Pi Chi Omega announces 2020 scholarship winners

Top row, from left are Amanda Penicks, Fabian List and Rajani Sapkota. Bottom row, from left are Aaron Rodriques and Tiana Molitor. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY PI CHI OMEGA

Industry fraternity Pi Chi Omega has long focused on its scholarship program for full-time university students engaged in urban and industrial pest management studies. The objective of Pi Chi Omega’s scholarship program is to encourage and assist students to prepare for careers in pest management. In addition to bringing young minds into the industry, notes Rentokil’s Desiree Straubinger, BCE, the association’s Scholarship Committee Chair, “the research students are doing influences the future of our industry, and is very important in the ever-evolving world of pest control.” Look no further than the first Pi Chi Omega scholarship recipient, Dr. Bobby Corrigan (Pest Management Professional Hall of Fame, Class of 2008), and the first woman scholarship recipient, the recently retired Dr. Susan Jones.

This year marks 44 years of providing financial scholarships that support formal education within the field of entomology. Because of an anonymous donation on behalf of the late Norm Ehmann (PMP Hall of Fame, Class of 1999), a fifth scholarship was added to the organization’s scholarship program this year, bringing the total amount of scholarship funds awarded to $11,000. The scholarship committee reviewed eight applications, and have selected the following five students to receive Pi Chi Omega scholarships as follows:

• John Osmun Scholarship awarded to Tiana Molitor, University of Minnesota for $3,000
• Founders Endowment Scholarship awarded to Fabian List, Texas A&M for $2,000
• Alain VanRyckeghem Memorial Scholarship awarded to Aaron Rodriques, Purdue University for $2000
• Austin Frishman Scholarship awarded to Amanda Penicks, Cal Poly Tech for $2,000
• Norm Ehmann Scholarship awarded to Rajani Sapkota, Purdue University for $2,000