Luckiest guy in universe

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University’s first Astronaut Scholarship recipient, and one of only 50 across America this year, senior civil engineering major Phong C. Ly of Brandon, Miss., feels like the luckiest guy in the universe. He received a $10,000 merit-based award from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Ly is pursuing an environmental engineering concentration through MSU’s James Worth Bagley College of Engineering. He also is a top student in the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, home to the university’s Office of Prestigious External Scholarships. As part of the award, Ly is embarking on a trip to Washington, D.C., for ASF’s 2018 Innovators Gala featuring the Neil Armstrong Award of Excellence. He will be interacting with some of America’s pioneering astronauts, scientists, researchers who are making an impact and advancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. In 2017, MSU became the only university in Mississippi invited into a partnership with the Orlando, Fla.-based Astronaut Scholarship Foundation to promote STEM fields, along with NASA research priorities at the undergraduate level. The university is among 36 top American institutions selected for having strong undergraduate and graduate research programs that produce significant numbers of professional scientists, academic scientists, engineers and researchers. ASF Scholarship program recognizes outstanding college juniors and seniors, and students are encouraged to apply during their sophomore or junior year. (Source: MSU 08/06/18)