Introduction
by Howard Benedict, Executive DirectorEvery once in a while, a letter crosses my desk which puts the Mercury Seven Foundation Scholarship Program in perspective and makes me proud to be part of it.
Robert Ruland, father of three-time Mercury Scholar Kevin Scott Ruland, who completed his Ph.D. in Systems Science at Washington University in St. Louis, once wrote to the Mercury astronauts, in part: "We are a family of average means who happen to have a very brilliant young man." He told of Kevin's achievements and how much the scholarship meant to him, concluding: "This may give you an opportunity for more personal feeling into your wonderful work ... I will always remember you seven and Mrs. Betty Grissom with great admiration."
Just recently, Gregory Book, also a three-time Mercury Scholar, at Georgia Tech, wrote Dr. Harvey Miller, our scholarship chairman, that this month he would complete all requirements of the School of Material Science and Engineering to be admitted as a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. "I cannot express how important this scholarship has been to myself and my family and how honored I have felt ... Discouragement and lack of confidence are prevalent in any graduate school, and I can say with confidence that the Mercury Seven Scholarship was a pillar on which I could lean during my studies."
Just as touching sometimes are letters from those who contribute to our scholarship program. We receive many donations from corporate sponsors, but it's the individuals whose words are often the most heartwarming. One is Richard Amendola, a tool and die maker from Schaumburg, Illinois, who wrote last year that he believed so much in the work the foundation is doing that, from now on, he would donate any overtime pay he made to our scholarship fund. He has kept his word. Why? "The astronauts", he wrote, "showed me that self sacrifice could be very rewarding, that the future is not shaped by large leaps, but by small steps moving constantly toward a common goal."
Amendola said that since the Apollo program, the United States has not experienced "that kind of heart-stopping experience. I want to see that happen again in my lifetime. The only way we can achieve that is to give deserving kids the best possible education that they can receive. Trust me when I say that the tired legs and sore back go away quickly when I think about where the money is going, one of those small steps forward to the future of our space program."
Alumni News
by Lisa A. BeesonI hope you'll agree this third edition of Mercury Scholars, the newsletter published by and about past and present Mercury 7 scholarship recipients, is the best yet. This year, a lot of great inputs were received from many scholars, including the photographs you see throughout the publication! I would like to thank all of the scholars who participated in the mail survey for making my job easier this year and improving the format and content o the newsletter. Keep the information coming!
As always, the newsletter would not have been possible at all without the valuable inputs and information from Mr. Howard Benedict, Executive Director of the Mercury 7 Foundation, and the support of the astronauts and the Foundation. Thanks a lot!
The first edition, published in 1993, contained profiles of 19 of our total 63 scholars. The 1994 newsletter contained 18 profiles. This year, we have information on 28 scholars!
Guest columns and inputs of any kind are welcome, as well as new profiles and updates, so please continue sending information to me at Lisa@AstronautScholars.org. I look forward to hearing from you!
Georgia Tech
1986-87 Preston Bates
Preston was most recently profiled in the 1994 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1986-87 Kenneth L. Still, P.E.
Kenneth was most recently profiled in the 1994 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1987-88, 1988-89, 1989-90 Lisa A. Beeson
Lisa has been working with the Westinghouse Power Generation Business Unit in Orlando, Florida since 1990. During the past year, she was promoted to Advanced Engineer and accepted a new position with the Operating Plant Technical Support group. In her new function, she is responsible for diagnosing problems at operating combustion turbine and steam turbine based power plants around the world. The problems range from engineering design issues to operating procedures.
Lisa received a Corporate Excellence award for implementing an environmentally friendly design at a 150 megawatt cogeneration power plant in Auburndale, Florida. She also was responsible for achieving cost reductions and avoidances of approximately $5 million during 1994. Her favorite projects are those in which a new problem has been encountered, requiring a root cause analysis to be performed and insights into areas which have not been considered previously by the design engineers. An example is her recent pursuit of methods for reducing the sodium content of fuel oil being used in combustion turbines at a plant in Bali, Indonesia. The sodium leads to hot corrosion on turbine blades and vanes which causes premature degradation in the performance of the engines.
In the photograph accompanying this article, Lisa is shown at a power plant in Virginia where she implemented an active noise control system to reduce low frequency combustion turbine exhaust noise. The system used 33 kilowatts of amplifier power to drive one hundred 18-inch subwoofer speakers, mounted at the top of an 85 foot tall exhaust stack!
