LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Tyco Electronics Foundation has announced a grant to Lock Haven University to fund an annual award for a student who excels in electronics. On March 30, Assistant Professor of Physics Marian Tzolov received notification from the Tyco Electronic Foundation that the contributions committee has approved a grant of $5000 to establish an endowment managed by the Lock Haven University Foundation. The purpose of the endowment is to enable LHU to make an annual award to recognize a student who demonstrates academic excellence in electronics.
Students at LHU majoring in Applied Physics Nanotechnology Track, Engineering, Physics, and Secondary Education typically take an Electronics course in the second semester of their sophomore year. The syllabus of the course in Electronics was recently revised so that it reflects the most current state in the field. During the revisions, LHU faculty interacted actively with faculty at the Electrical Engineering Department at Penn State University. An integral part of the course is the work on a circuit project over 3 to 4 lab periods which emphasizes students’ practical and creative skills. Selection of candidates will be made following the grading scheme of the course.

Almost every year LHU has engineering students transferring to Penn State University and other institutions to complete their degree in Electrical Engineering. LHU offers pre-engineering courses and a 4+2 engineering science program with Penn State University but does not award engineering degrees.

In the grant proposal, Tzolov noted that this award will demonstrate to students that the subject of Electronics is valued by industry and is an important component of their academic and career preparation. The Tyco Electronics Foundation Award for Excellence in Electronics will be presented at the university’s annual Science Convocation.

The main criterion for recognizing outstanding science students and granting awards in a particular subject area is academic achievement as shown by the student’s grades during the semester; this is usually a student who consistently does A-level work. Tzolov noted, “We believe that a targeted award will motivate and reward our students and also highlight the Tyco Foundation’s support for engineering education.”

One of the main inspirations for the grant application to the Tyco Electronics Foundation is the success of a recent graduate from LHU’s program, Fieldon Daubert, who is currently a Product Engineer at Tyco Electronics, Middletown, Pa. Daubert volunteers his time to participate in recruiting events at Lock Haven University. At these events, he describes his educational preparation and professional experience with Tyco and motivates young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.

Tzolov expressed his hope that the annual Tyco Foundation Award for Excellence will be a strong motivator for students to pursue engineering and to excel in their stu