At the LSPA June Membership Meeting, four educational scholarships were presented by Bill Betters, President of the LSPA Scholarship Fund. The LSPA Scholarship Fund supports individuals pursuing undergraduate or graduate education in environmental fields in Massachusetts and other New England states. Since 2003, the LSPA Scholarship Fund has presented over 39 scholarships totaling more than $160,000.
Congratulations to this year’s scholarship recipients:
Iris Irwin is recipient of the Jeff Hardin Memorial Award. This Award is given to a LSPA family member who exemplifies environmental excellence. Irwin is currently pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering at UMass Lowell. She is the daughter of Andy Irwin, President and Founder of Irwin Engineers and longtime member of the LSPA. Iris is enrolled in the UMass Lowell professional co-op program where she will work for Tokyo Electron. She has also spent the last two years working at Irwin Engineers. On her final exam set by the American Chemistry Society, Iris was the only student to obtain a perfect score, (national average is 55%)! Iris hopes to make a meaningful contribution to the engineering field potentially making manufacturing processes more environmentally friendly. Shown: Bill Betters, President of the LSPA Scholarship Fund presenting to Iris and Andy Irwin.
An educational scholarship was also awarded to Catherine Sobchuck, who has a BS in Civil Engineering from Syracuse University and has been accepted to pursue a Master’s of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Catherine is currently working for Sanborn Head and Associates and hopes to make a meaningful contribution to the engineering world. She has already had the opportunity to conduct research on desalination in Kuwait and contaminant transport through liquids. Her goal is to become a PE and an LSP. While at Sanborn Head she has become well versed in the MCP and has had the opportunity to work on the MGM Casino Project in Springfield and the W. R. Grace redevelopment project in Woburn.
The next award was presented to John (aka Jack) Elsey, who is currently pursuing a PhD in Environmental Engineering at Tufts University School of Engineering where he has also earned a BS in Environmental Engineering. Jack’s goal is to pursue a career in environmental remediation in China because he believes that “China is on the verge of its own Superfund Era”. An Associate Member of the LSPA, Jack worked as an intern for Roux Associates between 2011 - 2013 and for a year with Jinangsu Suntime Environmental Remediation Company in China.
Autumn Dawn Thebodo was also the recipient of a scholarship award. Autumn is a recent graduate of Shepard Hill High School in Dudley, MA and will be entering the Geological Services Department at Salem State University this fall. Autumn’s goal is to obtain a position in the Environmental Sciences field hoping to improve the quality and sustainability of life in our cities across the US, and eventually the globe. Her uncle, Jeremy Thebodo, is an Associate Member of the LSPA and works at Alpha Analytical.
As you can see, this year’s recipients are outstanding individuals and will become wonderful stewards of our environment. Congratulations to you all on your achievements!
Shown: Bill Betters, LSPA Scholarship Fund President, shown with Jack Elsey (Image on the left) and Autumn Dawn Thebobo (Image on the right).