April 29, 1999 Contacts:
	Bob Bruce Oregon University System (503) 725-5714 Bob_Bruce@ous.edu	Bill MacKenzie Intel Corporation (503) 264-1330 bill.mackenzie@intel.com
	Oregon Students Awarded Prestigious Intel Engineering Scholarships PORTLAND - Seventeen Oregon high school students, including eight from the Portland Metropolitan area, have been selected to receive new undergraduate scholarships sponsored by Intel Corporation in the Oregon Statewide College of Engineering and Computer Science. Recipients of the newly established scholarships were chosen following a rigorous, competitive selection process. The Portland area recipients are:
	Name High School Home Town College Choice Ioan Bec Cleveland Portland PSU Joshua Carnes Sam Barlow Gresham OSU Michael Case Jesuit    Beaverton OSU Jerry Jackson Grant Portland OSU Zia R. Kamawal Cleveland Portland OSU Heather McCaig Central Catholic Portland OSU Michael Meeuwsen Glencoe Hillsboro OSU Mikhail Pivtoraiko David Douglas Portland PSU
	Click here to view a list of all the recipients from throughout Oregon. One additional scholarship is still to be awarded. Intel is the first high technology company in Oregon to contribute private support for student scholarships under a proposed Oregon Engineering and Technology Industry Council (ETIC) plan to jointly increase engineering capacity and meet the needs of Oregon industries. Each Intel scholarship provides a stipend of $2,500 per year in the Joint College. Recipients may pursue degree programs or courses offered at Portland State University, Oregon State University or the University of Oregon. The scholarships are renewable, up to four years, as long as recipients maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and continue to major in engineering, computer science and computer-related technical fields. Recipients will spend the summer between their freshman and sophomore year working with faculty as undergraduate research interns. During the following two summers, they will be eligible for internships at Intel. "These young people are among Oregon's top high school students," said Vice Chancellor Robert Dryden of the Oregon University System. "They are the first to be selected for the new program which Intel has specifically created to improve engineering education in Oregon by encouraging top students to pursue higher education in the fields of engineering or computer science." The students selected for the scholarships come from a wide range of backgrounds and have multiple interests, but all bring talent and enthusiasm to their studies. Michael Meeuwsen, now a high school intern at Intel, began his work experience with an internship at Tektronix his freshman year. Ioan Bec's family came to the United States from Romania in 1996. After just three semesters of learning in English as a Second Language classes at Reynolds High School, he moved into a regular junior English class. "His contributions to discussion illustrate perceptive, sophisticated thinking," a former teacher said of Bec. Heather McCaig, whose goal is a degree in chemical engineering, has volunteered at the Albertina Kerr Center and is accomplished at ballet. "Heather has a rare mix of academic ability, keen interest in her studies, the motivation to succeed and the fortitude to keep at whatever she's doing until the job is done," a teacher commented. Zia Kamawal was born in a remote district of Afghanistan and suffered through refugee life in Pakistan when his family fled their home after the Russian invasion. Kamawal has a 4.0 G.P.A., lettered in junior varsity golf, earned the Principal's Award in Spanish and plays on a basketball team in the Chinese American Citizens' Alliance. "I see the plight of my generation in Afghanistan or Afghan refugees in Pakistan through the media, pictures, slides and contact with our relatives," Kamawal said in his scholarship application. "Their bleak future leaves a lasting impression on me how important it is to take full advantage of the opportunities available to me in this country." The scholarship winners from outside the Portland Metropolitan Area are similarly talented. One of 19 members of the senior class, and 87 students total, at Crane Union High School in Harney County, Levi R. Bennett has taken every science course his school offers. He's done computer work for the Harney County Federal Credit Union and the Harney ESD, and taken correspondence courses from Portland State University. He's currently doing work-study as a Network Administrator. "I can always rely on Levi to ask me the difficult questions and not be satisfied with a simplistic answer," said one of his teachers in support of his scholarship application. The new Intel scholarships are aimed at attracting top students, particularly women and students from under-represented populations, to careers in engineering and computer science. Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. With 11,000 employees in Oregon, Intel is the largest single private employer in the state. "Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, believes a computer gives you the sense of unbounded possibility," said Jim B. Johnson, Intel Vice President and Oregon Site Manager. "Similarly, Intel believes education is the key to removing constraints from thinking. That's why we think it's critical to help bright students get the education they need to make a difference."
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