Auburn students Michelle Hainer, Kyle Cheney, Samantha Fix, Blake Morgan and Parker Sheldon will be participating in one of the four Washington Aerospace Scholars summer residency sessions held at the Museum of Flight.

WAS is a competitive educational program for high school juniors throughout the state.

The five scholars are among the 160 students who qualified for the program from 247 applicants. To qualify for the residency program, students spent six months studying a NASA-designed, distance-learning curriculum online.

During the residency experience, students will collaborate with the other student participants on the design of a human mission to Mars. Professional engineers, scientists, university students and certified educators will guide WAS scholars as they plan these missions.

The WAS program is designed to inspire students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and math. But students are divided into teams, which also require them to learn about mission management, budgets, the legal aspects of space exploration and medicine.

In addition to the design of the human mission to Mars, WAS scholars will participate in a number of hands-on engineering challenges, including design, construction and deployment of robotic rovers, model rockets, lander devices and payload lofting systems.

Summer residency participants also will receive briefings from experts in the fields of engineering, science, physics, medicine, project management, risk management, and space exploration, such as Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, NAE retire NASA astronaut. They will also visit Everett for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Boeing Commercial Airplane assembly plant, (including the new 787), tour Aerojet’s Redmond facility, and the engineering laboratories at the University of Washington. As graduates of WAS, these scholars join over 540 alumni representing 170 different Washington high schools.

All expenses – including travel, meals and lodging – are provided to students free of charge by the Washington Aerospace Scholars Foundation.

Washington Aerospace Scholars will be accepting applications for students and teachers in early September for the 2010-2011 program cycle; visit www.museumofflight.org/washingtonaerospacescholars to download an application.

The deadline for applications is Nov. 5.

BECU awards scholarship

The BECU Foundation awarded $2,500 scholarships to 40 student members of BECU, including four from the Auburn community – Shelly Caldejon, Johnathan Irwin, Breana Jack and Brady Shepherd

As part of BECU’s commitment to education and giving back to the communities it serves, BECU Foundation scholarships reward exceptional community service by graduating high school seniors and undergraduate students.

Caldejon, Irwin, Jack and Shepherd were selected by a volunteer selection committee of local business, educational and non-profit leaders based on a combination of strong dedication to community service, leadership and academics.

Caldejon is an undergraduate student of the University of Washington who won a scholarship for her work with Swedish Hospital.

Irwin, a recent graduate of Auburn Mountainview High, will be attending the University of Washington in the fall. Irwin won a scholarship for the work on his Eagle Scout Project, a record board for his school’s swimming and diving team.

Jack is an undergraduate student at Highline Community College who was awarded a scholarship for her volunteer work with St. Francis Hospital.

Shepherd is a recent graduate of Auburn Mountainview High School who will be attending New York University in the fall. Shepherd was honored by BECU for the work on his Eagle Scout Project, a neighborhood fence restoration project.

Elsewhere

Auburn’s Yessenia Arias (senior, accountancy) made the spring honor roll at Oregon State University. … Auburn’s Paige Crawford (freshman, communication) was among 500 students from California Lutheran University who made the dean’s honor list. …

The following Auburn-area students recently graduated from Seattle Pacific University: Denise Filley (B.A., biology); Sean Hall (masters of arts, teaching); Kristi Beth Meyers (Cum Laude, B.S., exercise science); Parker Reynolds (B.A., political science); Elizabeth Tacke (masters of arts, teaching); Brian Tew (MBA, management); Samantha Whisenhunt (B.S., biology); and Anna Worden (master of science, nursing).…

Allison Deal, daughter of Sue and Dick Deal, received an undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis on May 21. Deal graduated with a bachelor of science in systems engineering and communications design from the School of Engineering. Deal is a 2006 graduate of Auburn High.