Brandon Takacs of Morgantown, a doctoral student in the occupational safety and health program at West Virginia University, has been awarded a $5,000 Industrial Hygiene Scholarship from 3M Corporation. He is among only four students nationwide to receive the award, and will be recognized during the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHCE) in San Diego, Calif., in June.

“It is nice to win a scholarship of this magnitude and to represent WVU in the process,”Takacs said.”3M Corporation is well noted for their safety and health commitment and to win a scholarship that recognizes academics, work experience and extracurricular activities from them is a great honor.”

As a graduate intern with WVU Safety and Health Extension, Takacs worked on the Small Business Safety Outreach Program, providing safety and health consulting services to small businesses in West Virginia. The internship provided opportunities to visit a variety of industries, interact with management regarding safety and health issues, and serve as a coordinator for six other student interns working on the program.

“The project has allowed me to travel the state and, most importantly, to observe a multitude of industrial and construction processes,”he said.

While at WVU , Takacs served as president of the WVU Industrial Hygiene Student Association.

3M, which marks its 100th anniversary this year, is a $16 billion diversified technology company with leading positions in health care, safety, electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office and other markets. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., the company has operations in more than 60 countries and serves customers in nearly 200 countries. 3M businesses share technologies, manufacturing operations, brands, marketing channels and other important resources.