MP Antenna, LTD Fellowship established
The Morehead State University Foundation has announced the establishment of the MP Antenna, LTD Fellowship, a fund to benefit STEM majors at Morehead State University. The fellowship’s first recipients, Nathan Rickman and Logan Pennington, both completed the fellowship during their freshman year at MSU. Rickman is an astronomy major from Ashland and Pennington is a space systems engineering major from Falmouth.
The MP Antenna, LTD Fellowship was established by MP Antenna, LTD, an Ohio-based company that is the exclusive developer and manufacturer of multi-polarized antennas for applications such as public safety, wireless broadband systems, Wi-Fi, WiMax, video monitoring systems, 3G, CDMA, GSM, PCS and LTE.
MSU awards the fellowship to students majoring in space science-related majors with preference given to international students. The fellowship is a one-time award and is not renewable, but recipients may reapply annually. This fellowship requires the recipient to work 15 hours per week in a laboratory environment associated with the department of their major.
“We could not be happier for the awards to go to Nathan and Logan. MP Antenna (MPA) is honored to participate in a truly forward-thinking and real-skill program like the one offered by the Space Science Center at MSU,” said Josh Parker, vice president of operations at MP Antenna, LTD. “MPA serves governmental agencies, commercial entities and general consumer markets actively in over 20 countries throughout the world. The team at MSU and the quality of their recruitment classes is hands down the reason we could not pass up supporting these programs. Space or terrestrial, public or private sector, MSU and the Space Science Center are advancing technologies that will serve all of us in the near future and beyond.”
Rickman said after he earns his bachelor’s degree, he plans to continue his education in graduate school and pursue a career in astronomical engineering. “This fellowship allowed me to concentrate on my education,” Rickman said. “Without receiving any scholarship support, it will take me much longer to reach my ultimate goal of a master's degree and being a contributing member of the engineering community.”
Pennington is also extremely grateful and honored to be a recipient of the fellowship for the financial support it provides while he focuses on excelling in his studies and eventually earning a master’s degree in aerospace engineering.
“Getting my bachelor’s in space systems engineering at Morehead State will allow me to build a strong foundation of physics and engineering,” Pennington said. “This strong foundation will prepare me for graduate studies and challenge me.”
“The MP Antenna Fellowships allowed Rickman and Logan Pennington to participate in training in space mission operations utilizing the Morehead State University 21-meter space tracking antenna. Training in mission operations utilizing active NASA satellites provides invaluable opportunities for our students,” said Dr. Benjamin K. Malphrus, executive director of the Space Science Center. “Our ground station is run primarily by students and we have had great success with this model. Our partnership with MP Antenna allows these training opportunities to be available to students that otherwise might not have access to this type of invaluable hands-on training.”
This fellowship is part of the Soar to New Heights Scholarship Campaign.
For more information on this fellowship, or to establish your own, contact MSU’s Office of Alumni Relations and Development at 606-783-2033, email giving@moreheadstate.edu or visit alumni.moreheadstate.edu/give to make a contribution today.
