Fifteen students pursuing careers in manufacturing were awarded scholarships of $1,500 or $2,500 from Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, the nonprofit foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International.

“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, and will help them be more competitive in the current job market.”

Scholarships were awarded to the following students:

  • Christopher Caldwell of Lindale, Texas, who is studying welding technology at Tyler Junior College.
  • Pedro Duarte of Northlake, Illinois, who is studying engineering technology at Triton College.
  • Cody Fale of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, who is studying industrial welding at Lakeshore Technical College.
  • Catalin Harabagiu of Garrison, New York, who is studying materials engineering at Purdue University.
  • Jonathan Hartzler of Rosedale, Indiana, who is studying precision machine technology and advanced manufacturing at Vincennes University.
  • Etan Heller of Madison, Wisconsin, who is studying metal fabrication at Madison Area Technical College.
  • Ryan Henderson of Sussex, New Jersey, who is studying industrial and manufacturing engineering at Penn State.
  • Shane Marquardt of Marinette, Wisconsin, who is studying mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University.
  • Andrew Nix of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, who is studying precision machining at Harper College.
  • Tess Olson of Wheeling, Illinois, who is studying welding technology at Harper College.
  • Gregory Paash of Helenville, Wisconsin, who is studying metal fabrication/welding at Madison Area Technical College.
  • Tyler Rigby of South Park, Pennsylvania, who is studying mechanical engineering at Penn State Behrend.
  • Jacob Samuelson of Mineral, California, who is studying mechanical engineering at George Fox University.
  • Ross Snyder of Platte City, Missouri, who is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
  • Mason Uhlmansiek of Rising Sun, Indiana, who is studying advanced automation and robotics technology at Ivy Tech Community College.

“The most difficult U.S. jobs to fill today are those in the skilled trades and engineering,” Youdell said. “With majors in machine tool and CNC (computer numerical control) 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 with a specified minimum GPA and enrolled in an engineering- or manufacturing-related course of study, or a trade or technical program for a career in manufacturing.

In addition to the scholarship, students also received a copy of SolidWorks Corp.’s Student Design Kit CAD software package.