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

Matthew Fitzgerald, a senior from Geneva, is the recipient of the American Electric Power Scholarship, one of the highest honors awarded nationally from ASME. This $2,500 scholarship honors one student on the basis of scholastic ability and potential contribution to the mechanical engineering profession. Fitzgerald is president of UA’s ASME chapter, and he was honored as the Pi Tau Sigma Outstanding Junior in mechanical engineering for 2005.

Bryan Coley, a junior from Huntsville, is the recipient of an ASME Foundation Scholarship, which is made possible by the ASME Foundation. This award honors students based on scholastic ability and potential contribution to the mechanical engineering profession. Coley is the recruiting chair for UA’s ASME chapter and a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

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

In 1837, The University of Alabama 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 has about 1,800 students and more than 95 faculty. It has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.