SD
Soprinye Dappa-fombo
  • Class of 2016
  • Savannah, AZ

Soprinye Dappa-fombo, one of 10 Kennesaw State students named as a Birla Carbon scholar

2016 Sep 22

Kennesaw State University's College of Science and Mathematics officially recognized 10 new 2016 Birla Carbon Scholars at the Birla Carbon Symposium. Nearly 100 students, faculty, staff and Birla Carbon executives reviewed posters at the symposium in August 2016.

This year's scholars include: Soprinye Dappa-fombo of Phoenix.

"Over the summer, these students have actively engaged as collaborators on projects ranging from methods that could potentially yield nanowires, to the use of bioinformatics to detect more accurately E. coli or salmonella contamination in packaged foods, to the remediation of soils contaminated during the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe in Japan," said Anderson. "These are all very impressive projects that the students were given the opportunity to work on full time, thanks to the generous support of Birla Carbon."

The event marked the third year of a five-year partnership with Birla Carbon, which has allowed the College's 10 Birla Carbon Scholars to participate in summer research opportunities. Birla Carbon is the world's largest manufacturer of carbon black, which is used to make everything from car tires to electronics. It is a flagship business of the $40-billion Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in India.

The scholars program was developed in April 2014 with a $250,000 pledge from Birla Carbon for a five-year annual gift of $50,000 to support research opportunities for students in Kennesaw State's College of Science and Mathematics. The program has awarded 30 Kennesaw State students each a $4,000 stipend since 2014.

"This stipend allows them time and financial freedom to expand their research skills outside of the classroom and continue Kennesaw State's tradition of academic excellence," Anderson said. "Kennesaw State is proud to celebrate Year 3 of this integral partnership."

Applicants for the annual scholarship must be freshmen, sophomores or juniors during the spring semester in which they apply for the program and have a minimum 3.0 GPA. In addition to the scholars program, funds from the Birla Carbon gift will be used to provide research supplies needed for faculty assisting students and supplies needed for the end-of-the term symposium.