Meet a Fluid Power Scholarship Winner – Bryson Love

The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation has awarded 20 $2,000 scholarships to students pursuing fluid power related fields of study.

One of the winners, Bryson Love, is attending the South Dakota State University. We asked Bryson a few questions about winning the scholarship.

What does winning a Fluid Power Scholarship mean to you?

Winning the Fluid Power Scholarship Award is a major blessing. It will reduce my financial burden for paying for college. This stress reduction will allow me to focus on my coursework, in lieu of figuring out how to pay for college. As I enter the engineering workforce after college graduation, I know this will be a benefit to my family and community in the future.

Why did you choose to learn about fluid power?
I chose to concentrate on fluid power discipline because this is key to the aerospace industry. I know I need to have a fundamental understanding of fluid power. Fluid power is key for aircraft operation and safety. These systems can use fluid power to operate compressors, valves, and actuators.

What are your career aspirations? What type of fluid power job do you hope to get after you graduate?

After graduating from college, I plan to work in the aerospace field. Understanding how hydraulic and pneumatic systems work will be essential when working to create and maintain a successful mechanical system. I would like to have a positive impact on fluid power technology by researching how to incorporate super-fluids into machines of the future so energy consumption can be reduced.

A minimum GPA of 2.5 out of 4.0, 500-word essay, and letter of recommendation were required from each applicant. The NFPA Foundation’s goal is to help graduating high school students, and individuals enrolled in community colleges, technical schools and universities pursue their academic interests in fluid power.

One way NFPA members can get involved with scholarship programs is to volunteer as a judge to serve on the application review committee. This year 27 judges from 19 NFPA member companies reviewed 122 eligible student applications to the Fluid Power Scholarship program. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Haley Nemeth at hnemeth@nfpa.com.