The RPI David T. Ryan Scholarship Fund
On April 6, 2005, Bill Shumway, Director of Development at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and Walter Cicha, Chairman of the David T. Ryan Memorial Committee, made an official announcement to the media that the David T. Ryan Scholarship Fund has been established at RPI. The fund, which presently holds $21,000, will be used to award annual $5000 David T. Ryan Merit Awards to exceptional RPI students in Science or Engineering. It is hoped that the students’ accomplishments will honor the memory of David Ryan, who was a highly gifted GE Magnet Physicist, formerly the top student in his Physics graduating class at Oxford University, and an exceptional cyclist.
The Scholarship Fund was made possible by the highly publicized “David T. Ryan Ride for Safety Awareness,” a fundraising event in celebration of David’s life which took place on October 9, 2004 in Schenectady, Saratoga and Albany counties. Over 250 registered cyclists rode either 10 or 30 miles along the Mohawk River, on roads and on the Mohawk-Hudson bike path, with one TV commentator dubbing it the “Tour de France Niskayuna.” In addition to each rider donating at least $10 and as much as $100 dollars, many other individuals and corporate sponsors generously donated, with David’s parents and the General Electric Company leading the way.
It is hoped that people will continue to donate to the David T. Ryan Scholarship Fund at RPI. Checks made payable to the “Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,” with David T. Ryan Scholarship stated as a memo, should be sent to:
Bill Shumway
Director of Development
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy Building - 4017
110-8th Street
Troy, New York 12180-3590
The David T. Ryan Memorial Committee and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute thank you for your generous support!
David T. Ryan Scholarship Fund Update (12/14/04)
RPI Campus.News for the Week of April 11, 2005
David T. Ryan Scholarship Established
Rensselaer has established the David T. Ryan Scholarship, a $5,000 merit scholarship to be awarded beginning next academic year to a sophomore involved in athletics who is majoring in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science, materials engineering with a focus in nanotechnology, or chemical and biological engineering with a focus in biotechnology.
The scholarship honors the memory of David T. Ryan, a General Electric (GE) physicist and avid bicyclist who died tragically last June in a bicycle accident. The Mohawk-Hudson Bicycling Club hosted the David T. Ryan Ride for Safety Awareness last fall to raise money for a scholarship in Ryan's memory. The group selected Rensselaer to establish the scholarship fund.
Walter Cicha, a friend and co-worker of Ryan who created the memorial bicycle ride, was on campus April 7 to present a lecture as commemoration of 2005 as the World Year of Physics. His efforts to establish the scholarship were acknowledged in advance of his presentation, titled "Rebel With a Cause: Celebrating a Century of Albert Einstein's Non-Conformist Humanism."
The scholarship will continue to be awarded on an annual basis as funds allow. Recommendations for the scholarship will be submitted by the deans of the School of Science and the School of Engineering, following specific criteria.
Published April 11, 2005
RPI Article Published June 10, 2005
David T. Ryan Scholarship Established
TROY, N.Y. - Rensselaer has established the David T. Ryan Scholarship, a $5,000 merit scholarship to be awarded beginning next academic year to a sophomore involved in athletics who is majoring in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science, materials engineering with a focus in nanotechnology, or chemical and biological engineering with a focus in biotechnology.
The scholarship honors the memory of David T. Ryan, a General Electric (GE) physicist and avid bicyclist who died tragically last June in a bicycle accident. The Mohawk-Hudson Bicycling Club hosted the David T. Ryan Ride for Safety Awareness last fall to raise money for a scholarship in Ryan's memory. The group selected Rensselaer to establish the scholarship fund.
Ryan's parents visited the School of Science on Friday, June 3, to formally establish the scholarship at a luncheon, which was attended by the Ryans, Sam Wait, Associate Dean of Science, members of the Mohawk-Hudson Bicycling Club, and representatives from the offices of financial aid and institute advancement.
Walter Cicha, a friend and co-worker of Ryan who created the memorial bicycle ride, was on campus April 7 to present a lecture as commemoration of 2005 as the World Year of Physics. His efforts to establish the scholarship were acknowledged in advance of his presentation, titled "Rebel With a Cause: Celebrating a Century of Albert Einstein's Non-Conformist Humanism."
The scholarship will continue to be awarded on an annual basis as funds allow. Recommendations for the scholarship will be submitted by the deans of the School of Science and the School of Engineering , following specific criteria.
Sections of this article were previously published in Campus.News the week of April 11, 2005.
Published June 10, 2005
David T. Ryan Merit Scholarship Recipient
Jeffrey Martin of Boylston, MA, is a sophomore with a dual major in bioinformatics and molecular biology, and biochemistry and biophysics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. He has been awarded the $5000 David T. Ryan Merit Scholarship in 2006-07 for the third consecutive year. Jeffrey is enrolled in the accelerated bachelor’s of science/Ph.D. program, which enables students to complete a bachelor’s degree and a doctoral degree in seven years. He is the first recipient of the David T. Ryan Merit Scholarship at Rensselaer and is a Rensselaer Medalist. Please see the links attached below for more about Jeffrey at RPI.