We are pleased to announce that August Koehler has received the Gaines Family Foundation Prize in Engineering and Daniel Zahn has received the Martin Philip Memorial Scholarship for the upcoming academic year.

The Gaines Family Foundation Prize in Engineering is a merit scholarship of up to $5,000 for students enrolling in a college engineering program. This year’s recipient, August Koehler, was extensively involved in musical and scouting clubs in high school, and plans to attend Rochester Institute of Technology to study electrical engineering and robotics.

According to Lewis Gaines, who, along with his wife Roberta, permanently endowed the award, the scholarship is designed to “encourage Jewish students to consider engineering as a professional and entrepreneurial option.” By “recognize[ing] outstanding Jewish high school students with a commitment to engineering,” Gaines is optimistic that “more families will be supportive of this career path.”

Gaines cited “wide ranging” Jewish achievements in the field of engineering as one reason for the importance of the scholarship. Although these successes are “often less noticed” than those in the world of finance and law, they include the “founding of Google, Facebook and Intel.” However, Jewish enrollment at engineering schools has declined from 20 percent to below 10 percent in recent years, likely due to “increased opportunities” in the financial sector, Gaines said.

Daniel Zahn, the recipient of the Martin Philip Memorial Scholarship, was involved in arts and drama clubs in high school in addition to a plethora of honor societies. He plans to attend Pennsylvania State University Schreyer Honors College to study English.

The scholarship was founded in memory of Martin Philip, a well-known personal injury lawyer from Palmerton who died in 2001 at age 93. It provides $1,000 in merit aid to a Jewish high school senior planning to pursue further education. Recipients are required to participate in community service and/or school activities.

Both August and Daniel are to be commended for their significant accomplishments in and outside of school. Congratulations to August and Daniel and their families!

LEARN MORE ABOUT APPLYING FOR OUR SCHOLARSHIPS