 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
 Previous: Crystal Ball Still Foggy: FCC Won't Say Publicly When it Will Act on Morse Code |  Next: NPR to Feature Amateur Station Involved with Hurricane Operations |
By Nathaniel Oster, KC0IEI
kc0iei@arrl.net
May 19, 2006
 Nathaniel Oster, KC0IEI, winner of the ARRL Scholarship to Honor Barry Goldwater. |
With 45 scholarships available through the ARRL Foundation, Amateur Radio can and does impact many young lives. The recipient of the prestigious ARRL Scholarship to Honor Barry Goldwater in 2004 recounts his personal experiences on how the generosity of fellow amateurs is helping him achieve his goals.
Each year, QST publishes photos of nearly 40 young Amateur Radio operators who have been awarded scholarships by the American Radio Relay League Foundation. I am proud to have been awarded the 2004 Barry Goldwater Scholarship of $5000. Other awards range upward from $500 and are awarded to amateurs pursuing university educations. Some of you reading this may have contributed to the Foundation's 45 scholarship funds. Probably you have scanned the photos to see if one of your friends' children or perhaps a grandchild has received a scholarship.
But have you ever wondered what really happens to the money you contribute and to whom the scholarship is awarded? Have you wondered how your contribution affects the lives of those who receive a scholarship? And just how does it affect Amateur Radio?
Off to College
This is a small snapshot of what really happened to me
when I was awarded an ARRL Foundation scholarship and the immediate impact on my
life and how the scholarship award affects Amateur Radio.
 The author (left) and Gerog, KD5EZ, at DK8EY. Nathaniel traveled in Europe during a summer of study at Brunel University in England. |
Of all my achievements during high school, I was more thrilled about receiving the Barry Goldwater Scholarship than any other. It was a confirmation that, in addition to my scholastic achievement, my extracurricular activities were important. It meant that things in the real world, outside of the classroom, affected my life and were meaningful, not just to me, but to others.
After receiving the scholarship, I enrolled at Iowa State University of Science and Technology to study materials science and engineering. Materials engineering is composed of four specialties: electromagnetic materials, ceramics, metals and polymers. Our discipline develops new materials and processes or finds new uses for existing materials in these four specialty areas. For example, a metals specialist might work to develop a new alloy or processing technique that could make a metal lighter and have improved electrical properties. Something like this could be ideal for an antenna. Someday I might be involved in developing a new product that will enhance communications and, ultimately, Amateur Radio!
An International Perspective
The Goldwater Scholarship provided me with funding this
past school year that allowed me to participate in the materials science department's
study abroad program this summer. Approximately 15 students from Iowa State University get the chance to study at Brunel University in Uxbridge, England each summer. We complete two courses during the summer, Introduction to Materials and Women
in US Industry. We also use the class as an opportunity to visit industries in England and compare them to US industries. In addition to providing me with two classes, I was
also able to fill an international perspective requirement, which is needed for
graduation.
 While in Denmark, the author visited Frank Garbelmann, OZ2CBA (right). |
It is this international perspective that is most important to me. Among my life experiences, I count Amateur Radio as one that helped open my eyes and ears to the world. What better and more accessible laboratory for exploring the world, its diverse people, its countries and its geography than Amateur Radio? Amateur Radio helps demonstrate that today we live in one big interconnected world. Further, it helps show me that if I am to be both personally successful and help the world be a better place to live and work, I must have an international perspective. The opportunity to combine my radio experiences with study abroad is a unique opportunity made possible by the ARRL Foundation and its scholarship program.
This summer of study in England included Amateur Radio. In addition to my classes at Brunel University, I traveled in several countries, including Norway, Denmark, Germany and France. In each, I looked for opportunities to meet other hams in places I'd often talked with but never visited. I found ham radio in person, as on the air, to be a great chance to meet new people. In Denmark, I visited Frank Garbelmann, OZ2CBA. We especially enjoyed meeting each other because Frank and his family started living in my home on a 2 year work assignment beginning this past fall.
In Germany, Georg Wenzlawiak, DK5EZ, and his wife Judith, DK4JT, and their sons hosted me for 3 days. We toured the beautiful Cologne-Düsseldorf area. Georg introduced me to Chris Huetten, DK8EY, and I had the opportunity to operate from Chris's shack as DL/KC0IEI, chatting on 20 meters with my father George, NP2N, and the rest of my family. That was a real thrill!
Giving Back to Amateur Radio
As I write this article from my dormitory in Uxbridge, I think about how fortunate I am for this opportunity to further my education and continue expanding my frontiers through ham radio. This opportunity is made possible by Amateur Radio and the ARRL Foundation. I hope each of you can understand the very real impact made by the scholarships awarded by the Foundation; an impact on a fellow ham and an impact on Amateur Radio. Your support and contribution to the ARRL Foundation are important!
Nathaniel Oster, KC0IEI, is pursuing his undergraduate
degree in materials science engineering at Iowa State University of Science and
Technology in Ames, Iowa. When his studies permit operating, he favors
contesting, although his father, NP2N, would prefer he aspire to loftier goals
such as becoming a DXer. His sister Jessica is K1JES.
| Previous: Crystal Ball Still Foggy: FCC Won't Say Publicly When it Will Act on Morse Code | Next: NPR to Feature Amateur Station Involved with Hurricane Operations |
