Grainger keeps the power going

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On March 12, 2008

Electrical engineering majors at Missouri University of Science and
Technology are no strangers to striving for excellence, and thanks to a $1.3
million endowment from The Grainger Foundation, they have an even bigger reason
to reach for the top.

Every spring, up to 12 Missouri S&T electrical engineering graduate and
undergraduate students who plan to pursue careers in power engineering receive
a $5,000 Grainger Power Engineering Award. The award is given to students upon
graduation as a reward for academic excellence. Missouri S&T is recognized
by The Grainger Foundation for its ability to attract top students and educate
quality engineers and is one of only six universities in the nation chosen to
receive funding from Grainger for such awards.

“The Grainger Foundation has a strong interest in electrical and power
engineering, and we feel the faculty and students at Missouri S&T are very
deserving of support,” says Gloria Sinclair, vice president and secretary for
The Grainger Foundation. “The Grainger Power Engineering Awards program is a
great investment.”

Missouri S&T sets the criteria and selects the graduates who will
receive the award. The selection committee is organized by Dr. Mariesa Crow, F.
Finley Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at Missouri S&T
and director of the university’s Energy Research and Development Center, and
Dr. Keith Corzine, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering
at Missouri S&T.

“We choose students who are serious about going into the power engineering
field,” Crow says. “I’m very appreciative of the endowment from The Grainger
Foundation. I think they are putting their money into building the technical
workforce of tomorrow, and that is something for which we are very
grateful.”

Missouri S&T Chancellor John F. Carney III also is thankful for The
Grainger Foundation’s gift, which is the largest foundation gift in the
university’s history.

“As one of the nation’s leading technological research institutions,
Missouri S&T is uniquely positioned to train the next generation of power
engineers,” says Carney. “With instruction in power systems, motor drives and
emerging energy sources, Missouri S&T is educating students to succeed in
this critical discipline that is important to the university, the state of
Missouri and the country.”

The Grainger Foundation of Lake Forest, Ill., was established in 1949 by Mr.
and Mrs. William Wallace Grainger. The foundation has provided substantive
support over the years to a broad range of organizations, including educational
institutions, museums, healthcare and human services.

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On March 12, 2008. Posted in News