When Martha Hopkins Hashinger first became a student at West Virginia University, it was her dream to major in chemistry. While that dream was never fulfilled—she majored in home economics—it was taken into consideration when she and her husband, William R. Hashinger, Jr., created an endowment for his alma mater in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
In honor of his late wife, Hashinger created the Martha Hopkins Hashinger Research Scholarship in Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. The $25,000 endowment will provide scholarships for undergraduate women participating in research projects within the Department. The endowment is expected to qualify for a match from the state’s Research Trust Fund, bringing the total investment to $50,000.
“My wife and I have planned for some time to do something to help aspiring engineering students at WVU as an act of appreciation for our own experience while enrolled as students during the late depression pre-war years,” said Hashinger. “The endowment enables this to be done now as a memorial to her.”
“The generosity of our alumni helps us to enrich our program and enables us to provide new opportunities for our current students,” said Dr. Rakesh Gupta, chair of chemical engineering. “Each year, this scholarship will bring the excitement of research to a female student, talented in subjects such as chemistry and biology, while simultaneously preparing her for a life-long career in chemical engineering.”
In 2008, the state created the Research Trust Fund with an initial appropriation of $50 million, including $35 million for WVU, to leverage public and private investments that will transform West Virginia’s economy. WVU is able to tap into the fund to double private gifts that support expansions to research faculty and infrastructure in key areas linked to economic development, health care and job growth. To date, private gifts and pledges approved for RTF match total $18.7 million.
The gift was made through the WVU Foundation, the private, non-profit corporation that generates, receives and administers private gifts for the benefit of WVU.
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CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon
304-293-4086
mary.dillon@mail.wvu.eu