University Park, Pa. -- A Penn State student recently was distinguished among the rising stars of the astronautics and space exploration field when he garnered a national award from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Brian Schratz, a recent Schreyer Honors College graduate who earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, shares the auspicious company of only 17 other students nationwide who are recognized for keeping America at the forefront of space technology.
Since 1986, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation has awarded annual scholarships to students who "exhibit motivation, imagination and exceptional performance in the science and engineering field of their major." More than 50 astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Shuttle programs contribute to this program with the goal of helping the United States retain its world leadership in science and technology. Each year, a select number of universities are invited to nominate qualified students.
Schratz's strong history of academic excellence and undergraduate research in aeronautics made him an ideal candidate for this award. Schratz wrote an undergraduate thesis entitled "Design of a Sounding Rocket Plasma Frequency Probe," as well as a publication for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics entitled "Commonality of Rover Operations for Moon and Mars Missions." He has worked as an undergraduate research fellow at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and as a summer scholar at NASA Langley Research Center, and has participated in the Airborne Telemetry Engineering Cooperative Education Program.
On a local level, Schratz has an extensive list of achievements at Penn State's University Park campus. He assumed leadership positions in the SPIRIT III Student Sounding Rocket and the Penn State LionSAT projects. In addition, Schratz is a member of Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honors Society and Eta Kappa Nu Honors Society for Electrical and Computer Engineers, and was the recipient of many honors through the Pennsylvania State Alumni Association and the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium.
He plans to stay at Penn State to pursue a master's degree.
Schratz said he is both thrilled and humbled to receive this award.
"I realize my work is far from over, as now I am standing with the giants of my field, and I will do my best to stand on their shoulders and live up to their expectations," he said.
The field should expect amazing things from Schratz, who said, "I do not want to just study science books; I want to write the next chapter."
The Astronaut Scholarship -- a one-time $10,000 award -- will aid Schratz in realizing opportunities he may not have had the financial ability to pursue otherwise, such as his recent trip to Norway to launch a rocket experiment.
Schratz will now join the ranks of an extraordinary group of individuals who share his fervor for astronautics and space exploration. Although he understands the difficult road ahead, he is a firm believer that "the future is made by those who dare to dream big, do what is hard, and achieve the amazing."
To learn more about this or other fellowship or grant opportunities, contact the University Fellowships Office at (814) 863-8199 or visit their Web site at http://www.ufo.psu.edu/ online.
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Story by Grant Miller, undergraduate intern in the Office of University Fellowships.