2006 Scholarship Winners
Profiled below are the eight RMCMI 2006 Scholarship Award winners.
Arizona Winner
Erron Lee Winsor
University of Arizona
Erron does not come from a mining background, but is sure of what he wants to do and is passionate about mining! He is currently the mine manager of the student-run San Xavier Mine and Research Laboratory providing equipment training, labor, and maintenance. He is very involved with all aspects of the Mining Engineering Program by helping with recruiting, and giving tours to potential students.
Erron continually lands on the AZ Mining Engineering Department Honors for Outstanding Achievement list. He is a member of SME, the International Society of Explosives Engineers, and the Intercollegiate Mining Competition Team.
Erron enhances his academic career by attending mining industry events such as MinExpo, Northwest Mining Association Convention, and SME National Conventions. His internship, the summer following his freshman year, allowed him to experience what mining is all about.
Colorado Winner
Clayton Kyle
Colorado School of Mines
Clayton consistently makes the Dean's List even though he is involved with many activities. He maintains his high academic standards in rigorous courses despite such a busy schedule. Clayton plans on being a successful Engineer in the Minerals Extraction community after graduation.
Within his career as a student, Clayton has found that time management has made his everyday schedule much more efficient and productive.
He is involved in many outdoor activities including flag football, rock-climbing, Frisbee golf, camping, hiking, running, intramural track with FCA, marching band, and riding ATV's.
Montana Winner
Sydel R. Yeager
Montana Tech
Sydel's first course of study was to pursue a Civil Engineering degree - but later found out that the mining department would provide a scholarship if she moved to Mining Engineering instead. She immediately fell in love with anything and everything dealing with underground coal. She knew then that this was the profession for her! She accepted an internship in Colorado at the West Elk Mine and loves working underground. She hopes to someday move into the engineering department for ventilation design.
Her involvement with National Honor Society, Society of Women Engineers, pep-band, Ski Club, Mining Club, and the Mining Competition Team keep her play and work schedule balanced.
New Mexico Winner
Thomas B. Moser
New Mexico Tech
Passion to invent and understand the world through engineering compels Thomas to strive for an undergraduate degree in mineral engineering and eventually a master's degree in explosive engineering. He states that coal mining is an industry he has great respect and admiration for, and feels that it is imperative for such an industry to progress and evolve.
Thomas has also taken more geology courses than required and is known to have an "insatiable curiosity." He has shown that he is a team player who understands how to carry out a task within the framework of a group.
Thomas loves to learn through working with both his brain and his hands! He enjoys making music, specifically playing percussion. Rock-climbing, hiking, and camping are also important areas of his life.
North Dakota Winner
Tina M. Webb
Minot State University
How about a Geology major who has won the University of Mary Trumpet Improvisation Award? Tina has been involved with music, science, University research projects including the USGS-sponsored EDMAP efforts, and PTA all at the same time! She also enjoys quilting, cooking, camping, fishing, hiking and traveling. She is currently a member of the Geology/AUGITE Club, a Science Olympiad Official, and a Research Assistant.
Tina began collecting and examining rocks as a young child. As she got older, she realized that geology affects nearly all aspects of our lives, mainly in fuel and electric sources. She hopes to someday work with a surface coal mine to engage all of her favorite areas of geology like geomorphology, stratigraphy, and hydrogeology. If this type of position is not available, she would enter the field of environmental geology and work her way back into the coal mining industry later.
Tina has recently started a geology coop position with North American Coal at the Falkirk Mine in Underwood, ND.
Texas Winner
Patrick Gregory
University of Texas at San Antonio
After climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, Patrick feels that he can achieve anything! Patrick attended high school in Canada to play hockey, played junior hockey in Arizona and Alaska, and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts. He enjoys looking at problems, thinking of innovative solutions, trying his ideas on other people, and then building prototypes to experiment with the solution.
He started his college education pursuing Zoology, but decided that he would rather do large projects rather than work through a microscope. He has chosen Civil Engineering because he would like to increase the efficiency of power plants and mines. He works part time at North American Coal's San Miguel Lignite Mine.
Utah Winner
Carson Pollastro
University of Utah
Following in the footsteps of his father, grandfathers and great-grandfathers, Carson is looking forward to being a fourth-generation miner, and is interested in underground mines because of the challenges they offer. The engineering side is of special interest to him because he has always loved to try and see how things can be better and make adjustments.
Carson enjoys studying languages and is fluent in Spanish and can understand most Portuguese. He competes in all types of sporting events and was chosen an All-State Athlete for baseball, basketball and football during high school. He is included on the Dean's List at the University of Utah.
Wyoming Winner
Aaron Abel
Colorado School of Mines
Aaron's involvement in organizations and activities displays his ability to excel in everything he does. He achieved the Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts, is on the Dean's List, is the Starting Place-Kicker for the Colorado School of Mines football team, received both the RMAC All-Conference Place-kicker recognition as well as the CSM Special Teams Player of the Year Award, and is a member of SME.
He is very excited about the career opportunities in mining that will come available after he graduates and is considering staying at the CSM for an additional year to complete the combined BS/MS degree in the field of Mineral Economics.