ORNL Director Thom Mason, left, congratulates UT-Battelle scholarship recipient Samuel Feldman. (Photo: Jason Richards)
By Chris Samoray
High school senior Samuel Feldman of Hardin Valley Academy in Knoxville has earned the 2015 UT-Battelle Scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee.
The scholarship, given to a graduating senior planning to study a science field at UT, is renewable for four years and is worth a total of $20,000. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student who has a parent who works at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Samuel’s parents are Matthew and Laura Feldman of Knoxville. His father, Matthew, works in ORNL’s Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division. Sam’s grandparents are Mary and Jim Luttrell of Oak Ridge and Nancy and the late Melvin Feldman, who retired from ORNL, also of Oak Ridge.
Before his senior year, Samuel accepted an internship in ORNL’s Climate Change Science Institute. Though he finds research stimulating, he also thinks that being able to communicate complex science to policy makers and the public is important. At UT, he plans to further his studies in climate change science by choosing a field that mixes both.
“I plan to enroll in a program at the University of Tennessee that will prepare me not only to conduct research in climate science, but also to present this research in a way that will inspire change in public policy,” he wrote in his scholarship essay, continuing: “The array of skills I would pick up through these classes would allow me to make a real difference in the world. A career in climate science would allow me to help people around the world protect their future and that of their children and grandchildren.”
In addition to being an ORNL summer intern, Samuel is a member of the Technology Student Association and has served as the local chapter’s president and two terms as a Tennessee TSA State officer. He’s also part of the HVA FIRST robotics team and HVA ultimate Frisbee team.
His other accolades include a 2015 National Merit Finalist, second place in the 2015 Department of Energy Tennessee Science Bowl, and third place in its 2014 competition. He is part of the National Honor Society and an AP Scholar with Distinction. Samuel also received a National Merit Corporate Scholarship from Battelle. This award is $1,000 per academic school year.
