September 6, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The UAB School of Engineering Industrial Scholars Program has grown exponentially, from four companies and 15 students in 1997 to 12 companies and 63 students in 2000, according to Interim Dean Linda Lucas, Ph.D.

"I personally know the value of on-the-job experience, because I worked at Alabama Power Co. in transmission line design for two years while working on my own degree at UAB," said Lucas.

The UAB Industrial Scholars Program provides industry experience and scholarships to highly qualified students. Participating companies provide scholarships to students for the first two years of college and then a scholarship/paid internship for their junior and senior years. In 1997, the program provided $20,000 in total internships and $67,000 in total scholarships. Today, the program has grown to $167,000 in internships and $249,000 in scholarships.

Program records show students in the program have an average high school grade point average of 3.76 on a four-point scale and are involved in a number of extracurricular activities. Last year alone the Industrial Scholars Program had eight valedictorians, four salutatorians, five All-American Scholars, 11 Math Honor Society students, 25 National Honor Society students, 12 Who’s Who Among High School Students and one voted Most Likely to Win the Nobel Prize.

According to Norma Sorenson, Ph.D., director of student services in the School of Engineering, the program works well because UAB is located in the heart of Birmingham, the state’s largest economic center, and has access to many diverse companies anxious to find well-educated talent. The number of male, female, and minority students participating in the program fluctuates each year, but on average the about 22 percent of participants are women and about 16 percent are minority students.

“The UAB Industrial Scholars Program is a win-win situation for both company and student,” said Bill Lewis, general manager of U.S. Steel’s Fairfield Works, one of the corporate sponsors involved with the program from its inception. “The students receive scholarships, paid internships and valuable experience, while Fairfield Works gets first crack at hiring them. In today’s highly competitive marketplace, our ability to retain an educated workforce is increasingly crucial and the UAB program is one of the avenues through which we can find and retain good talent.”

According to Bob Waters of Alabama Power, the Alabama Power Foundation funds 24 of the current scholarships because it is vital to building an educated workforce.

"In our industry, we have a serious demand for strong new engineering talent," Waters said. "This program gives us a chance to evaluate some of those great young minds, and the students get valuable, real-world work experience and a chance to evaluate us as a prospective employer."

Other companies participating in the program are AmSouth Bank, Andersen Consulting, BE&K, BellSouth, Birmingham Steel, Citation Corp., Southtrust Bank, Thompson Tractor, Vulcan Materials and Westinghouse.

The engineering disciplines covered in the program are civil, electrical, materials, mechanical and biomedical. For more information on the program call (205) 934-6537.