The National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) announced the winner of its first scholarship offered to students participating in the FIRST Robotics challenge. The theme this year was Steamworks. Student teams built robots that had to transfer balls signifying quantities of energy to industrial machines.
Spencer Tiegs of Waukesha, Wisconsin will receive $40,000 over four years that will go toward his education in mechanical engineering at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. His application was one out of 75 reviewed by 11 NFPA members, and submitted by students participating in the FIRST Robotics competition with plans to pursue a degree in engineering at an accredited colleges or universities in the United States. The first round of judging was based on applicants’ essays and recommendation letters, and round two was a phone interview.
Having just graduated from Waukesha West High School, Spencer seems enthusiastic to pursue his college degree in engineering. He took PLC classes at Waukesha County Technical College in his senior year, and held a two-year internship at a local engineering company. His participation in FIRST Steamworks was his most recent development toward applying current experience and knowledge to the field of robotics.
“The FIRST Robotics Competition and my engineering internship changed and solidified my desired career field to mechanical engineering,” says Tiegs. “My experience with FIRST Robotics is unparalleled, and my future is brighter because of my participation. Robotics was the main catalyst in my pursuit of engineering, and it has heavily influenced my future. The skills and experiences I’ve gained will benefit me in school, career, and personal life, and will stay with me for a lifetime.”
Tiegs will be part of the University Scholars Honors Program at MSOE, and expresses intents to mentor students in future FIRST completions. The theme of this year’s challenge was Steamworks.
“Because it’s up to me to put myself through school, this scholarship will help kick start me financially through college. What that means for me is that I’m able to give back to FIRST and the field of engineering sooner with both my time and money. Also, in college, I’ll be able to focus more on my studies, learning through activities outside of school, and mentoring FIRST teams.”
For more information about this scholarship, or to become involved in next year’s program, contact Lynn Beyer at [email protected] or (414) 778-3364.
