Members in the News
LOCAL TOP STUDENT NAMED 2019 COCA-COLA SCHOLAR
Nation’s Premiere Scholarship Program Awards (3) Washington Students $20,000 each for College- The following 3 students have been named a 2019 Coca-Cola Scholar.
- 150 high school seniors were selected from an initial pool of 95,715 applications from across the country based on their academic excellence, leadership & service demonstrated in school/community activities as part of a 3-stage selection process. See the full list.
- The Washington students will each receive a $20,000 college scholarship & travel to Atlanta for Coca-Cola Scholars Weekend April 4-7, 2019
Name |
High School |
Location |
Monica Chang |
Camas High School |
Camas, WA |
Sarah Raza |
Redmond High School |
Redmond, WA |
Symphony Koss |
Columbia River High School |
Vancouver, WA |
These exceptional seniors @ Camas High School, Redmond High School & Columbia River High School in Washington have been recognized as one of the country’s most outstanding high school leaders by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation & have been awarded a $20,000 college scholarship. As members of the 31st class of Coca-Cola Scholars, these students not only exemplify superior leadership, service & academics – they are change agents, positively affecting others in their community. This is why they’re one of 150 selected from 95,715 initial applicants from across the country to receive this scholarship.
A joint effort of Coca-Cola bottlers across the United States & The Coca‑Cola Company, the Coca‑Cola Scholars Program is one of the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship programs of its kind. With the addition of the 2019 class, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation will have provided more than 6,300 Coke Scholars nationwide with over $69 million in scholarships over the course of 31 years. The 31st class of Scholars alone will collectively be awarded $3.1 million in scholarships.
“We believe that identifying these young leaders throughout the country & encouraging their passion for serving others not only empowers the students, but also lifts up those around them.” said Jane Hale Hopkins, President of the Foundation. “The Coca-Cola system is dedicated to giving back to the communities they serve, & the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation is proud to be a part of that commitment.”
In addition to receiving college scholarships, Coca-Cola Scholars will come to Atlanta April 4-7 for Scholars Weekend where they will serve as the guests of honor at a celebratory banquet, participate in a leadership development curriculum & be welcomed into a vibrant and growing family of alumni that have become a powerful force for positive change in the world. Through networking, collaborations & friendships, the group strives to make a greater impact together. Recent events and initiatives include the 2018 Coca-Cola Scholars Leadership Summit, a post-hurricane clean-up in Houston, and the third year of a coaching program that partners seasoned alumni with first-year Scholars as they transition to college.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation celebrates and empowers visionary leaders who are refreshing the world. With its 31st class of Coca-Cola Scholars, the Foundation has provided more than $69 million in scholarships to over 6,300 program alumni who together have become a powerful force for positive change. Learn more at www.coca-colascholars.org.
SEL founder inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, joins the ranks of Edison, Ford, and Tesla
Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, president and chief technology officer of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories is to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in recognition of his invention of the digital protective relay. Schweitzer was included in the list of 19 inventors to receive this honor that was announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
“Schweitzer brought the first microprocessor-based digital protective relay to market, revolutionizing the performance of electric power systems with computer-based protection and control equipment and making a major impact in the electric power utility industry,” said the NIHF in its press release. “Schweitzer’s more precise, more reliable digital relay was one-eighth the size, one-tenth the weight and one-third the price of previous mechanical relays.”
Schweitzer invented the digital relay while a doctoral student at Washington State University in the late 1970s. He founded SEL in 1982 and began manufacturing and selling the new product out of the basement of his Pullman, Washington, home. Over the years, Schweitzer has continued to invent a steady stream of technologies and products. He will be awarded his 200th patent on January 15, 2019.
Today, SEL equipment is used by utilities and industrial customers throughout the United States and in 163 countries. Its devices can be found in nearly every substation in North America. In addition to protective relays, the 100 percent employee-owned company manufactures a wide variety of products and technologies, including rugged computers, cybersecurity devices, meters and fault indicators.
“When Ed showed the industry that microprocessor-based relays could be made to accurately replace electromechanical relays, he embarked on a journey that changed the industry,” said Jonathan Sykes, senior manager of system protection at Pacific Gas and Electric and IEEE Fellow. “Now, there are generations of engineers who do not remember an industry without microprocessors. The first devices he invented not only replaced their electromechanical predecessors, they also provided applications that helped increase the reliability of the electrical grid and made it more affordable and safer.”
Schweitzer will join 562 outstanding men and women who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Nikola Tesla. The NIHF, working in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, is dedicated to honoring the legacies of visionary U.S. patent holders and advancing the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.
“So many of the inventors recognized by the National Inventors Hall of Fame are heroes of mine,” said Schweitzer. “My father was a prolific inventor, and he inspired creativity in many folks, including me. I am humbled by this incredible honor.”
The induction ceremony will take place in Washington D.C. this May. Visit invent.org [invent.org],
to learn more about the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Dr. Schweitzer and the other inventors who are part of the 2019 class of inductees.
PRH & WSU sign agreement to collaborate on health related initiatives (November 8, 2019)
This week, Pullman Regional Hospital and Washington State University announced an official partnership with a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding signifying a formal continuation of long-standing collaboration between the two public entities. At a ceremony on Thursday at Pullman Regional Hospital, CEO Scott Adams and Washington State University President Kirk Schulz, signed the document that defines the collaborative effort, to be known as “Partners in Excellence.”
“Strengthening our partnership and expanding our collaborative opportunities will help move Pullman Regional Hospital and Washington State University forward in our mutual pursuit of excellence in serving our community,” said Adams.
“I’m delighted to formalize our longtime partnership with Pullman Regional Hospital,” Schulz said. “This is a win-win, not only for the university and the hospital, but for the broader community. Our students are big winners too—especially those in health-related fields—as they’ll gain expanded training opportunities and mentoring that will make them more effective professionals.”
Specific areas of collaboration are:
- Health & Wellness Support and Education: A commitment to build healthier communities, unique to the region, including the WSU student population and an aging population in a rural area of the state. Mobilizing resources and sharing expertise can result in improved health outcomes in such areas as mental health, suicide prevention, stress reduction, healthy eating, substance abuse and violence prevention.
- Clinical Affiliation Agreements/Workforce Training: To provide experiential training and mentoring to enhance opportunities for students from all of WSU’s health sciences programs, WSU College of Nursing, WSU College of Pharmacy and the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.
- Human Resources/Employee Recruitment & Retention: As two major employers in the region, we will work together to coordinate and promote employment opportunities.
- Advancement through Community and Alumni Engagement: To work with supporters of both organizations, including WSU Alumni, to facilitate fundraising efforts for healthcare projects, such as the Rural Residency Training Track for Family Medicine Physicians.
- Innovative Health Solutions: Through the hospital’s Center for Learning & Innovation and WSU’s healthcare and health science programs, provide joint research and project development on population health and advancement of care.
Photo credit: Robert Hubner, University Marketing & Communications.