Three Ph.D. students awarded Major General Herbert A. Lyon Scholarship
Three Ph.D. students are the recipients of the first Major General Herbert A. Lyon Scholarship, specifically awarded to graduate students in propulsion in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Suman Chakraborty, Logan Kamperschroer and Jeremy Marcum were selected by AAE propulsion-area faculty after meeting the requirements of a current AAE student studying propulsion, having a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and demonstrating excellent research capabilities. Each recipient will receive $3,000.
The scholarship was established by Barbara Lyon Bennett in honor of Lyon, who earned his master’s in aeronautical engineering from Purdue in 1952. He served as the commander of the Air Force Aero Propulsion Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 1967. Upon his retirement in 1975, he was commander of the Space and Missile Test Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, which managed research and development launches of military and space ballistics missile systems and operated the Department of Defense Western Test Range. Lyon died in 2006.
“Being a young professional, the life of Maj. Gen. Lyon serves as a good source of inspiration and helps to remind me to keep on striving for the better and put my best foot forward every day in research and make fruitful contributions to the academic community,” said Chakraborty, whose advisor is Li Qiao, an associate professor in AAE.
“I am really honored and thrilled for receiving the 2019 Major General Herbert A. Lyon Scholarship, and I am deeply appreciative of the support from the donor for making the scholarship possible. I hope one day, I will be able to give back to the young minds of the academic community and be able to help students achieve their goals just as this scholarship helped me.”
Kamperschroer, whose advisor is AAE Professor Timothee Pourpoint, said the scholarship will serve as a “badge of honor” as he continues his studies and starts his career.
“This scholarship is a prestigious recognition of my achievements at Purdue and points toward me having an impactful and rewarding future career in aerospace,” Kamperschroer said. “I am immensely grateful for this generous scholarship and proud to be associated with this selective award.”
Marcum, also a student of Pourpoint’s, always has dreamed of contributing to humanity’s exploration of space. This scholarship, he said, will help him do that.
“I am very thankful for the Lyon Scholarship donor’s faith and investment in my ability to achieve that goal by awarding me this scholarship,” Marcum said.