Ryan Going, a senior in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, was presented a $10,000 scholarship award from Robert Crippen – an astronaut who piloted the first space shuttle flight in 1981 – on behalf of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

Crippen presented Going, a dual major in electrical engineering and applied mathematics, and Adam Young, a biomedical engineering major, the scholarships during a ceremony on Thursday, October 4th.

“These scholarships are a way for me and my fellow astronauts to give back to a country that provided us with an extraordinary opportunity,” Crippen said. “Adam and Ryan will both be leading the United States at the edge of breakthrough technology and I consider it an honor to be presenting them with these checks.”

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s goal is to aid the United States in retaining its world leadership in science and technology by providing scholarships for exceptional college students pursuing degrees in engineering and the natural and applied sciences. The foundation annually funds 19 scholarships and has awarded nearly $2.5 million in scholarships to 226 students nationwide.