Outside of work, Lisa has begun collecting wildlife artwork and enjoys working on landscaping and home improvement projects. She also participates in aerobics classes, volleyball, and many outdoor sports. Like all Orlando residents, Lisa watches the space shuttle and rocket launches at Cape Canaveral either from the east coast or from her backyard whenever possible.
1989-90 Brian Watson
Brian was most recently profiled in the 1994 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1990-91, 1991-92 Brad Moore
Brad completed a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech in June 1993. He is now working as a project engineer for the water treatment and OSBL (outside battery limits) areas for Amoco Chemical Company in Decatur, Alabama. He handles small to medium projects and daily maintenance concerns. He is currently working on replacing the floating roof seals for some storage tanks.
For fun, Brad enjoys volleyball, bowling, and jogging. In addition, he says he is catching the golf fever! Since he just moved into his first house, Brad also spends a lot of time trying to get the yard looking right and putting the house together (unpacking, organizing, and buying new furniture). He lives in Huntsville, Alabama, which Brad describes as the "space and rocket city."
1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95 Gregory W. Book
Greg has completed all requirements of the School of Materials Science and Engineering for admission as a doctoral candidate. After achieving a Ph.D. degree, he would like to become an astronaut and commander of a space shuttle mission. He is currently exploring the path necessary to achieve this dream. In a very nice letter to the Mercury 7 Foundation, Greg stated, "I cannot express how important this scholarship has been to myself and my family and how honored I have felt and still feel for having received such a prestigious award. The Mercury Seven astronauts are heroes among heroes. Their journeys outshine those of Magellan, Columbus, and lbn Battuta." He also expressed that the scholarship was a pillar on which he could lean when discouragement and lack of confidence occasionally invaded his studies.
Greg has been described by his academic adviser as "one of our best" students in the School of Materials Science and Engineering. He is working on the development of combustion chemical vapor deposition.
Harvey Mudd College
1987-88, 1988-89 Ken Easton
Ken was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1989-90 Douglas Dunston
Doug was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1990-91 Jennifer M. Galvin
Jennifer completed a bachelor of science degree in Chemistry in May 1991. She is now studying for a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois while working at Georgia Tech! Jennifer's research advisor accepted a position as Dean of the College of Science at Georgia Tech during her research. Therefore, she and the entire group moved their research lab from Illinois to Atlanta! She expects to complete her research next spring.
Jennifer's research involves studying photochromic molecules as triggers to change the alignment of liquid crystals. She has received the National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship for her work. In addition, Jennifer has published a paper entitled, "Effect of Chiral Quaternary Ammonium Salts on (salen)Mn-Catalyzed Epoxidation of cis-Olefins. A Highly Enantioselective, Catalytic Route to Trans-Epoxides."
Outside of this busy academic life, Jennifer enjoys hiking, cooking, quilting, and swimming. She recently completed her second quilt. She also visits Illinois as often as possible to see her boyfriend.
1991-1992, 1992-1993 Deborah Swarts
Deborah was most recently profiled in the 1994 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1993-94, 1994-95 Leo Parker
Leo is from San Diego and is a double major in Physics and Chemistry. His goal is a research position in one of these two areas.
Miami University
1986-87, 1987-88 Karen Jenkins
We are attempting to locate Karen for a profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1988-89 Scott Williams
We are attempting to locate Scott for a profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1989-90 Amy Jacobs-Farr
Amy was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1990-91 Chuck Mueller
After receiving bachelor's degrees in Engineering Physics and Aeronautics from Miami University in 1991, Chuck went on to achieve a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. He currently expects to complete a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering there in January 1996. Chuck works as a graduate student research fellow in his department of study.
His Ph.D. studies are examining the effects of turbulence-induced strain and curvature on premixed gaseous flames. Understanding these effects is crucial to the design of cleaner-burning, more efficient engines for the future. The aerospace and power generation industries will benefit from this type of work. Chuck presented his first publication at the 25th International Symposium on Combustion last summer. The paper is entitled, "Effect of Unsteady Stretch Rate on OH Chemistry during a Flame-Vortex Interaction: To Assess Flamelet Models." He is currently working on a second paper describing some of the experimental results he completed at the General Motors R&D Center.
