Schabert named recipient of the Hal Rogers Fellowship
The Morehead State University Foundation and the Rajant Corporation have announced the establishment of the Hal Rogers Fellowship for Technical Excellence.
U.S. Rep. Rogers along with Dr. Joseph A. (Jay) Morgan, MSU president, Rob Schena, Rajant’s co-founder and CEO, Jim Shaw, MSU vice president of advancement, Dr. Ben Malphrus, executive director of MSU's Space Science Center and Karen Kelly, Rogers’ district director, all participated in a ceremony on Aug. 2 in Somerset.
“Both Congressman Rogers and the Rajant Corporation have been great supporters of Morehead State University. These fellowships in Congressman Rogers’ name will go a long way in supporting our STEM students and will add to the strength of our programs,” said Morgan.
The $8,500 one-time fellowship will be awarded to an MSU sophomore. Space Science majors and Eastern Kentucky natives will be given first preference. Recipients will be required to perform 15 hours a week in a laboratory environment associated with their major.
The initial recipient is Jacob Taylor Schabert of Morehead. The Rowan County Senior High School graduate is the son of Matthew Schabert and Jennifer Schabert. He spent the summer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. The JPL is the leading U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system.
“We couldn't be happier about our relationship with Morehead State University and the people of Eastern Kentucky. The graduates we have hired are smart, disciplined and hard working. The University and the community have prepared them well. Congressman Hal Rogers introduced us to Morehead and it's been one of the best things to happen to Rajant,” said Schena.
Rajant, a pioneer in providing multi-frequency wireless solutions, is located in a 9,600-square-foot building on Main Street. The company chose to locate in Morehead because of MSU’s nationally acclaimed Space Science Center.
Rajant partnered with MSU on a project that combines Rajant’s radio meshing technology with MSU’s state-of-the-art microsatellite (CubeSat) technology.
Schena co-founded the Rajant Corporation in 2002. He has successfully grown this small startup in Wayne, Pennsylvania, to have a strong international presence in a broad array of markets including military, industrial, transportation, utilities and telecommunications. Today, Rajant is doing business in more than 50 countries with large global partners such as BT and Northrup Grumman.
Rajant has four offices across the U.S. including offices in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Arizona.
The company has become known as the pioneer of Kinetic Mesh Networks and has been recognized many times, including being named to the FierceWireless ‘Fierce 15’ and being named as a Finalist for PACT’s Emerging Technology Company of the Year. In 2014, Rajant was awarded the Frost and Sullivan Best Practices Award for Global Mesh Networking Solutions for the Industrial Environment.
Additional information is available by contacting MSU’s Enrollment Services at 606-783-2000 or the MSU Foundation, Inc. at 606-783-2033.
Pictured above, left to right, are Rajant CEO Rob Schena, Congressman Hal Rogers and MSU President Dr. Joseph "Jay" Morgan.
