TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The American Society of Mechanical Engineers recently awarded scholarships to three mechanical engineering students at The University of Alabama.

Ashley Erickson, a senior from Tuscaloosa, received a William B. Sanford Memorial Scholarship from the Birmingham Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a national scholarship from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Auxiliary.

The Birmingham Section of the society brings professionals and students together to increase their knowledge in the mechanical engineering field. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers Auxiliary is a national non-profit organization that establishes scholarships for the purpose of assisting worthy students in the study of mechanical engineering.

Barbara Hattemer, a graduate student from Prattville, also received a national scholarship from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Auxiliary.

Henry Porter, a senior from New Iberia, La., is one of six to receive a scholarship from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International Petroleum Technology Institute, which promotes students interested in engineering with the petroleum industry.

“ASME recognizes students each year for their academic achievements, and we are pleased to have UA mechanical engineering students recognized at the local and national level,” said Dr. Beth Todd, associate professor of mechanical engineering and undergraduate program coordinator.

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 95 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.