Complete Story
 

04/01/2015

ELCA awards 12 Rossing Physics Scholarships

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has awarded Rossing Physics Scholarships to 12 ELCA college and university students. The scholarships are made possible through gifts from Dr. Thomas D. Rossing, who created the fund through the ELCA Foundation. There are 26 ELCA colleges and universities.

Five students received Rossing Physics Scholars awards in the amount of $10,000 each. The students are: Mikaela Algren from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn.; Fekireselassie Gebar Beyene from Augsburg College in Minneapolis; Jesse Hitz Graff from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa; Cain Valtierrez from Augsburg College; and Daniel Hickox-Young from St. Olaf in Northfield, Minn.

Seven students received Rossing Physics Scholars Honorable Mention awards in the amount of $5,000 each. The students are: Andris Bibelnieks from Augsburg College; Caleb Clever from Muhlenburg College in Allentown, Pa.; Michael Da Silva from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Jordan Dull from St. Olaf College; Grace Kerber from Gustavus Adolphus; Think Truong from Lenoir Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C.; and Emily Witt from St. Olaf College.

“The Rossing Physics Scholarship program is a gem in ELCA higher education,” said the Rev. Mark Wilhelm, ELCA program director for schools. “Tom Rossing’s gift that established the program has made it possible to honor the sterling work done by talented physics students at our colleges and universities.”

“The impact of a student receiving a Rossing Scholarship is twofold,” said Steven H. Mellema, professor and physics department chair at Gustavus Adolphus College. “The first is the obvious financial relief it provides to the student in this era of rising tuition costs at private colleges. But the other benefit of receiving the award is the recognition and encouragement that it gives these young people and the way it validates their hard work in the classrooms and the research labs. The Rossing awards tell them, and all of their classmates, that the physics program and the work they are doing here is of national stature. That recognition is part of the encouragement it takes to keep our students engaged in the hard work it takes to succeed in one of the most difficult majors in college.”

Rossing said he established the scholarship after “noting the need for men and women educated in science and especially in physics. This became especially obvious to me when I served as national president of the American Association of Physics Teachers. Not only are physicists badly needed in our modern economy, but the study of physics has led many women and men to successful careers in a variety of fields, including medicine, engineering, government, philosophy and the ministry,” he said.

Rossing began his academic career as a professor at St. Olaf College, where he became chair of the physics department, and later continued at Northern Illinois University. Now retired, he continues to teach part-time at Stanford University.

“We are not only honored to have our students receive these awards, but grateful that the Rossing Fund is helping us to retain these fine student majors and reward their successes. In that sense the ELCA is truly partnering with us to maintain a strong and vibrant program,” said Mellema.

Printer-Friendly Version