TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The mechanical engineering department at The University of Alabama College of Engineering recently received a Clarke Scholarship fund from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. UA was one of six chosen nationally for this scholarship award.

The scholarship recognizes ASME student sections for the quality and variety of experiences and opportunities they provide for their members. A condition of the award is that the money be used for scholarships for incoming freshmen who have an interest in mechanical engineering.

The scholarship at UA will be awarded to Rachael Click and Bryan Coley, both Huntsville natives, and James Sims of Schertz, Texas.

“Each of these new students has outstanding credentials, and we look forward to their participation in our undergraduate program,” said Dr. William Sutton, professor and head of the department of mechanical engineering.

Founded in 1880, ASME International is a nonprofit educational and technical organization with 125,000 members.

In 1837, UA became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering, with about 1,900 students and more than 90 faculty, is one of the three oldest continuously operating engineering programs in the country and has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.