A group of Iowa State faculty, staff, and students visited Garmin International in Olathe, Kan. late last year. The trip, led by Anson Marston Distinguished Professor and Palmer Endowed Department Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering David Jiles, included a number of Garmin Scholars and several representatives from the Iowa State College of Engineering and Foundation.
The group spent the day with ISU alums at Garmin and had lunch with Dr. Min Kao, co-founder, President and CEO of Garmin International.
“Garmin has a strong presence in the College of Engineering and its engagement across campus is growing,” said Mark Boeck, Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Iowa State. “Garmin recruits our top students for internships and hires them when they graduate. Alumni and other executives participate on advisory councils. As a multi-billion dollar company, their feedback on our preparation of students for the evolving tech industry is very valuable. We are grateful not only for the participation of Garmin’s top leadership, but especially for Dr. Min Kao’s philanthropic support of the Garmin Scholars program annually.”
Garmin awards eight $5,000 scholarships per year to ECpE students. Junior and senior recipients, named Garmin Scholars, are given first consideration for prestigious internship opportunities at Garmin.
Six Garmin Scholars were present on the trip, including Tanner Hildebrand, Adam Kaas, Stephen March, Ashley Nelson, Michael Pruszinske, and Shawn Quereshi.
“Everybody was very welcoming, and the Garmin headquarters were impressive and cutting-edge,” said Nelson. “As a bonus, I got to personally thank Dr. Kao for the impact his scholarship has made on my education.”