Ceramic Awareness and Pre-College Education Outreach
The Neil N. Ault Education Fund

The New England Section has a long history of supporting an awareness of ceramics education at the pre-college, undergraduate and graduate levels. We have our Corporate Sponsors to thank for the funds that enable the Section to undertake such activities. This article reports on one element of the Section's educational outreach activities, that of pre-college education and the Neil N. Ault Education Fund.

Beginning in 1989, $1000 scholarships were awarded by the New England Section to undergraduate scholars from New England. To qualify for such awards, students were required to be pursuing degrees in ceramic engineering or science in accredited ceramic engineering or science college programs throughout the United States. Nominees were solicited from schools yearly.
After distributing $8000, this practice was discontinued in 1995.
The decline in enrollment in ceramic science and engineering programs was the fundamental cause for this discontinuance.

This undergraduate scholarship program was superseded in 1998 by our New England Section's
"Ceramic Awareness and Pre-College Education Outreach" activities championed by Mark Koslowske.

The activities of the Pre-College Ceramics Education Awareness Program are financially supported by the Neil N. Ault Education Fund created by the Section's Executive Committee in 1998. One of the two scholarships given yearly by the outreach program is earmarked for a Wachusett Regional High School (Holden, MA) student. This is in recognition of Neil Ault's 40 years of continuous volunteer service in the WRHS Science Seminar Program. Neil was instrumental in founding the program in 1959 and has been active each year since!

On January 11,2005, now outgoing Section Chairman, Mark Koslowske, presented the 2004 WRHS Science Seminar scholarship award of $500 to Dan DeCiero. Dan's 2003 freshman year project, "The Effect of Turbine Blade Angle on Turbine Power Output", won a First Award at the Massachusetts State Science Fair. Dan since has successfully presented his project in National Science Fair qualifying rounds and will be traveling to Washington, DC in February 2005 for the finals. Mark wished Dan the best of success in Washington and hoped the Section's recognition would provide added encouragement toward a productive career in science.

Braving a typical January snowstorm on the 11th in Holden, Massachusetts, Mark also presented a $500 grant to the WRHS Science Seminar Program; "to be used to support the purchase of small equipment and consumable items needed by student projects for Science Fair competition". Accepting this grant on behalf of the school was Carol Sullivan, Seminar faculty liaison. Carol is also coordinator and doer of absolutely everything for Seminar and the WRHS Science Fair.

Webmaster's Editorial Note
The economic climate in Massachusetts has forced reductions in State aid to local communities that has resulted in an immediate and near devastating reduction in many school budgets. At WRHS, there are NO FUNDS available for either the local science fair or the Science Seminar Program. The costs of these programs, that have provided student enrichment for 50 years in the case of Science Fairs and 46 years for Seminar, fall outside state mandated minimum expenditures.
The New England Section is to be commended for its commitment to pre-college education!

I encourage all NEACerS members to volunteer in your local schools to help provide enrichment in science, math and engineering education. I would be pleased to provide interested persons in details of the all-volunteer WRHS Science Seminar Program.

To those of you who may have or have access to surplus or unused equipment, please consider donations to your local school. At WRHS we have particular need of a multi-channel digital storage oscilloscope and contemporary data acquisition equipment with matching software.