Senior in aerospace, biosystems awarded Astronaut Scholarship Foundation scholarship
Published: Jun 26, 2023 10:00 AM
By Staff Report
Ayden Kemp dreams of developing and maintaining life support systems for manned spaceflight so humanity can one day establish a sustainable human presence on the moon and Mars.
Kemp, a senior in the Honors College, who is majoring in aerospace engineering and biosystems engineering with a bioprocess option in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering was recently awarded the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) award to help fund and honor that dream.
A total of 68 undergraduate students from 46 universities and colleges across the United States have been named to the ASF’s 2023 class of Astronaut Scholars. Much like Kemp, these exceptional students are pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and will each receive a scholarship of up to $15,000 in financial support.
“The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation scholarship is important because it seeks to honor America’s best and brightest minds in STEM fields to help support them as they prepare to tackle the complex scientific and engineering challenges of the future,” said Kemp. “One of the main goals of the ASF is to maintain America’s status as a global leader in science and technology.”
Kemp describes this award as a life-long process and attributes his success to hard work, participation in undergraduate research, membership in the Honors College and clubs and organizations that challenged him and allowed him to apply his engineering skills outside of the classroom.
ASF’s Astronaut Scholarship is offered to junior and senior-year college students. The process begins with nominations from professors or faculty members at an ASF-partnering university. Scholarship benefits include networking and mentoring opportunities with astronauts, alumni and industry leaders; participation in the Michael Collins Family Professional Development Program; and a paid trip to attend ASF’s Innovators Week & Gala featuring the Neil Armstrong™ Award of Excellence, which provides an opportunity for the Astronaut Scholars to present their research at a technical conference.
Ayden Kemp