AHS Announces 2016 Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarship Recipients

FAIRFAX, Va., April 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ AHS International The Vertical Flight Technical Society is pleased to announce its 2016 Vertical Flight Foundation (VFF) scholarship recipients. A total of 24 scholarships were awarded this year to some of the world's most talented engineering students interested in vertical flight. VFF scholarships this year totaled $74,000.

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"Up until 2011, we were awarding about $30,000 in VFF scholarships each year," said AHS International Executive Director Mike Hirschberg. "Since that time, we have steadily increased the amount of scholarships, due to the sincere generosity of our members, reaching even more students and providing each of them with an even more prestigious and competitive award." AHS has awarded more than 100 VFF scholarships, totaling $288,000, in the past five years alone.

The following are this year's awardees, who will be recognized at the AHS Grand Awards Banquet on Wednesday, May 18, 2016. The banquet is one of the highlights of the AHS International 72nd Annual Forum and Technology Display at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Bachelor Degree Recipients

• Mr. Bryce Connelly, The Pennsylvania State University Henrich Focke Scholarship
• Mr. Jason Cornelius, The Pennsylvania State University Eugene K. Liberatore Scholarship
• Mr. Andrew Dallas, University of Maryland College Park Alfred and Elaine Gessow Scholarship
• Ms. Avani Gupta, Georgia Institute of Technology Michael Rutkowski Scholarship
• Mr. Brett Himmelberg, Texas A&M University College Station Tom Wood Honorary Scholarship
• Mr. Jackson Merkl, Georgia Institute of Technology H.I. (Jeff) MacDonald Scholarship
• Mr. Kevin Williams, Ohio State University John Zuk Scholarship

Master Degree Recipients

• Mr. Miguel Alvarez, The Pennsylvania State University Joseph P. Cribbins Scholarship
• Mr. Matthew DiPalma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Thomas G. Green Scholarship
• Mr. Brandon Draper, University of Maryland College Park Hal Andrews Scholarship
• Mr. Mark Herniczek, Carleton University Jean Boulet Scholarship
• Mr. Dustin Jee, Carleton University E. Roberts Wood Scholarship
• Mr. Jackson Morris, University of Alabama Tuscaloosa Barry Baskett Scholarship
• Mr. Edward Rocco, The Pennsylvania State University Samuel T. Crews V Scholarship
• Mr. Atif Salahudeen, University of Maryland College Park Marat Tishchenko Scholarship
• Mr. Nathan Tappendorf, Arizona State University Ray Prouty Scholarship
• Ms. Belen Veras-Alba, The Pennsylvania State University Ray Kvatnerik Scholarship

Doctorate Degree Recipients

• Mr. Ethan Corle, The Pennsylvania State University Bell Helicopter Vertical Flight Scholarship
• Ms. Amanda Grubb, Georgia Institute of Technology Harry Hleva Scholarship
• Mr. Mohit Gupta, Georgia Institute of Technology Charles C. Crawford Scholarship
• Mr. Kevin Jacobson, Georgia Institute of Technology Richard M. Carlson Scholarship
• Mr. Jean-Paul Reddinger, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Jeff Pino Scholarship
• Mr. Jared Soltis, The Pennsylvania State University John J. Schneider Scholarship
• Mr. Lee Whitcher, Georgia Institute of Technology John R. Olson Scholarship

Each of the scholarships includes a cash award of $3,000, with the exception of the $5,000 Bell Helicopter Vertical Flight Scholarship awarded to Mr. Corle.

The VFF was established in 1967 as the philanthropic arm of AHS. Since 1977, the merit-based scholarship program has been a great success story, with nearly 500 scholarships awarded to date. Many recipients are now leaders in the vertical flight technical community. AHS International covers all overhead costs of administration and accounting, so 100% of every tax-deductible contribution to VFF goes directly to student scholarships. AHS also contributes a portion of its revenue to supplementing individual contributions.

For more information on the Vertical Flight Foundation or to donate to this important cause, please visit our VFF microsite at www.vtol.org/vff; a list of all past VFF scholarship winners is also posted.

Founded in 1943 as the American Helicopter Society, AHS International today is the world's premier vertical flight technical society. The Society is the global resource for information on vertical flight technology. It provides global leadership for scientific, technical, educational and legislative initiatives that advance the state-of-the-art of vertical flight.

AHS International The Vertical Flight Technical Society
2701 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 210, Fairfax, Virginia 22031, USA
Phone: 1-703-684-6777; Fax: 1-703-739-9279
email: staff@vtol.org; website: www.vtol.org

Media Contact: Kay Brackins, AHS International, 7036846777, pr@vtol.org

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SOURCE AHS International