In his spare time, Chuck volunteers with a non-profit organization called The Greening of Detroit, whose mission is to provide trees, logistical support, and volunteers to inner-city community groups trying to clean up and beautify their own neighborhoods. Projects include transforming vacant lots into neighborhood parks and instruction and manpower involved with planting and caring for community trees.
Chuck enjoys being outdoors, as you can see in the picture accompanying this article. Camping, fishing, hiking, and canoeing are some of his favorite pastimes. The photo shows Chuck canoeing on the Two-Hearted River in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, about which Hemingway wrote. Chuck would like to thank the astronauts and their families for the kindness and support given over the years. Chuck wrote that, "Without their help, I can honestly say that I wouldn't be where I am today, and I sincerely hope that they will accept my deepest gratitude."
1991-92 Richard Rhinehart
We are attempting to locate Richard for a profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1992-93 Dan Karipides
Dan was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1993-94 Jennifer A. Regan
Jenni completed bachelor of science degrees in Aeronautics and Engineering Physics with a minor in Mathematics in May 1994 at Miami University. Then, she went to the University of Michigan and has begun studying for a Master's degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering with a concentration in ship production.
She is a graduate student research assistant in the Naval Architecture Department and has been involved in several projects. She assisted in the redesign of a midship section for the PD-337 class mobilization ship, analyzed midship sections to assure conformance to ABS standards, created construction drawings for inner bottom blocks, and developed schedules for erection of the PD-214 class ship.
Jenni has been honored by several scholarships, including Mercury 7, and various honor societies. She recently published "Latitude Dependence of Solar Activity from a Statistical Study of Flares from 1938-1992", which was presented at the XIV NSO/SP International Summer Workshop in 1993.
On October 28 this year, Jenni will marry Chad Melson, a statistical programmer at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio. Upon completion of her master's degree program, she will return to Cincinnati where she hopes to obtain a position in research and development at an area corporation.
1994-95 Kendra Hanna Dearth
Kendra is studying for a dual Master's degree in Environmental Studies and Botany and expects to finish in December 1995. In addition to her studies, Kendra has worked as a teaching assistant and previously worked for eleven years as a technician in the wastewater division of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
She developed an innovative Economic Botany exercise for undergraduates at Miami University by arranging a working visit to Jungle Jim's, where store personnel and she could see and evaluate a wide variety of plant products. She has also taken a leadership role in dealing with removal of lead contamination in university buildings.
Kendra's goal is to make a significant contribution to the conservation and restoration of wetlands in Ohio.
North Carolina A&T State University
1994-95 Vernon Simmons
Vernon is studying Engineering Physics and expects to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in May 1995.
Prior to attending North Carolina A&T, Vernon spent eight years in the Air Force, earning the rank of Staff Sergeant. He has also worked at the Institute of Optics in Rochester, New York. Vernon hopes to obtain a Ph.D. in laser optics and use that training to develop better laser systems as probes for studying material properties. Already, his research in the university's plasma deposition laboratory has resulted in the publication and presentation of several papers in conference proceedings.
In addition to his studies, Vernon has been a leader in the physics student organizations at his school.
Vernon's work experience in optics is not limited to purely academics. He recently worked as a merchandise deliverer and inspector of windshield glass - slightly less complex than his work in the plasma deposition lab!
North Carolina State University
1986-87, 1987-88, 1988-89 Matthew Young
Matthew was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1990-91 Edward Schatte
Edward was most recently profiled in the 1994 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1991-92 Eric R. Sharpe
Eric completed triple bachelor's degrees in May 1992 at North Carolina State. His areas of study were Physics, Mathematics, and Electrical Engineering. He is presently pursuing a Ph.D. at Princeton University, expecting to finish by May 1997. Eric's doctoral research is in the area of string theory, a branch of theoretical physics. He says that there is not much free time as a graduate student.
1992-93 Rick Beyer
Rick was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1993-94 Harold Eugene Olivey, Jr.
Harold was most recently profiled in the 1994 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1994-95 A. DeLynn Atkinson
DeLynn expects to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering in May 1995! She will begin working at the Procter & Gamble Paper Products Division in Albany, Georgia as a Process Engineer in August 1995, and intends to begin a master's degree in Manufacturing Engineering at Georgia Tech in Spring 1996.
