Five Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering (SIUE SOE) students received scholarships at the annual American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) St. Louis Chapter’s awards ceremony on Monday, April 16 at the Missouri Vineyards restaurant at St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
Seniors Nino Giganti, of Springfield, Eric Melosi, of Highland, Neil Ritz, of Effingham, and Daniel Smalley, of Tremont, along with Teaching Assistant Erim Yanik were the recipients. Smalley and Yanik were granted P. Gordon Glunt Memorial Scholarships worth $2,500, while Melosi received a $1,500, Glunt award. Giganti and Ritz were awarded ASHRAE St. Louis Chapter General Scholarships worth $2,250 and $2,000, respectively.
“Considering that SIUE students are competing with Saint Louis University, Washington University in St. Louis, SIU Carbondale, and Missouri Science and Technology, this speaks highly about our ASHRAE students’ involvement in the St. Louis region,” said Serdar Celik, PhD, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, and SIUE ASHRAE faculty advisor.
The criteria include being a member of both the ASHRAE student chapter at each individual’s respective institution and the St. Louis ASHRAE Chapter, having a minimum 3.0 GPA and demonstrating genuine interest in ASHRAE scopes. Additionally, applicants were required to detail honors and prior scholarships, professional and student organizations, professional work experience, hobbies and interests, and references. They also described future career plans, long and short-term goals, and the relevance of an ASHRAE membership in the student’s professional career.
ASHRAE is a professional organization that was founded in 1894 with more than 50,000 members today. The organization focuses on all aspects of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to improve quality of life, while promoting a sustainable world. These feats are accomplished through research, developing codes and standards, publishing, and continuing education.
Since these goals are aligned with those of the SIUE SOE, Celik formed a university student chapter in fall 2010. The chapter’s main activities include arranging lectures and presentations by HVAC professionals, organizing facility tours, recruiting new members and executing fundraising events.
Through design projects, regional and national meetings involving a multitude of professional engineers, and speakers at the monthly SIUE chapter meetings, students are granted access to a virtually endless supply of resources to improve their skills and broaden their knowledge base.
Photo (L-R): SIUE ASHRAE Advisor Serdar Celik with Teaching Assistant Erim Yanik and School of Engineering students Eric Melosi, Nino Giganti and Neil Ritz.