University of Houston mechanical engineering seniors Deena Abou-Trabi , Jared Collins and Sean Hale recently received one of the Gas Processors Association annual scholarships at the Houston Regional Meeting held earlier this month at Kingwood Country Club.
The association looks to award the scholarship to students with a high interest in production, processing, treating or transmitting gas, who maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average and are active members of a nationally recognized professional engineering society. Special consideration was given to full-time students with work experience in the gas processing industry or who have demonstrated leadership in professional activities.
“From the chapters’ standpoint, the scholarship is our way of giving back to the community. We are trying to distribute the revenue instead of just keeping it in the bank,” said David Street, the association's UH Scholarship Representative. “During these times of rising education costs, such scholarships can be quite beneficial to the students. It’s hard for them to make ends meet at times, and we’re trying to provide support while introducing them to the industry."
The scholarships, one annual and one endowed, are given to students from five universities, including Lamar University, Rice University, Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin. While some universities choose to give only two scholarships, the UH College of Engineering split the endowment to create three $1,500 awards.
“It’s a recruitment tool in some respects and exposes the high quality students who are eligible to look at gas processing as a career,” Street said. “There may be a segment of the industry that they aren’t familiar with because it’s not as high profile as some of the other energy industries.”
Students interested in future Gas Processors Association scholarship awards can apply online via the college’s general scholarship application.