TAYLOR MILL, KY – The Chemical Coaters Association International has contributed $3,000 in scholarship money to the North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) Coatings & Polymeric Materials Department. For the past four years, CCAI has awarded scholarships to students at NDSU who are majoring in Coatings & Polymeric Materials. The successful recipients are full-time students enrolled in a coatings program, in good standing and with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

The CCAI National Board established a scholarship fund to provide awards to worthy colleges, universities and other training institutions that have programs that are related to the coatings and finishing industries. The CCAI Chapters are encouraged to support the scholarship fund as well. CCAI President, Sam Woehler states, “Education is the foundation of CCAI’s mission. By supporting scholarship programs such as this, our membership is proud to help attract bright new talent to the coatings and finishing industries for the future.”

This year, $1,000 will be awarded to an NDSU student majoring in Coatings & Polymeric Materials for the Fall Semester, and an additional $1,000 will be awarded to a student for the Spring 2014 Semester. Vicki Gelling, Associate Professor in the Dept. of Coatings & Polymeric Materials at NDSU remarks, “Scholarships, like the CCAIfunded scholarship, give our undergraduate students not only exposure to the coating’s industry but also allow them to focus on their studies. Almost all of our undergraduate scholarship recipients perform hands-on research in the coatings/corrosion area in addition to taking classroom coursework on the topics.”

Additionally, $1,000 is awarded to underwrite the expenses for the Dept. of Coatings & Polymeric Materials Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, which attracts undergraduates from around the country. Furthermore, by the end of 2013, CCAI will award an additional $2,000 to NDSU for its 2014 Summer and Fall programs, bringing the total of CCAI’s 2013 Matt Heuertz Scholarship Donation to $5,000.