West Virginia University awarded 10 of the brightest high school students at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair with full scholarships last week.

The University awarded Academic Excellence or President Scholarships (based on residency) to ninth through 11th grade students whose research and academic aptitude align with WVU’s institutional goals and research interests.

WVU was one of the few universities in the country to have such a large participation in the fair, said Jay Cole, WVU’s chief of staff. Five faculty members and three students traveled to Los Angeles for the fair to evaluate the students for scholarships. In addition, the University was one of just a few to award scholarships to students.

“The recipients of our ISEF award are not only brilliant researchers and proven scientists, but they come from incredibly diverse backgrounds and will raise the profile of our student body. These students will add so much value to our university, and it’s really exciting to be able to give them the opportunity to come to WVU,” said Katherine Bomkamp, a May political science graduate who developed a prosthetic device to help amputees when she was just 16.

Bomkamp has chalked up numerous awards in her career at WVU including being named a Newman Civic Fellow and the youngest person to ever present to the Royal Society of Medicine’s Medical Innovations Summit in London, among other honors.

The scholarship recipients are:

  • Natalie Barton; Bayside High School; Palm Beach, Florida
  • Alexia Benton; Grove High School; Grove, Oklahoma
  • Alexander Deans; Academie Ste Cecile International School; Windsor, Canada
  • Miriam Demasi; Wheeling Park High School; Triadelphia
  • Kelly Devens; Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology; Salem, Virginia
  • Marygrace Duggar; Saint Joseph’s Academy; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • Olivia Guidry; Saint Joseph’s Academy; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • Travis Lysaght; Hicksville High School; Hicksville, Ohio
  • Hans Pande; Woods Cross High School; North Salt Lake, Utah
  • Noah Pritt; home schooled; Walkersville, Maryland

These awards are dependent on the student meeting a weighted or unweighted high school GPA of 3.8 and an ACT score of 30 or SAT score of 1,340.

Classified as a Research University (High Research Activity) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, WVU offers 184 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in 14 academic colleges.

-WVU-

td/05/20/14

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