Wright State student awarded $6,000 scholarship from Dayton Defense Educational Foundation

A Wright State University student who served in the Air Force, was deployed to Iraq and is pursuing a military-related career has won a $6,000 scholarship from the Dayton Defense Educational Foundation.

Dennis Martin, 27, an earth and environmental sciences major from Englewood, was stationed in North Dakota with the Air Force and was deployed to Iraq and Qatar, where he worked security.

During his military service, he received several awards, including the Air Force Expeditionary Medal. He is currently a member of the American Legion Post 586 in Tipp City.

Martin, who carries a 3.4 grade point average, hopes to make a career in an environmental area with the military as a civilian employee or with a defense contractor.

Martin, who has a 1-year-old daughter, said the scholarship will help ease his financial burden.

“It’s just less I have to worry about moneywise so I can concentrate more on being a student and a parent,” he said.

Rick Shiverdecker, who instructed Martin during Hazardous Material Site Safety training at Wright State, said Martin is a hard worker and quick learner.

“He is very capable of working out problems, finding solutions to questions through research,” Shiverdecker said.

The Dayton Defense Educational Foundation’s mission is to provide educational opportunities connected to the area’s defense sector, including science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medical health (STEMM). The foundation provides scholarships to promote the pursuit of STEMM disciplines and financial support for the development of STEMM programs in K-12 and higher education.

Foundation President Dale Kirby, of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., said the Wright State scholarship is designed to support a student pursuing a career that may lead to a defense-related job in the Dayton area. He said the foundation plans to increase scholarship amounts in the future.

“We have a shortage of STEMM-qualified workers currently, which is being exacerbated by the departure of a lot of corporate knowledge because senior people are retiring from the workforce,” Kirby said.

Martin will be recognized at an upcoming meeting of the Dayton Area Defense Contractors Association (DaytonDefense).