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Alexandria, VA – September 22, 2026 – The MPMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Motion + Power Manufacturers Alliance (MPMA), today announced the recipients of its 2026 Scholarship Program. Eighteen students from universities and colleges across the country will receive awards ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 in recognition of their academic achievement and commitment to careers in the gear and bearing industries. This year’s program drew the highest number of applications in the Foundation’s history, underscoring growing interest among students pursuing careers in the mechanical power transmission field.

The MPMA Foundation’s scholarship program supports students at every stage of their education — from students in technical schools, or those pursuing engineering degrees, to those working on research PhDs — with many recipients already gaining hands-on industry experience through co-ops and internships with MPMA member companies.

“What stood out most this year was how many applicants came from our own member companies,” said Mary Ellen Doran, VP of Emerging Tech at MPMA. “We saw more juniors and seniors currently interning at MPMA member companies apply than ever before, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see so many of this year’s winners directly tied to the companies that make up our industry.”

2026 Scholarship Recipients

Graduate Students

• Carlos Aleixo de Lima Domingues, Senior/Master’s student, University of South Florida (Tampa, FL)
• Derek Mayon, Master’s student, Rice University (Houston, TX)

Juniors & Seniors

• Carson Bacheller, Senior, Clemson University | Dodge Industrial
• Yatharth Bajaj, Senior, University of Cincinnati | JTEKT
• Luke Bohnert, Junior, Northern Illinois University | Caterpillar
• Travis Concon, Junior, Oregon State University | Star Cutter
• Keith Eicholtz, Junior, Penn State University |Gear Research Institute
• Nolan Finfrock, Senior, Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) | Schafer Industries
• Samir Hasan, Senior, The Ohio State University |Timken  – recipient of the Tedric A. Harris Bearing Industry Scholarship.
• Caleb Kerfoot, Senior, Michigan Technological University |Star Cutter
• Tyler Odgers, Junior, Clemson University | Dodge Industrial
• Matthew Temkin, Senior, Rochester Institute of Technology |Schaeffler
• Alexander Davis Valieri, Junior, Clemson University  | JTEKT
• Adam Weightman, Junior, Iowa State University | Forest City Gear
• Landen Wiggins, Junior, Purdue University | Schafer Gear Works — recipient of the Bipin & Linda Doshi Scholarship

Sophomores

• Jacob A. Milz, Georgia Institute of Technology — returning 2025 recipient
• Tyler Self, Tidewater Community College | Sumitomo

Freshmen

Mariena Warnick, Schoolcraft College | Star Cutter

About the MPMA Foundation

The MPMA Foundation is the charitable arm of the Motion + Power Manufacturers Alliance (MPMA), a voluntary association of companies, consultants, and academic institutions engaged in the design, manufacture, and application of gears, bearings, couplings, and related power transmission components.

Formed through the 2025 alignment of the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) and the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA), MPMA represents more than 400 member companies worldwide. Through scholarships, grants, and workforce support, the Foundation works to build the next generation of skilled professionals for the industry.

The MPMA Foundation is proud to welcome two members to the Board of Trustees. Joining the Board of Trustees are Carlos Wink, Chief/Principal Engineer of Eaton Corporation, Mobility Group and Jared Scott, National Training Manager, SEW-Eurodrive.  Jared will serve as the liaison to the MPMA Board of Directors.

We would like to thank Eric Van Rens, CEO, Schafer Industries, for the three years of volunteer service he provided to the MPMA Foundation. He ended his board service at the 2026 Annual Meeting.

The 2026 Scholarship Application is now available in the Scholarship Program section of the website. Students must be attending a school in the US or Canada. Preference is given to students with ties to a MPMA member company.

Deadline is June 16, 2026

In January, the AGMA Foundation changed its name to align with the 2025 merger of AGMA and ABMA to form the Motion + Power Manufacturers Alliance (MPMA). The Foundation is now the MPMA Foundation.

AGMA thanks outgoing Trustees Tony Richey and R. Greg Estell. We appreciate your three years of service in helping the Foundation solidify the 4 pillars, improve our scholarship outreach, and more.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alexandria, VA, September 10, 2024 – The AGMA Foundation Board of Trustees is excited to announce the awarding of $45,000 in scholarships to nine outstanding students pursuing careers in the gear industry. Each recipient will receive $5,000 to support their educational journey.

These scholarships are awarded annually to students at technical schools, and undergraduate and graduate levels dedicated to advancing their careers in the gear and power transmission sectors. This year’s recipients were selected based on a comprehensive evaluation of their academic performance, career aspirations within the gear industry, community involvement, and financial need. Applicants were required to submit a personal statement and two letters of recommendation alongside the application.

In addition to the general scholarships, the Foundation is proud to offer a special scholarship from Linda and Bipin Doshi Scholarship Endowment to Nolan Finfrock. Nolan, a Sophomore at Purdue University West Lafayette is pursuing dual degrees in Mechanical Engineering Technology and Mechatronics Engineering Technology and is currently interning with Schafer Industries. The Doshi Scholarship Endowment, established in April 2018 with a $100,000 fund by Linda and Bipin Doshi, formerly of Schafer Industries, supports top applicants in the field.

This year six of the nine awardees have connections to AGMA member companies.

Undergraduate Scholars:

• Luis Arciniega is a Junior at Minnesota State University – Mankato. While pursuing his degree in Engineering with a mechanical focus, he is also employed by Croix Gear.
• Henry Aiden Ford, a Freshman at Purdue University, is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also has worked at ITAMCO.
• Faith Hyllberg, Senior at Grand Canyon University, is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. She also has worked at Twin Disc in Racine, WI.
• Brandon Jahoor a Sophomore at the University of Waterloo, is pursuing a degree in Mechatronics. He also has an internship at ODG.
• Matthew Kolger a Senior at The Ohio University, is pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering.
• Michael Rinaldi a Freshman at Milligan University is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has ties to Artec Machine Systems.
• Tyler Stiger a Sophomore at Grace College is pursing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He interns at ITAMCO.

