The Easton Amateur Radio Society (“EARS”) has announced that the winner of their 2021 Memorial Scholarship is Karli Abbott, a class of ’21 graduate of Easton High School. Ms. Abbott, a resident of Trappe, will enter UMBC this fall in the Cybersecurity degree track offered by the college’s Computer Science and Electrical Engineering department. The EARS Memorial Scholarship currently carries a stipend of $1,000.
Ms. Abbott was chosen as this year’s winner from a field of exceptionally well-qualified applicants. What set her apart in the review committee’s eyes was not just her academic record, but the remarkable history of public service compiled throughout her high school years, as an NJROTC cadet, a member of the Trappe Volunteer Fire Department, her 4-H project to raise funds to provide defibrillators for county agricultural facilities, and so on. For more than 100 years, amateur radio operators, federally licensed as members of the FCC’s Amateur Radio Service, have provided emergency communication services in times of natural disaster and non-emergency communications to assist in charitable events like marathons, and in scientific and educational projects that help advance the science of electronic communications. A commitment to public service is a fundamental part of amateur radio and a critical component of EARS’ evaluation of its Memorial Scholarship applicants.
The Easton Amateur Radio Society is an organization of mid-shore HAM Radio operators formed more than 50 years ago. The Society focuses on promoting both the hobby and service aspects of amateur radio, and to encourage young people to pursue education and training in scientific and technical fields. The EARS Memorial Scholarship program was instituted in 2017 and each year offers a scholarship to a deserving local high school senior who has committed to undertaking post-secondary education in one of the STEM fields to continue his or her education in a technical field. It is intended to memorialize those members of the Society that have passed away (become “silent keys” in ham parlance) since its founding.
For more information on EARS and its activities visit www.k3emd.com.
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