Between graduation and the commencement of her new job, DeLynn will be studying in Australia for 6 weeks, in a program which concentrates on marine biology, studying off the Great Barrier Reef. She will also experience the Australian outback and tour Sydney, Melbourne, and Cairns. She is very excited about this opportunity. DeLynn has studied abroad before, in Europe, on the subjects of Architecture and Art, before returning to North Carolina State University to join the Arts and Creative Living Program.
During her undergraduate work, DeLynn was a cooperative education employee at Raychem Corporation. At the university, her most recent research involved a joint project between the Colleges of Engineering and Textiles. She wrote a simulation program to study the effects of quick response technology on a textile pipeline. She also authored a research paper for the University Scholars Program discussing the Effectiveness of American Quality Circles.
DeLynn is active in campus organizations, and is a member of Alpha Omega Epsilon sorority. It is both a professional and social organization for women engineers. According to DeLynn, it is one of only four chapters (so far) nationwide. As the Professional Developer, she is responsible for bringing in speakers from industry. After graduation, she plans to be the chapter alumni advisor.
Back in high school, she was named to the Boys' Mid-State All-Conference Tennis Team! At the North Carolina State campus, she is involved in intramural tennis, volleyball, softball, and flag football.
Pennsylvania State University
1987-88, 1988-89 John Shaw
John was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1989-90 Emil Hayek
Emil Hayek wrote to us from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he expects to complete his M. D. degree this month. Emil had previously achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Science at Penn State, where he was a Mercury Scholar.
Emil is shown in a photograph with other medical school students during Monte Carlo night, an annual fund-raiser. He's second from the right.
Emil will be starting his residency in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in July 1995. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Medical Society. At Penn State, he had been selected as student marshal for the College of Engineering commencement in December 1990. That honor is given to the student ranked first in his class. He published a technical paper entitled, "Neurotransmitter Release Regulated by Nitric Oxide in PC-1 2 Cells and Brain Synaptosomes."
In his free time, Emil likes to golf, exercise, lift weights, and enjoys nearly all outdoor activities.
1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93 Kathy White Shellenberger
We are attempting to locate Kathy for a profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1993-94 Brian K. Mathason
Brian is studying for a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. His career path is focused on the development and use of optical instruments for ground based measurements of the atmosphere. He would like to develop satellite meteorological devices in the future.
1994-95 Daniel Reichart
Daniel is another Mercury scholar with a triple major. He is studying for Bachelor's degrees in Astronomy, Physics, and Mathematics and expects to finish those degrees in May 1996.
Dan entered Penn State at age 16, having already mastered calculus. He learned Einstein's theory of general relativity through reading on his own. He is working as a summer research assistant at the Penn State Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, analyzing and modeling data from NASA's orbiting Compton Gamma Ray observation in hopes of determining the spatial and luminosity distributions of the yet unexplained gamma ray bursts. Further research will concentrate on using the bursts to determine whether the universe is open or closed.
Dan has received numerous scholarships and honors and is currently preparing a technical paper entitled, "The Spatial and Luminosity Distributions of Cosmological Gamma Ray Bursts."
He is also one of the founders and coordinators of a week-long astronomy program at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. The program uses a 40-foot radio telescope to allow high school and undergraduate college students the opportunity to learn, with hands-on experimentation, radio astronomy and research methodology. You can see Dan standing in front of the telescope in the accompanying photograph. The program has been in existence for four years and may become a credit course at the University of Pittsburgh. Dan is instrumental in the program's success.
Each year, Dan returns to his high school to teach a week-long course in special relativity with an introduction to general relativity to the advanced senior physics classes. The course, which he designed, is in its fifth year.
Dan is engaged to Karaleah Jones, who is a student at Penn State, majoring in Anthropology and Political Science, with minors in History and Quantitative Analysis and Computer Applications in the Liberal Arts.
Purdue University
1987-88 Pamela Rowe Mechling
We are attempting to locate Pamela for a profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1988-89 Steve Vavrus
Steve was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of was Mercury Scholars.
