2002 Scholarship Winners

Profiled here are the eight RMCMI 2002 Scholarship Award winners.

Arizona Winner

E. Paul Meisburger IV
University of Arizona

Paul graduated from high school with a 3.2 GPA. In high school he was president of the Senior Class, treasurer of the National Honor Society and he won numerous achievement awards in Math, Spanish and Earth Science. He is currently pursuing a degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Arizona. He is a member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration at the national and college level and was chair of the 2002 golf tournament fundraiser for the student chapter. He is also a member of the San Xavier Mining Association where he has volunteered as an Underground Miner.

In his free time Paul is an avid Motocross competitor and a student pilot. Paul is the son of Edward and Patricia Meisburger.

Colorado Winner

Russell L. Hardy
Colorado School of Mines

Russell is pursuing a degree in Mining Engineering because of his love of big equipment. Trucks have always been his passion and he is still drawn to them like a young child. His passion has continued to grow as he has learned more about this field. He is an executive board member of SME as well as the co-chair of the Government Education in Mining (GEM) chapter, which was awarded Chapter of the Year. He has won various awards in woodworking and continues to find time to pursue that hobby.

In high school, he was the student body vice president, sophomore class president and a member of the National Honor Society. Russell is the son of Vern and Celine Hardy.

Montana Winner

Robin Jay Piippo
Montana Tech

An opportunity to work as an intern in an underground coal mine solidified Robin's desire to pursue a career as a Mining Engineer. He is currently working to obtain a degree in mining engineering and plans to pursue his Masters and Doctorate in Mining Engineering with an emphasis in explosive technology, and hopes to eventually teach at the college level. Robin maintains a GPA of 3.5 and balances his college work with a job at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology.

He has received many academic and athletic honors and has been actively involved in intramural sports. Robin is married and looks forward to starting a family and being a parent.

New Mexico Winner

Jessica Rollings
NM Institute of Mining and Technology

Jessica graduated from Cimarron High School in New Mexico with a GPA of 3.75. She was a member of the National Honor Society and received numerous awards and scholarships. Her parents, Joe and Janet Rollings, owned a shop where she learned to work with wood and metal and grew to appreciate working with her hands and getting dirty. She grew up hearing stories about mines, machinery and explosives from her father. After attending a mini-course at NMIMT she knew that a career in mining was for her.

Jessica is employed as an Engineer's Assistant and enjoys reading, hiking and rock climbing.

North Dakota Winner

Elizabeth Friedlander
Minnesota State University Moorhead

Elizabeth is in her third year of pursuing a degree in public relations at Minnesota State University. She grew up in western North Dakota where she learned the importance of balancing coal mining and environmental protection. With her degree and knowledge of western coal, she believes she can help to positively influence public policy on environmental issues. Elizabeth graduated as an honor student from Hazen High School and was listed on the Fall 2001 MSUM Dean's List.

In her spare time, she volunteers with the American Cancer Society, teaches figure skating and works as a project inspector with Interstate Engineering, Inc. Elizabeth's father, Joe Friedlander, has been an RMCMI member since 1990.

Texas Winner

Elaine Wall
Tarrant County College

Elaine decided to start making her dreams come true a week after graduating from Trinity High School in Texas. She worked full time as a manager at Starbucks for 4 years while going to school before deciding that school had to be her #1 priority if she was going to get her degree. She is currently pursuing a degree in Geology. After completing graduate school, she would like to participate in a research project in Antarctica.

Elaine has worked as a photographer in high school, college and at a local newspaper and has received several awards for her work. She is also very involved with fundraising activities for the AIDS Resource Center in Dallas and enjoys rock climbing and cycling.

Utah Winner

Jennifer Brown
University of Utah

Jennifer's love of real-world problem solving and working with numbers led her to pursue an engineering degree. Once exposed to the challenges associated with discovering and unearthing portions of the earth she decided that mining engineering was for her. She has worked several summers with Canyon Fuel Company at the Skyline Mine and was fascinated with working on a large-scale and safe underground coal mining operation. Her experiences confirmed her decision to pursue coal mining and mining engineering. She maintains a 3.5 GPA at the University of Utah.

Jennifer has received several scholarships and honors including the William C. Browning Scholarship in 1999, 2000 and 2001. She is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, the Golden Key National Honor Society and the SME student chapter.

Wyoming Winner

Pamela Beavis
University of Wyoming

Pamela was the Salutatorian of Wright High School's class of 2000, and decided during high school that electrical engineering was going to be her career goal. She would like to learn how electrical systems operate so she can help improve them for future mining generations. She has spent much of her free time over the last year driving coal trucks at Thunder Basin. Pamela believes mining offers a bright and exciting future with an infinite amount of opportunities.

Pamela was a Girl Scout from kindergarten through 12th grade. She has received several honors over the years including being named to the Freshman Dean's List, and was a member of the National Honor Society and the Jr. Engineering Technical Society. Pamela is the daughter of Randy and Sylvia Beavis. Her brother, Charles, was the 2001 Wyoming scholarship winner.