UCLA Engineering: UCLA Engineer Magazine

New Undergraduate Scholarships Inspire, Support Engineering Students

Eugene and Michael Kopp.

"I am very excited to have been selected to receive this scholarship. It’s encouraging to receive recognition of my interest in aviation and desire to contribute to the field,” said electrical engineering junior Neil Desai, winner of the inaugural Eugene H. Kopp Scholarship.

Established by Michael Kopp and his wife Cheryl in honor of his father Eugene Kopp, the scholarship is intended to support a junior or senior electrical engineering student who has an interest in aviation. The criteria reflect Eugene’s interests in both fields.

“My wife and I wanted to honor my father,” explained Michael, who received a BS in physics from Harvey Mudd College and works in the medical device industry. “When we approached him with the idea, he selected the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science as the location for the scholarship.” Eugene received his PhD from UCLA Engineering in 1965, and also served as an adjunct professor of electrical engineering in the 1980s and early 1990s.

“When I think of UCLA and what I learned, I think of Robert Elliott, my PhD mentor,” said Eugene. “He had a significant influence on my life, and he and his wife have become close personal friends of ours. There were also other engineering faculty who had a significant role in my graduate career and then later as colleagues and friends.”

“I had an early ambition to be a professional pilot, but discovered when I was 12 that my vision would prevent me from doing so,” added Eugene, who is part of Boeing’s Homeland Security group. “My continued interest in aviation paralleled Michael’s, who began flying in college. It’s been a very rewarding hobby for both of us.”

Desai shares their interest, and has had a passion for flight and aviation since he was young. He opted to major in electrical engineering because of the field’s breadth and the awareness that it would allow him to contribute to aviation in a different way. Last summer, Desai was involved with an unmanned aerial vehicle exhibition held by the U.S. Air Force.

“I am thankful to my parents for supporting my ambitions, and to the Kopp family for this generous scholarship, and their recognition of my interests.” said Desai. “Knowing they have sponsored a scholarship in this field has reinforced my passion and dedication to the aviation industry, while providing me with inspiring financial support to continue my education.”

Another new scholarship, the Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Scholarship, has been established as an endowment through a gift from an anonymous alumnus. The donor - a three-time electrical engineering alumnus - and his wife created a scholarship to support a junior in electrical engineering, knowing how important financial support can be in attracting top students to the program at the undergraduate level.

“I received a scholarship as a junior, and it was a really pleasant surprise,” explained the UCLA Engineering alumnus. “It let me know that people in the School thought highly of my work and wanted to support me as I was considering graduate school. Other alumni may not realize that establishing a scholarship is a tangible way to support the program and our students. It can really mean a lot to students who have committed to electrical engineering to be given some financial assistance.”

The Eugene H. Kopp Scholarship and the Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Scholarship are just two of the recently established scholarships in the School. Dean Vijay K. Dhir has made undergraduate support one of his key fundraising priorities and would like to add 100 new endowed engineering scholarships over the next five years. Earlier this year, Dhir established a new endowed fund to support truly exception incoming first-year undergraduate students, providing full financial support for up to 10 students each year.

If you would like to know how you can make a difference in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, please call the Office of External Affairs at 310/206-0678 or visit http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/giving/.