1989-90 Mark Sepanski
Mark completed his bachelor of science degree in Mathematics at Purdue in May 1990. He subsequently achieved a Ph.D. in Mathematics from MIT in May 1994, with a thesis title of "L2(q) and the Rank Two Lie Groups: Their Construction, Geometry, Character Formulas, and Invariant Theory in Light of Kostant's Conjecture."
Mark is presently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Cornell University. From August 1995 to May 1997, he plans to work at a new post-doctoral position as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University.
Mark has been married for 5 years to Laura, an administrative assistant.
1990-91, 1991-92 Scott Tamblyn
Scott was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1992-93 Matthew Szolwinski
Matthew was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1993-94 Douglas S. Adams
Douglas was most recently profiled in the 1994 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1994-95 Virginia Athes
Virginia received one of the two Mercury 7 Scholarships in memory of Gus Grissom for the 1994-95 academic year. Gus was a Purdue alumnus and one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts.
Virginia has expressed that "it is truly an honor to be selected for an award in memory of Gus Grissiom. Mr. Grissom was indeed one of America's greatest men, and I sincerely believe his spirit is a driving force in the hearts of those who work to keep the space program thriving."
Virginia expects to complete a Bachelor's degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering in May 1995. Her primary interest is in propulsion systems, and she pursues a minor in Dynamics and Controls. She would like to study for an advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering and conduct research dealing with some aspect of air-breathing engines. Virginia has worked as a cooperative education employee at Johnson Space Center, where she was privileged to work with outstanding engineers on the propulsive systems of both the space shuttle and space station. She also gained some testing experience at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. During her fourth work period, Virginia received a NASA Flag Award, with her supervisor noting that "she exhibited superior performance with very limited supervision, and the successful test results were due in a large part to her enthusiasm and dedication. If she keeps developing at her current rate, she will be a superior engineer."
In addition to her school and work experience, she volunteers with a program to promote literacy, is active on the Student Council, and participates in the Phi Sigma Rho social society.
1994-95 Anthony Roach
Anthony received the second scholarship in memory of Gus Grissom last year. He is majoring in physics (Honor's program) and mathematics and expects to receive dual bachelor's degrees in May 1996.
Anthony is a research assistant in the High Energy Astrophysics (HEAP) group at Purdue. He had the privilege to observe the Schuemaker-Levy comet collision with Jupiter! He is into "surfing the net", otherwise known as Internet, the information superhighway, and was responsible for creating the Purdue HEAP home page.
Anthony's goal is to develop a better understanding of the universe -"to better live within the universe without destroying it." His research professor describes Anthony as "clearly outstanding, possibly the best [undergraduate student] in a decade." During his junior and senior years of high school, he concurrently attended the University of Indianapolis.
This summer, he will be working as a research assistant at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab.
In addition to classwork, Anthony has worked as a disc jockey for WMRH, a dormitory radio station. He is also the Minister of Propaganda for the Purdue Society of Physics Students. He enjoys mountain biking and sky diving and devoted time last semester to serve as a mentor to a Aeronautical and Astronautical middle school student for an astronomy science project.
Syracuse University
1994-95 Michael Kegerise
Michael is the first Mercury 7 scholar from Syracuse University. He completed a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering in May 1994 and is continuing his studies for a Ph.D. His doctoral work is expected to be completed in 1 999. He is interested in aerospace hypersonic engineering.
Michael spent last summer at the NASA Langley Research Center, working closely with a doctoral student (also from Syracuse) to learn the construction and operational details of a hot-film probe. He plans to work there again this summer, conducting a comparative study of three different hotwire techniques in a Mach 3.5 flow. Michael also works as a research assistant with the Department Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering at Syracuse.
In addition to Mercury 7, Michael has been honored as a Syracuse University scholar and received the Berry Award for Technical Distinction for outstanding academic performance. He placed third in a technical paper presentation in the graduate section of the 1995 AIAA Northeast Regional Student Conference.
In addition to his studies, Michael has served as president of Pi Tau Sigma, an engineering honor society, and he enjoys golf.
Michael sent us a letter thanking the Foundation for "this distinction which will make my educational and research goals possible."
