Meet a Fluid Power Scholarship Winner – Nathan Linke

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, Nathan Linke. Nathan is attending South Dakota State University. We asked Nathan about winning the scholarship…

What does winning a Fluid Power Scholarship mean to you?
It took a while in my classes to find the area that suited me the best. In my hydraulics and pneumatics class, I found the subject that I easily understood. I was able to combine my learning with my practical knowledge from the farm to realize the potential of what fluid power can accomplish. This scholarship will not only help me get my engineering degree and start my career, but it has helped open me up to some of the countless resources there are today to assist fluid power technology.

Why did you choose to learn about fluid power?
Growing up on my family farm, we use tractors and other machinery that utilizes fluid power every single day. We could not function without it. With my natural curiosity of how things work, I have always been interested in how the hydraulic systems worked on our equipment. When I saw the opportunity to take a Hydraulics and Pneumatics course in college, I jumped on the chance, and have already started applying my knowledge on the farm.

What are your career aspirations? What type of fluid power job do you hope to get after you graduate?
My goal is to end up in agriculture. Production agriculture relies on fluid power for every aspect of farming or ranching today. My love of my family farm has pushed me to look for a job where I can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of agricultural machinery, and one of the most important systems in that endeavor is hydraulics. I hope to find a career where I can work to ensure hydraulic power reaches its full potential.

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.