Engineering News at NC State

Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke congratulates Brittany Boudreaux, who was awarded a $10,000 scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
(Photo: Matt Bowman)

From left, Dr. Louis A. Martin-Vega, dean of the College of Engineering; Brittany Boudreaux; and Charlie Duke.
(Photo: Matt Bowman)

North Carolina State University senior Brittany Boudreaux has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). The scholarship was presented to Boudreaux by Apollo 16 astronaut and moonwalker Charlie Duke during a public ceremony on Sept. 23 at the NC State campus.

Boudreaux is completing double majors in civil engineering and applied mathematics. After Hurricane Katrina, she spent the summer of 2006 as an engineering aide at the New Orleans District Corps of Engineers assisting project managers overseeing reconstruction on non-invasive techniques for evaluating non-porous materials. She co-authored an article accepted for publication in Inverse Problems in Science and Engineering. Boudreaux plans to pursue a Ph.D. and aspires to forestall future disasters such as the levee failure in New Orleans.

Boudreaux is one of 17 students nationwide to receive this scholarship. The Astronaut Scholarships are awarded annually to students who show exceptional performance in the fields of science, engineering or mathematics. Recipients must exhibit motivation, imagination and intellectual daring, as well as exceptional performance, both in and outside the classroom.

Duke, born in Charlotte, NC, became the tenth person to walk on the moon after he and fellow astronaut John Young landed there in April 1972. They spent more than 20 hours exploring the lunar surface, conducting experiments, collecting samples and using a moon rover. Duke retired from NASA in 1975 and began a long business career that included forming and leading a beverage company distributorship, partnering in real estate development, and other ventures.

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is a non-profit organization established by the Mercury Astronauts in 1984 with the goal of aiding the United States in retaining its world leadership in science and technology. The ASF has awarded more than $2.8 million in scholarships to date, including $188,000 to NC State students.

September 24, 2009

Astronaut scholarship awarded to NC State senior