VINCENNES, Ind. - The Indiana Mathematics, Science, and Technology Alliance (IMSTEA) has established an Aviation Technician Maintenance Scholarship through a donation to the Vincennes University Foundation.

IMSTEA believes that Vincennes University has, and will continue to have, an important role in the higher education system in establishing a strong educational foundation for students in meeting life’s challenges. The scholarship recipient will be a full-time aviation maintenance major at VU’s Aviation Technology Center in Indianapolis. Preference will be given to applications from students who have participated in the IMSTEA’s Super Mileage Challenge competition or another technology-based competition.

IMSTEA was created in 1990 by the educational advisory committees and members of other advisory committees of the Indiana Corporation for Science and Technology. The Super Mileage Challenge (SMC) was suggested by a member from the Fort Wayne area whose son taught technology at Homestead High School. That school had participated in a similar event in Minnesota for several years and IMSTEA decided to create a similar event in Indiana. The first event was held in 1996 and continued under IMSTEA sponsorship until 2007. It is now sponsored by the Engineering/Technology Educators of Indiana.

“The VU Aviation Technology Center was instrumental in the success of the IMSTEA Super Mileage Challenge,” stated James M. Thompson, president of IMSTEA. “They made the experience fun for the high school teams and provided much-needed facilities and support. We wanted to recognize their contribution with something meaningful, instead of a plaque on the wall.”

“VU is proud to have been a partner with the IMSTEA Super Mileage Challenge for so many years. It has been exciting to see the students learn and grow as they apply science and technology to the cars they build,” said Mike Gehrich, director of the Aviation Technology Center. “This IMSTEA Aviation Technician Scholarship fund will provide support for students learning to become aircraft technicians for years to come.”

ABOUT THE VU FOUNDATION

In advancing the University’s missions of higher education and community service, the VU Foundation, through the generosity of its donors, administers endorsements and contributions established by corporate and individual gifts as designated. During the 2017-18 school year, the Foundation will award more than $1.6 million dollars in scholarships. More information is available at www.vinu.edu/vu-alumni-foundation-site/index.html.

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