The largest of the Foundation's scholarships is the four-year, $40,000 SME Education Family Scholarship, which is awarded to Greg Kurfess, who will be attending the Georgia Institute of Technology, majoring in mechanical engineering.

DEARBORN, Mich., May 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The SME Education Foundation has presented substantial scholarships to six young men and women who will be pursuing degrees in manufacturing engineering and related technologies in the 2017-2018 academic year. More than $620,000 in awards are being granted to graduating high school seniors, undergraduates and graduate students as part of the Foundation's efforts to inspire, prepare and support the next generation of manufacturing engineers and technologists.

The largest of the Foundation's scholarships is the four-year, $40,000 SME Education Family Scholarship, which is awarded to Greg Kurfess, who will be attending the Georgia Institute of Technology, majoring in mechanical engineering.

"The main reason I want to enter the field of mechanical engineering is that over the past two summers I interned at Georgia Tech where I worked with many machines including mills and lathes. I enjoyed operating these machines and learning how to program them," said Kurfess. "I also appreciated the fact that I was able to design and build a wide variety of systems."

The SME Education Foundation's Family Scholarships are awarded to relatives of SME members. Two other students will receive four-year Family Scholarships totaling $20,000 each: Juan Carrano, who plans to study mechanical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology; and Kemal Fidan, who will attend the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, majoring in computer science with a concentration in computer-integrated manufacturing.

The Foundation has also awarded three students with the Marcus B. Crotts Directors Scholarship in the amount of $5,000 each: Taylor Schake, University of Wisconsin-Stout; Adeline Longstreth, Georgia Institute of Technology; and Cragun Liston, Brigham Young University.

"By providing scholarship assistance, the SME Education Foundation enables dedicated and passionate students to help achieve their educational goals and become our future manufacturing engineers and skilled technologists," said Brian Glowiak, vice president of the SME Education Foundation. "The financial support we provide can make a life-changing impact by helping students complete their higher education journey."

In addition to the Family and Directors scholarships, the Foundation is awarding more than 250 scholarships ranging from $1,000 - $6,000.

The SME Education Foundation will begin accepting scholarship applications for the 2018-19 school year in November 2017. For additional information or to register for application reminders, please visit smeef.org/scholarships.

About the SME Education Foundation
The SME Education Foundation is committed to inspiring, preparing and supporting the next generation of manufacturing engineers and technologists. Since its creation by SME in 1979, the SME Education Foundation has provided grants, scholarships and awards through its partnerships with corporations, organizations, foundations and individual donors. Each year, the Foundation awards several hundred scholarships to students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering and technology disciplines closely related to manufacturing. The organization also administers scholarship awards on behalf of major corporations connected to manufacturing. Additionally, the Foundation's PRIME® initiative was created to provide high school students with a tailored advanced manufacturing/STEM education.

Visit the SME Education Foundation at smeef.org. Follow @mfgeducation on Twitter or facebook.com/SME.Education.Foundation.

About SME
SME connects all those who are passionate about making things that improve our world. As a nonprofit organization, SME has served practitioners, companies, educators, government and communities across the manufacturing spectrum for more than 80 years. Through its strategic areas of events, media, membership, training and development, and the SME Education Foundation, SME is uniquely dedicated to the advancement of manufacturing by addressing both knowledge and skills needed for the industry. Learn more at sme.org, follow @SME_MFG on Twitter or facebook.com/SMEmfg