MACON – Mercer University senior Caitlyn Patton, an electrical engineering major, is the recipient of the 2019 Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Frances B. Hugle Scholarship for her outstanding academic performance and passion for engineering.
The scholarship, established in memory of Frances B. Hugle and her significant contributions and accomplishments in engineering, aims to help provide resources for women in engineering to follow in her footsteps.
The Frances B. Hugle Scholarship is awarded each year in the amount of $2,500 to one female student who has completed two years of undergraduate study in an engineering curriculum at an ABET-accredited college or university within the United States.
“I am incredibly excited and honored to be receiving this award from IEEE Women in Engineering,” said Patton. “Frances B. Hugle is an inspirational figure for women with her discoveries in the beginnings of the semiconductor and integrated circuit industry. I hope to one day follow in her footsteps to become an inspirational figure that leads the next generation to become engineers in a world where engineering is at the forefront of technological progress and prosperity.”
A native of Durham, North Carolina, Patton is enrolled in the School of Engineering’s 4+1 Integrated Master of Science Program. She plans to graduate in May with her bachelor’s degree and in December with her master’s degree.
She conducts research with Dr. Ruiyun Fu, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, regarding wireless power transfer. She presented preliminary research at the ninth annual IEEE International Symposium on Power Electronics for Distributed Generation Systems in Charlotte, North Carolina, and interned with the Transmission Engineering Division of Duke Energy Progress in North Carolina for the past two summers.
“We are so proud of Caitlyn and the outstanding research she has conducted in Dr. Fu’s laboratory, and I’m delighted that the IEEE has recognized her with this prestigious award,” said Dr. Laura Lackey, dean and Georgia Kaolin Chair of Engineering.
Patton, who aspires to pursue a career working on alternative energy sources and energy-efficient power delivery systems, was selected as an IEEE Power and Energy Society Scholar in 2018 and 2019.
She is a Jesse Mercer Scholar, member of the Engineering Scholars track of the University Honors Program and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, and president of the Society of Women Engineers. She also serves as head layout editor for The Cluster student newspaper.
About the School of Engineering
Mercer University’s School of Engineering, founded in 1985, offers innovative and academically challenging programs that provide students with a comprehensive education, featuring a solid foundation in mathematics and sciences, a core engineering curriculum, a range of courses in engineering specialties and a strong emphasis on communication technologies. The School is consistently ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top three master’s-degree-level engineering schools in the Southeast. Known for its breadth of instruction in its undergraduate program and its five-year joint bachelor’s and master’s degree program, the School combines technical education with hands-on laboratory experience. Mercer engineers can look forward to joining fellow alumni in companies such as Robins Air Force Base, Mercer Engineering Research Center, Northrop Grumman, Georgia Power, Manhattan Associates and Gulfstream Aerospace.
