Encouragement From the Future

Three UC Santa Barbara engineering undergraduate students were named recipients of $1,000 scholarships to be awarded during National Engineers Week, Feb. 19-25.

Dorian Bruch, Hyun Bum Cho and Michael Abramovitch were chosen to receive the scholarships by the local chapter of DiscoverE, a coalition of engineering professionals. “We feel strongly about the candidates we have selected and think they are excellent students,” said Miranda Patton, a member of the committee which has awarded 10 scholarships altogether.

“We are so thrilled two of our chemical engineering undergraduates, Dorian Bruch and Michael Abramovitch, have been awarded scholarships from DiscoverE,” said Rachel Segalman, chair of UCSB’s Department of Chemical Engineering. “This recognition of our students from industry has been awarded to two outstanding recipients. Our department joins Dorian and Michael in celebrating this wonderful achievement.”

According to Patton, the scholarship winners, all of whom attend Santa Barbara or Ventura County colleges or universities, were selected for their academic performance in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. The young engineers-to-be are recognized for their accomplishments outside of the classroom, and their potential for future contributions in the engineering fields as well as to local industry.

“We are excited that Hyun has received this award and thank DiscoverE for the recognition,” said Ambuj Singh, chair of the UCSB Department of Computer Science. “Hyun is a first year Bachelor of Science student and has been excellent in his coursework. What is noteworthy is that he has already engaged in multiple projects outside the classroom, including SB Hacks III. Surely, it is a sign of many more exciting things to come.”

The awards will be presented at a dinner banquet Feb. 23 at CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo, Calif., as part of the larger occasion that is National Engineers Week. A celebration meant to highlight the contributions of the nation’s engineers and to encourage the next generation of technology, math and science-minded individuals to pursue careers in engineering, Engineers Week also involves the recognition of significant projects as well as educators who make it possible for students to discover and pursue careers in the field.