Graduate

• Enes Timur Ozdemir, a 4^th year PhD student at the University of Massachusetts – Lowell is pursuing a Doctorate of Mechanical Engineering. His research interests are continuous and discrete modeling of linear and non-linear structural dynamics and vibrations of mechanical systems, electromechanical modeling of electric drive systems, and their interactions with power transmission components in electric vehicles.

The selection process for these scholarships was carried out by the AGMA Foundation Scholarship Committee, consisting of nine experienced professionals from the gear industry. Ruthie Johnston, AGMA Foundation Chair, expressed her gratitude, saying, “Our scholarship program aims to support students committed to advancing the gear industry. I extend my heartfelt thanks to each member of the Scholarship Committee for their dedication and time.”

Funding for the scholarships comes from the endowment and contributions from AGMA member companies and industry supporters. This initiative aligns with the Foundation’s mission to attract, educate, and advance talent in the power transmission industry.

The AGMA Foundation’s 2024 Annual Campaign is currently in progress. To make a donation, please visit www.agmafoundation.org.

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The AGMA Foundation funded the original AGMA Online Workforce Training Series. AGMA has recently updated this series with new modernized content. The program remains free to any employee of an AGMA member company. It is a wonderful entry into the gear industry and the AGMA Foundation continues to strongly support this program. A link to the AGMA press release is below:

AGMA Launches Redeveloped On-Demand Workforce Training Series Courses – American Gear Manufacturers Association

The American Gear Manufacturers Association Foundation (AGMA Foundation) Scholarship Program received 25 applications for the 2024, a 300% increase from 2023. Twenty-four applications came from undergraduates pursuing degrees in computer science, economics, mechanical, electrical, aerospace, and mechatronics engineering, and one application from a student pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering.

During the next six weeks, the AGMA Foundation Scholarship Committee will determine the scholarship winners through an objective review process. Awardees are to be announced in early September 2024.

“We have had lower numbers of applications since covid,” stated Mary Ellen Doran, Executive Director, AGMA Foundation. “I am thrilled to see the numbers come back, and now we have the continued work of fundraising for donations to help all those qualifying applicants.”

In addition to the annual scholarships, the AGMA Foundation will be awarding one Doshi Scholarship this fall, made possible by an endowment provided by Bipin and Linda Doshi. The proceeds from the endowment and the additional donations from AGMA member companies and industry individuals are the sole source of funding for the scholarship program – the essential funding to students pursuing training in the power transmission industry.

The AGMA Foundation 2024 Annual Campaign is currently underway. Donations can be made through the website at www.agmafoundation.org. The scholarship awards fulfill the AGMA Foundation’s mission to recruit, educate, and keep the power transmission industry current with emerging technology.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alexandria, VA, September 19, 2023 – The AGMA Foundation Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2023-2024 Scholarship awards. Each fall, the Foundation awards up to $5,000 scholarships at the Undergraduate and Graduate levels and has scholarships available at up to $2,500 at the Association or Technical school level. Applicants with work and/or research experience in the gear or power transmission industry receive preference for scholarship awards.

This year we are pleased to announce that three of the four awardees have direct ties to AGMA memberships.

Undergraduate

• Faith Hylberg, Grand Canyon University – An intern at Twin Disc
• Nolan Finfrock, Purdue University West Lafayette – An intern with Shafer Industries

Graduate

• Jian Cui, Northeastern University, P.R. China – an AGMA academic member
• Suhas Gupta Thunuguntla, Oakland University

The four recipients were chosen through a objective process designed by the AGMA Foundation Scholarship Committee. Seven seasoned gear industry veterans volunteered to review all of this year’s applications.  “The purpose of our scholarship program is to award students who are specifically pursuing work in the gear industry,” said Mary Ellen Doran, AGMA Foundation Executive Director.

The proceeds from the endowment and donations from AGMA member companies and industry individuals are the sole source of funding for the scholarship program. The scholarship awards fulfill the Foundation’s mission to recruit, educate, and keep the power transmission industry current with emerging technology.

The AGMA Foundation 2023 Annual Campaign is currently underway. Donations can be made through the website at www.agmafoundation.org.

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Alexandria, VA, October 6, 2022 – The AGMA Foundation Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2022 Scholarship awards. Each fall, the Foundation awards $5,000 scholarships at the Undergraduate and Graduate levels and has scholarships available at $2,500 at the Association or Technical school level. Applicants with work and/or research experience in the gear or power transmission industry receive preference for scholarship awards.

The 2022 AGMA Foundation Scholarship recipients with their school affiliations are:

Undergraduate

• Josh Biddle, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
• Hailey Yoon-Ha Devney, George Washington University
• Nicholas Wever, Kettering University

Graduate

• Abolfazl Hosseinpour, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Milad Azvar, University of Waterloo

The five recipients were chosen through a subjective process designed by the AGMA Foundation Scholarship Committee. Nine seasoned gear industry veterans volunteered to review all of this year’s applications.  “The purpose of our scholarship program is to award students who are specifically pursuing work in the gear industry,” said Mary Ellen Doran, AGMA Foundation Executive Director.

The proceeds from the endowment and donations form AGMA member companies and industry individuals are the sole source of funding for the scholarship program. The scholarship awards fulfill the Foundation’s mission to recruit, educate, and keep the power transmission industry current with emerging technology.

The AGMA Foundation 2022 Annual Campaign is currently underway. Donations can be made through the website at www.agmafoundation.org.

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