Our Section Scholarship awards for 2017 honor two students who show exemplary performance in academics, the community, and look forward to careers where automation and controls play an important role.
The scholarship honors three past Philadelphia section presidents – Ross Forman, C. Blair Ives, and Cliff McLaughlin. These three gentlemen were truly giants of the past and illustrate the amazing history our chapter has in the development and progress in controls and automation.
It would not be fair to each of our winners if we did not congratulate their parents for giving their daughters the support and structure, enabling them to achieve what they have early in their lives and make the best of their potential and abilities for a bright and promising future.

We are awarding two candidates this year. – one award of $2500 and one award of $1000 – to offset the cost of their education. Both candidates are good students, have been service oriented in the community, are scholar athletes, are involved in their school and discipline, and are great citizens of faith and honor. There are no losers here!
Technology turnover happens in less than a year now. Fast Technology changes require smart people to take the reins for the future of ISA (and this section). From the looks of our award winners, we are in great hands.
Our honorees are:

Fred DiPasquale Scholarship Chairman, Briana Talbot, and Terry Ives, former national president of ISA

Briana Talbot – Briana is a senior at Central Bucks East High School with a cumulative weighted GPA of 4.2 (one B+, and the rest of her grades were A’s!). She has been accepted at Penn State main campus to dual major in Chemical Engineering (Bioprocess and Biomolecular Option) and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Biochemistry Option). Briana has a lot of Penn State in her family. Her mother is a grad. Her father is an engineering grad. Her brother attends there now as a Chem Eng major. Not to mention her grandfather who serves as the ISA Section secretary.
Briana is a busy scholar athlete at CB East where she has played soccer and basketball. Named one of the captains of the soccer team. Helped with CB East girls’ basketball summer camp since her freshman year. Has refereed youth soccer and basketball. She has worked on service projects including food drives, toy drives, and is an active member in Athletes Helping Athletes club, where she is assgned a buddy with a disability and helps them to learn to play sports during multiple events.

Charles Bissell, past section president, Sophia McConnell, and Fred DiPasquale.

Sophia McConnell– Sophia’s family is no stranger to ISA. Her father Thompson is a current member, and her grandfather Thomas was a senior member. Sophia is a freshman at Bryn Mawr College where she plans to major in Chemistry and minor in Environmental Studies. While Sophia is completing her first year studies which include adding Russian to her language knowledge, she has worked hard and is part of the Varsity boat for Bryn Mawr’s Crew team. Dedication doesn’t seem to be an issue for her! She hopes to pursue a graduate degree possibly in Materials Engineering or Nanotechnology.
Sophia graduated from Manheim Township HS in Lancaster, PA. She was in a Spanish Immersion Program where all her classes were entirely in Spanish. She has taught ESL. She was a member of NHS, tutored, has been involved in music, including Bagpipe Bands as a snare drummer, and went to Nicaragua to teach English to students to improve chances for university admission.

Congratulations to all our winners! The chapter will be evaluating awards for next year. Looking forward to next year’s candidates!