AHS Announces 2015 Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarship Recipients

April 2, 2015

Contact: The Vertical Flight Society
(703) 684-6777

AHS Announces 2015 Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarship Recipients
$68,000 Awarded to 22 Engineering Students

AHS International – The Vertical Flight Technical Society – is pleased to announce its 2015 Vertical Flight Foundation (VFF) scholarship recipients. A total of 22 scholarships were awarded this year to some of the world’s most talented engineering students interested in vertical flight. VFF scholarships this year totaled $68,000. “Over the past five years,” said AHS International Executive Director Mike Hirschberg, “we have more than doubled the total amount awarded, due to the sincere generosity of our members. This has allowed us to increase both the size and the number of VFF scholarship awards.”

The following are this year’s awardees, who will be recognized at the Grand Awards Banquet on Wednesday May 6, 2015. The banquet is one of the highlights of the 71st Annual AHS Annual Forum and Technology Display at Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Bachelor Degree Recipients
  • Mr. Gerald Andrews, University of Maryland College Park – John Zuk Scholarship
  • Mr. Vaibhav Kumar, Georgia Institute of Technology – Hans and Gil Weichsel Scholarship
  • Mr. Terry Hei Tsun Ma, Georgia Institute of Technology – George Powell Scholarship
  • Mr. Jackson Alexander Morris, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa – Barry Baskett Scholarship
  • Mr. Jagadesh Siva Movva, Georgia Institute of Technology – Richard M. Carlson Scholarship
  • Mr. Nikolai A. Travis, The Pennsylvania State University – Larry Doyle Scholarship
Master Degree Recipients
  • Mr. David Allen Coleman, Texas A&M University – Eugene K. Liberatore Scholarship
  • Ms. Amanda L. Grubb, Georgia Institute of Technology – Charles C. Crawford Scholarship
  • Mr. Mohit Gupta, Georgia Institute of Technology – Don Toler Scholarship
  • Mr. Kevin Jacobson, Georgia Institute of Technology – Jean Boulet Scholarship
  • Mr. Robert John Niemiec Jr., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Ray Prouty Scholarship
  • Mr. Byron W. Patterson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Bell Helicopter Vertical Flight Scholarship
  • Mr. Dhwanil Shukla, Georgia Institute of Technology – Alfred L. Wolf Scholarship
  • Ms. Stacy Sidle, University of Maryland College Park – Hal Andrews Scholarship
  • Ms. Lauren Trollinger, University of Maryland College Park – John M. Slattery Scholarship         
Doctorate Degree Recipients
  • Mr. George Jacobellis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Paul E. Haueter Scholarship
  • Mr. Ramin Modarres, Washington University in St. Louis – St. Louis Chapter Scholarship
  • Ms. Katarina Alexis Morowsky, Oregon State University – Stanley Hiller, Jr. Scholarship
  • Mr. David B. Reich, The Pennsylvania State University – Frank N. Piasecki Scholarship
  • Mr. Joseph H. Schmaus, University of Maryland College Park – Joseph P. Cribbins Scholarship
  • Ms. Elena Shrestha, University of Maryland College Park – Alfred Gessow Scholarship
  • Ms. Elizabeth A. Weiner, University of Maryland College Park – Richard L. Ballard Scholarship

The VFF was established in 1967 as the philanthropic arm of AHS. Since 1977, the merit-based scholarship program has been a great success story, with more than 400 scholarships awarded to date. Many recipients are now leaders in the vertical flight technical community. 100% of every tax-deductible contribution to VFF goes directly to student scholarships. AHS International covers all overhead costs of administration and accounting, and contributes a portion of its revenue to supplementing individual contributions.

For more information on the Vertical Flight Foundation or to donate to this important cause, please visit www.vtol.org/vff; a list of all past VFF scholarship winners is also posted.

Founded in 1943 as the American Helicopter Society, AHS International today is the world's premier vertical flight technical society. The Society is the global resource for information on vertical flight technology. It provides global leadership for scientific, technical, educational and legislative initiatives that advance the state-of-the-art of vertical flight.

AHS International – The Vertical Flight Technical Society
2701 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 210, Fairfax, Virginia 22031, USA
Phone: 1-703-684-6777; Fax: 1-703-739-9279
email: staff@vtol.org; web site: www.vtol.org