September 2014
September 2014
Dear Link Foundation Friend,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Special Advisors of the Link Foundation, I am pleased to share with you several highlights of our progress during the year.
The primary programs of the Link Foundation are our Fellowship Programs in the fields of Energy Resources Development and Conservation, Ocean Engineering and Instrumentation, and Advanced Simulation and Training. Our fellowship grants are distributed to outstanding doctoral students who are working on cutting-edge research in these fields of importance to the future of humankind through our partner universities, Dartmouth College, Florida Atlantic University, and Florida Institute of Technology. Each program administers a nationally competitive process each year to determine which students receive the respective fellowship awards.
This year one of the Energy fellows, Letian Dou, who was a PhD student at the University of California, Los Angeles, prepared a paper on his research which had been supported through his Link Foundation Fellowship. He sent it to the highly prestigious journal, Science, which is an internationally known publication to which prominent researchers turn in order to share groundbreaking research. Dr. Dou’s paper was accepted and appeared in Volume 343, January 17, 2014, of this journal which is read by scientists around the world.
Applications to all Link Foundation Fellowship Programs have increased greatly in recent years as many doctoral-level scientists and engineers seek our support for their important research.
The Link Foundation is also encouraging some of the brightest young minds to pursue the study of the sciences and engineering. We continue to support summer internships for students at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute of Florida Atlantic University. This is one of our long-standing programs.
Other major programs of the Link Foundation support students at the Smithsonian Institution Marine Station, Florida, and at Indian River State College. The Foundation also provides scholarships for outstanding, graduating, high school seniors in Binghamton, New York. The support of these programs relates to the interests of our Founders in terms of where they lived and the institutions that they supported. Scholarships for younger, potential scientists and engineers are important as our nation needs to educate students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in order to remain globally competitive.
During the past year we were greatly pleased that Mr. Lenny Genna, President of L-3 Link Simulation & Training, Arlington, Texas, and Dr. Karl von Ellenrieder, Professor in the Department of Ocean & Mechanical Engineering at Florida Atlantic University, Dania Beach, Florida, accepted our invitations to join the Link Foundation Board as Special Advisors.
Mr. Genna is an outstanding engineering leader and executive who is in charge of a major company that is one of the legacy firms created from the historic line of business successes of the original Link Aviation Company in Binghamton, New York. We are proud of our affiliation with Mr. Genna and L-3 Link Simulation & Training.
Dr. von Ellenrieder has served the Link Foundation as the Ocean Engineering and Instrumentation Ph.D. Fellowship Program Manager since 2011. His significant experience in ocean engineering and academe will be a strong asset to the Link Foundation Board.
Mr. Genna and Dr. von Ellenrieder join a Board composed of other dedicated, current and former CEOs, scientists and engineers, and accomplished professionals in the fields of business, finance, and academe.
We strive to be good stewards of the Link Foundation and its resources, and we thank you for your interest in our important mission and work. I hope you will enjoy perusing the information provided on our website.
Sincerely,
Thomas F. Kelly, Ph.D.
Chair, Link Foundation Board of Trustees and Special Advisors
Professor of Management and former Dean of the School of Management
Binghamton University of the State University of New York