Texas A&M University
1986-87 Pixie Mosley
We are attempting to locate Pixie for a profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1988-89, 1989-90 Michael Skivington
We are attempting to locate Michael for profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1990-91, 1991-92 Debora Fairbrother
Debora was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1992-93 Phyllis McAdoo
Phyllis was most recently profile in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1993-94, 1994-95 Shayne X. Short
Shayne has just completed a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering. He is planning to continue in the Ph.D. program to develop optical fiber distributed strain sensors for space platform and smart structure applications. The Texas Space Grant Consortium has displayed their interest by offering financial assistance for his next year of study.
Shayne was able to meet Howard Benedict at the Aerospace Journalist Seminar in Cocoa Beach i September 1993.
Tufts University
1994-95 Jeffrey Bellerose
Jeffrey is working on Bachelor's degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Physics. He should finish in Spring 1995. His nominator for the Mercury 7 scholarship said that Jeffrey is "the best student I have had out of over 500 1 have taught at Tufts."
Jeffrey expects to do graduate work at Stanford, with the goal of becoming a university professor and researcher. Beginning after his sophomore year, he developed a novel technique for measuring the mixing of two flows by measuring local pH. The work was accepted at the annual American Society Of Mechanical Engineers fluid mechanics conference.
Jeffrey is very active in public service, volunteering his free time to construct low income housing in Maine with the Homemakers Organized for More Employment and to assist in the rehabilitation Of homes after the 1993 blizzard with the Macon County Program for Progress in North Carolina. He also teaches math to adults preparing for the GED with the Leonard Carmichael Society.
University of Central Florida
1986-87, 1987-88 Thomas Krizanosky
Thomas completed a bachelor of science degree in Statistics with a minor in Mathematics at the University of Central Florida in 1986 and a master of science in Statistical Computing in 1988.
Now, he works as a Statistical Consultant / Analyst in the Consulting Division of Info Tech, Incorporated. The Consulting Division performs statistical and econometric analysis in areas such as anti-trust, health care, discrimination, and environmental litigation. For example, statistical methods are developed and used to detect bid rigging, age or race discrimination in the workplace, and overbilling practices. Graphics are developed for use in the courtroom.
While in college, Thomas received a Florida Academic Scholars award and graduated summa cum laude. Thomas now lives and works in Gainesville, Florida. He is an Orlando Magic and football fan, a music fanatic, and an aspiring disc jockey.
Thomas wrote that he would like to take this opportunity "to again express my gratitude to the Mercury 7 Foundation for selecting me. It was generous and greatly appreciated, and allowed me to use more of my time as a graduate student studying and less working."
1988-89 Tim Henderson
Tim was most recently profiled in the 1994 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1989-90, 1990-91 Anthony DeLia
After Tony finished his bachelor's degrees in Mathematics and Physics at UCF, he completed a Master's degree in Physics at Florida State University. Currently he is studying for a Ph.D. at Florida State, where he works as a graduate researcher in the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Theory Group. Tony is currently using exact and numerical computational methods to study models of high temperature superconductors, heavy fermion systems, and some exotic low dimensional materials. He has been a Teaching Fellow, Phi Kappa Phi National Fellow, and an Invited Student Speaker at the American Institute of Physics and International Association of Physics Students 7th international Conference of Physics Students in Lisbon, Portugal. The photograph shows him in Lisbon.
In addition to honors undergraduate theses, Tony has published papers in a couple of conference proceedings and for the Archive der Mathematik.
Outside of the academic world, Tony has a daughter, Tori, who is 3 years old. I asked the scholars to brag about their children, and Tony said that she is very gifted, even after correcting for the parental bragging factor! Tony enjoys aviation and is starting ground school with the Florida State University Aviation Club. He is the U. S. contact person for the International Association of Physics Students, a position in which he assist students seeking to attend or do research at U. S. laboratories and schools. Tony was honored to meet Mrs. Betty Grissom and the Mercury 7 astronauts at the 1990 Opening Ceremonies for the U. S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.
1991-92 Greg Turenchalk, Jr.
Greg was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1992-93 Fred Hicks
Fred was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1993-94 Larry Bradley
Larry completed dual bachelor's degrees in Mathematics and Physics at the University of Central Florida in May 1994. He is now working as a teaching assistant at Florida State University in Tallahassee while he is in the graduate physics program. He has taught astronomy laboratories, including a series of outdoor observations, planetarium observations, and indoor experiments.
