Meet a Fluid Power Scholarship Winner – Austin Nolley

Programs like the Fluid Power Scholarships are made possible in part by the generous support of industry volunteers as well as NFPA Education and Technology Foundation and Pascal Society donors. Support these efforts by making a donation.

The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation has awarded nineteen $2,000 scholarships to students pursuing fluid power technology fields of study.

Here’s one of the winners, Austin Nolley. Austin is attending Iowa State University. We asked Austin about winning the scholarship…

What does winning a Fluid Power Scholarship mean to you?
Winning this scholarship means to me that I get to focus on my classes without having the burden of student debt or college payments looming over my head. It frees me to put all of my attention and focus on my academics and how to make the world a better place in the future. I hope that as I continue to focus on school that I can also be active in running Iowa State’s Fluid Power Club.

Why did you choose to learn about fluid power?
The main reason that I got involved with fluid power is because of the fluid power club at Iowa State. My peer mentor was one of the founders and the current president at the time and invited me to come to one of the meetings. From then on, I’ve been involved in the club from holding an executive office position to spear heading projects and much more.

What are your career aspirations? What type of fluid power job do you hope to get after you graduate?
As I look toward graduating in 2025 one of the big things that I would like to research and pursue is the increased use of fluid power in the dairy industry. Particularly pertaining to their use in dairy parlors and movement in both the milk and cows around the dairy parlor. Since I grew up in dairy country in central New York this has always been a passion of mine and combining that with my knowledge of fluid power is the best of both worlds.

The Foundation’s goal is to help individuals enrolled in technical colleges and universities pursue their interests in fluid power. The Fluid Power Scholarship application is available from January 2023 until early April 2023. Please share this opportunity within your network. Additionally, if you would like to serve on the application review committee, please contact Eric Pannell at epannell@nfpa.com.