USU Engineering Undergraduate Receives Astronaut Scholarship
Mechanical engineering student Ryan Lewis is one of 71 people around the country — and the only student from Utah — to receive a major scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The scholarship will be awarded by NASA astronaut Douglas Hurley at a special presentation at 5:30 p.m., Jan. 29 in ENGR 103.
Ryan Lewis is a junior studying mechanical engineering. He is the third USU recipient of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation and the only recipient from Utah.
“I am extremely honored and grateful for the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation community who have been supportive and eager to see me succeed,” said Lewis. “I am also deeply grateful for my peers and the faculty here at USU who played a pivotal role in helping me reach this point. I encourage others to seek out support in our wonderful engineering community as they diligently pursue their dreams."
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to aiding the United States in retaining its world leadership in technology and innovation. The program was founded by the original Mercury 7 astronauts with a mission to support university students in STEM fields. USU is the first university in Utah to be a part of this scholarship program and the 45th university overall to receive this honor. Lewis is the third student at USU and in the state of Utah to receive the scholarship.
In addition to financial support, recipients also receive a mentor, access to a wide network of aerospace experts and the chance to attend the foundation’s Innovators Gala in Orlando.
NASA astronaut and Northrop Grumman executive Douglas Hurley will present the 2025 scholarship and share highlights from his career at a special presentation on Jan 29.
Lewis’s award will be presented by NASA astronaut Douglas Hurley who will share highlights from his career following a brief award ceremony.
Hurley is a senior director at Northrop Grumman. He previously served as a NASA astronaut, test pilot and fighter pilot with over 24 years of service in the United States Marine Corps.
Hurley flew in space three times, accumulating 93 days in orbit. He served as Pilot on STS-127 in 2009 and STS-135 in 2011, which was the last flight of the shuttle. On his final trip to space, Hurley was the commander of the NASA/Space X Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station in 2020.
More information, including current application information, can be found at https://astronautscholarship.org/.
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Writer: Matt Jensen, matthew.jensen@usu.edu, 435-797-8170
Contact: Steve Larson, steve.larson@usu.edu, 435-797-5548