Campus News / Events

Hannah Brood, a senior from Rudyard, Mich., received the inaugural President’s FIRST® Robotics Scholarship at Lake Superior State University. The scholarship is a full tuition award given to a student who participated in the FIRST® Robotics Competition at LSSU on April 7. Brood’s interest in robotics started in middle school when she attended the Tech Savvy conference in Gaylord, Mich.

The President’s FIRST® Robotics Scholarship was announced by LSSU President Dr. Peter T. Mitchell during the opening ceremony of this year’s competition held in the LSSU Norris Center. “The scholarship demonstrates support by our administration to attract the best students,” stated Dr. Andrew Jones, engineering professor and emcee of the LSSU FIRST® Competition. “I was ecstatic to hear that Hannah was selected as the recipient of this scholarship and I look forward to seeing her in future classes.”

In order to be eligible for the President’s FIRST® Full Tuition Scholarship, students must have participated in the LSSU-hosted FIRST® Robotics Competition, be an admitted student to LSSU by May 1, and must have submitted the FIRST® Scholarship application by the May 1 deadline. The scholarship is available to any academic major, not just those interested in robotics and/or engineering.

“As one of the first universities in the country to develop a program in robotics and as a strong supporter of FIRST® Robotics Competitions, Lake State is eager to attract the brightest and best students,” said Mitchell. “Hannah is the perfect recipient of this scholarship. In addition to being academically talented, her eclectic interest in art and music and her love of the outdoors aligns with LSSU’s focus on combining excellent career opportunities with a sound grounding in the liberal arts and an appreciation for the environment.” Mitchell was especially pleased that the scholarship will go to a student from the Eastern Upper Peninsula.

Brood has been a member of Team 5709 – Rudyard Nerf Herders since her freshman year of high school. This year, she was the director of robotics and specialized on the mechanical side of operating a robot. During the summer of 2017, she attended the Women in Technology camp at Lake Superior State University. She said, “It was a really good experience. I enjoyed working with the FANUC robots in the Robotics Lab.”

Jim Devaprasad, an engineering professor at Lake State, has been an integral member of robotics at Lake State for over thirty years. He oversees the engineering summer camps and stated, “We are so glad that Hannah is the recipient of the President’s FIRST® Robotics Scholarship at LSSU. It was fully evident when Hannah participated in the Women in Technology camp -now Robotics and Engineering camp for girls – that she is a star. I have no doubt that Hannah will be an outstanding asset in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field in the future.”

Brood is interested in robotics at LSSU and is excited about her choice to attend Lake State this fall. Brood said, “Lake State has strong programs and the location is a good fit for me.” Although Brood has a strong background in robotics, she’s still not sure what she’ll major in while at LSSU. She’s considering engineering and robotics, but is also interested in other majors within the science field.

Brood is looking forward to her next adventure as a Laker and added a few words of advice to high school students.