As an undergraduate, Larry performed research on protein dynamics, primarily focusing on conformational changes in bacteriorhodopsin using near-infrared Raman spectroscopy. His undergraduate honor's thesis was written on the subject. In addition, Larry has been published in Applied Spectroscopy and has submitted an article to the Biophysical Journal.
Larry enjoys his related hobby of amateur astronomy when time and weather permit. Larry plans to leave Florida State to continue his education at Johns Hopkins University, beginning this fall. He plans to achieve a Ph.D. in Astrophysics.
1994-95 Susan Hallman
Susan is expected to complete a Bachelor of Physics in Spring 1995. She would then like to pursue a doctorate degree in Physics and teach at the university level. As an undergraduate she has been working on a project to analyze the metric in gravity using a mechanical model. Susan is the mother of a 2-year old daughter and a former electronics technician in the Navy. Her husband is an engineering student at UCF. She has also worked as a laboratory assistant in the biochemistry department at the University of Hawaii.
According to one of her Physics professors, Susan is "one of the top three undergraduate students I ever had in the past 11 years of teaching at University of Central Florida."
University of Minnesota
1994-95 Sarah Jane Braasch
Sarah received the Mercury 7 Scholarship in memory of Deke Slayton last year. Deke attended the University of Minnesota.
Sarah is a triple major and expects to graduate with Bachelor's degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and French in June 1997!
As if three majors are not enough, she works as a laboratory research assistant in the fluid mechanics laboratory, studying the migration of spherical and cylindrical particles in shear flows of viscoelastic liquids. These studies have significant potential applications in aerodynamics. She has co-authored two technical papers with post-doctoral fellows in the field of rheology.
Recently, Sarah was selected for an internship with Boeing in Seattle. She will be employed with the aerodynamics division.
Sarah has written to express her gratitude for the scholarship award. She states, "I cannot stress enough the importance of merit scholarships ... It is wonderful to see organizations such as yours contributing to the academic endeavors of future engineers and scientists." In addition to academics, Sarah volunteers with the Society of Women Engineers Outreach program and with at-risk middle school girls at the St. Paul YMCA.
University of Washington
1987-88 Gorm Nykreim
Gorm was most recently profiled in the 1993 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1988-89, 1989-90 Richard Merrill
We are attempting to locate Richard for a profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93 Edward W. Felten
We are attempting to locate Edward for a profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars..
1993-94, 1994-95 Angela R. Bielefeldt
Angela is working toward a Ph.D. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She has completed bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering. Angela has several publications, including a technical paper entitled, "Cometabolic Degradation of TCE and DCE without Intermediate Toxicity", which was published in the Journal of Environmental Engineering. Also, a chapter on "Anaerobic and Aerobic Degradation of Chlorinated Aliphatic Compounds" was published in the book, Bioremediation: Principles and Practices, just this year, and she gave a presentation on the subject at a related symposium. Her current research is attempting to find the optimum reactor for biodegradation of gases containing toxic volatile organics.
In addition to her Mercury 7 scholarship, Angela was recently honored as the Outstanding Civil Engineering Student by the Society of Women Engineers at the University of Washington.
Outside of the academic world, Angela has worked as a summer intern for Sandia National Laboratories where she conducted research on in-situ bioremediation of an oil spill site, and at Ch3M Hill working in water treatment technologies.
She enjoys intramural sports, including volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, bowling, softball, and rowing. In fact, her winter 1995 bowling team won first place in the university tournament.
Washington University
1986-87, 1987-88, 1993-94 James Kim
We are attempting to locate James for a profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1988-89, 1989-90 Darren Klug
Darren was most recently profiled in the 1994 edition of Mercury Scholars.
1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93 Kevin S. Ruland
Kevin was mentioned in the Introduction Section and will be profiled in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1993-94 William Weeks, IV
We are attempting to locate William for a profile in a future edition of Mercury Scholars.
1994-95 Robert J. Pollack
Over the next year, Rob will work toward a Bachelor of Mathematics degree with an expected completion date of May 1996. He has already passed the Ph.D. qualifying exams in Algebra and has completed several graduate courses. In addition, Rob has led a Calculus II discussion group.
Rob would like to complete a Ph.D. and then pursue a career in research and teaching.
Prior to his studies at Washington University, he was valedictorian at the Bronx High School of Science and a semi-finalist in the highly competitive and prestigious Westinghouse Science Talent Search.