Emerson awarded two 2019 ASCO Engineering Scholarships to students who demonstrated outstanding potential for leadership and contributions to the engineering profession — Shiloh Serenity Sigrid Curtis, a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Tristan M. Ott, a junior at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T).
Curtis and Ott each received a $5,000 scholarship at an awards ceremony held at PACK EXPO and Healthcare Packaging EXPO 2019 in Las Vegas, produced by PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. Emerson also awarded two grants of $1,000 to benefit the engineering departments of MIT and Missouri S&T.
“Ensuring the success of the next generation of manufacturing leaders is critical to bridging the talent gap facing our industry,” said Jay Gatz, vice president of marketing for Emerson’s Automation Solutions business. “We are committed to meeting the needs of the industrial sector through scholarships, partnerships with academia, and innovative competitions, such as our Amazing Packaging Race. This commitment reflects our own heritage of driving innovation and investing in the future workforce.”
Emerson hosted Curtis and Ott at PACK EXPO where, in addition to receiving their $5,000 Emerson scholarship, they attended “The Amazing Packaging Race,” a competition sponsored by Emerson involving college students from across the country. The race concluded at the Emerson booth with prizes for the top teams.
Shiloh Curtis, of Sunnyvale, Calif., is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science. She turned a visit at age 8 to the HomeBrew Robotics Club with her dad into her life’s work, so that today her “top interest is robotics.”
“Robots have immense potential to benefit humans, from helping mobility-challenged individuals with the tasks of daily life to eliminating the boring — so that people can focus on what really matters in life,” Curtis said.
She sees her greatest challenge as enabling robots to function with people in the human world. She is also continuing development of her haptic navigational aid (H-NAV) for the visually impaired, on which she has a patent pending. Curtis said that the Emerson scholarship is helping her continue her education at MIT.
Tristan Ott, of Platte City, Mo., is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He has combined a strong work ethic with his personal beliefs to target a career in engineering dedicated to serving others — by “changing and aiding the lives of people across generations, cultures, and continents.”
“Engineering is in a unique position to change lives for better,” said Ott. “I am incredibly thankful to Emerson for their support.”
Over the past 12 years, $120,000 in scholarships have been awarded to 24 U.S. students to bolster their success and future contributions as engineering professionals. In addition, the engineering departments of the colleges where the recipients are enrolled have received a cumulative $24,000 in grants for education research.
The ASCO Engineering Scholarship program is a critical element of Emerson’s mission to support and inspire the next generation of innovators. The initiative is named for the Emerson brand that pioneered the solenoid valve in 1910, creating a heritage of innovation in engineering.