Singapore Polytechnic, SAIT and Lee College choose student winners
HOUSTON, Texas, Oct. 5, 2004 — The Fieldbus Foundation, conducting a press briefing at the ISA EXPO 2004 Exhibition & Conference in Houston, Texas, today announced the 2004 recipients of the James O. Gray-Fieldbus Foundation Educational Scholarship.The James O. Gray-Fieldbus Foundation Scholarship Fund honors the memory of James (Jim) O.
Gray, a long-time leader in the Fieldbus Foundation who passed away in 2002. The program establishes a perpetual $250,000 endowment fund providing awards to eligible students studying industrial automation. The 2004 scholarship recipients include:Wong Jie Hong, Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore: In his third year of study, Wong Jie Hong is working towards a Diploma in Electrical and Computer Control Engineering (DECE/Computer Control Concentration). Upon graduation, he hopes to study engineering with specialization in control at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
While achieving high marks in his examinations (scoring 11 As and four Bs out of 22 total modules), Jie Hong made time for the vice presidency of the Singapore Polytechnic Floorball Team and is vice-chairman of the Computer Club. In July 2004, Jie Hung represented Singapore Polytechnic in the Industrial Control category at World Skills Singapore 2004. He was awarded a Gold Medal for his outstanding skills in PLC programming, electrical installation, hardware fault-finding and circuit modification. “I am very appreciative of this scholarship award,” said Jie Hong.
“This will help me to achieve my goals of working in the industrial control field.”Lonny MacKenzie, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Calgary, Alberta, Canada: A second-year student enrolled in the Industrial Instrumentation Technology program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, 22 year-old Lonny MacKenzie grew up on a ranch outside the small town of Sundre, Alberta. The hard work values learned while growing up translated into GPAs of 3.63 and 3.73 in his first and second semesters, respectively.
As president of the ISA Student Club at SAIT, Lonny raises funds for club events, including Industry Nights, which encourages networking between students and industry. Lonny is also a member of SAIT’s curling team, and was voted the team’s “Most Valuable Male” last year. He is looking forward to a career in the oil and gas industry with an instrumentation and automation specialization. “This is an exciting field on the cutting edge on technology,” said Lonny.
“It’s the main reason why I took the Industrial Instrumentation Technology course, and I’m looking forward to a long career in this field.”George R. Ener, Lee College, Baytown, Texas, USA: An honor roll student participating in the Instrumentation AAS Degree Program at Lee College, George R. Ener is seeking a career as an instrumentation technologist. Following his education at Lee College, George plans to attend the University of Houston and earn an Engineering Degree.
He currently works full-time at H.B. Factor, a local Houston-area construction company, and is married with two children.STC Brielle, The Netherlands, will also award a scholarship to a deserving student at the end of their 2004 school year. Bareld Bruining, fieldbus coordinator, stated: “I am pleased that STC Brielle will be able to participate in this very important program.
With the growing adoption of FOUNDATION fieldbus throughout Europe, it is important that we support the training of future engineers and technicians in this revolutionary technology.” “The James O. Gray-Fieldbus Foundation Scholarship Fund is honored to award these scholarships for a second consecutive year,” said Fieldbus Foundation President and CEO Richard Timoney. “The foundation and scholarship recipients are thankful for the donations from industrial and automation control supporters around the world, whose support is keeping the technology strong.”Honored by the scholarship fund in his name, Jim Gray was employed by Invensys/Foxboro for 25 years as sales and marketing manager.
In addition to being very active within the Fieldbus Foundation from its inception, he held the positions of: secretary of the Board of Directors, member of the Executive Committee, and member of the U.S. Marketing Committee.
About James O. Gray – Fieldbus Foundation Educational Scholarship
The James O. Gray-Fieldbus Foundation Scholarship creates a perpetual $250,000 endowment fund for educational scholarships, which provide annual awards of up to $1,000. These scholarships are awarded to students around the world seeking a career in the industrial automation profession.Foundation members, and those interested in the progress of the automation industry, are encouraged to participate in the James O. Gray-Fieldbus Foundation Scholarship Fund.
For information on the various levels of support and more detail on the scholarship program, please contact Maggie Carlson, Fieldbus Foundation, at 512.794.8890, ext. 21, or visit www.fieldbus.org/scholarship .
About the Fieldbus Foundation™
The Fieldbus Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation consisting of nearly 350 leading process and manufacturing automation companies worldwide whose major purpose is to provide an open and neutral environment for the development of a single, international, interoperable fieldbus. In this environment, end users, manufacturers, universities and research organizations are working together to develop the technology, provide development tools, support and training, coordinate field trials and demonstrations, and enable product interoperability. Visit their web site at www.fieldbus.org .