Eleven electrical engineering seniors and recent graduates each received a $5,000 Grainger Power Engineering Award from the electrical engineering department at Missouri University of Science and Technology this spring. The awards are presented as a reward for academic excellence.

Will McCord, Jackson Meyer, Dr. Mehdi Ferdowsi, Chris Oleksiw, Elijah Thomas, Dr. Mariesa Crow, Jeremy Johnson, Dr. Jonathan Kimball, Samantha Mollet, Zach Kirby, Jesse Hamilton, Christopher Crance and Jack Watts.

The Power Engineering Awards are funded by a $1.3 million endowment from The Grainger Foundation of Chicago. Missouri S&T is recognized by Grainger for its ability to attract top students and educate quality engineers and is one of only six universities in the nation chosen to receive such funding.

Each spring, the Grainger Power Engineering Award is typically presented to up to 13 electrical engineering graduate and undergraduate students who plan to pursue careers in power engineering. Selection of recipients is based on academic performance, exhibited interest in power engineering and extra-curricular activities.

To be eligible for this year’s award, students must have graduated with degrees in electrical engineering in August or December of 2012 or May 2013 and have emphasized their course work in power engineering. All of the recipients had significant power engineering experience, either through company internships, research projects or design projects.

2013 recipients of the Power Engineering Awards are:

• Christopher Crance of Lee’s Summit, Mo., a 2013 electrical engineering graduate
• Jesse Hamilton of Smithville, Mo., a 2013 electrical engineering graduate
• Jeremy Johnson of Pittsburg, Kan., a 2013 electrical engineering graduate
• Zach Kirby of Kansas City, Mo., a 2013 electrical engineering graduate
• Ian Kreher of Warrensburg, Mo., a 2012 electrical engineering graduate
• Will McCord of Kingman, Ariz., a 2013 electrical engineering graduate
• Jackson Meyer of McFarland, Wis., a 2012 electrical engineering graduate
• Samantha Mollet of Grain Valley, Mo., a 2013 electrical engineering graduate
• Chris Oleksiw of Wildwood, Mo., a 2013 electrical engineering graduate
• Elijah Thomas of Lee’s Summit, Mo., a 2012 electrical engineering graduate
• Jack Watts of Fordland, Mo., a 2013 electrical engineering graduate.