has positioned itself uniquely, with a simultaneous focus on creating state-of-the-art manufacturing technology solutions and actively encouraging future manufacturing professionals. OMIC R&D delivers advanced manufacturing research activities through its academic research partners working closely with industry professionals. This public-private partnership augments the region’s metals, machinery, and manufacturing capabilities, and trains the next generation of the manufacturing workforce, leading to quality jobs and economic development.
The DeArmond Manufacturing Fellows Scholarship is open to high school students who graduate from any Oregon high school. Applicants must participate in a competitive application and interview process. Students who receive the scholarship must maintain satisfactory academic progress in an eligible Oregon Tech degree program, a GPA of 3.0 or better, maintain full-time student status, and demonstrate satisfactory work progress as interns for OMIC R&D or OMIC member companies.
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