Monday, March 21, 2016

Alex Marcellus Uses Monsanto Scholarship at Purdue University

Monsanto is a powerful BDPA sponsor. They announced four college scholarships at the 2015 National BDPA Technology Conference held in Washington DC. One of the winning scholars is Alex Marcellus, a student member of our BDPA Cincinnati chapter. He plans to use his Monsanto Scholarship at Purdue University as he studies computer engineering.

We asked Alex to share his insights on the scholarship.

Alexander Marcellus
"I am a junior studying Computer Engineering at Purdue University. I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and have lived there all of my life. I am currently majoring in Computer Engineering with a minor in Statistics. I am very grateful to have received the Monsanto Scholarship for BDPA Students as it allows me to pursue my educational goals at a university renowned for both its research and its connections to industry. I plan to spend my career giving back to the communities that have made my educational success possible, especially the agricultural industry as it faces unprecedented technological opportunity through this century and beyond.

BDPA has set an example to me of the difference that Computer Science and Information Technology professionals can make in a rapidly changing global marketplace. The opportunities that BDPA offer to youth, including their youth camps and scholarships, are trend setting and one of the most powerful tools that we have to combat the STEM deficiency that is currently impacting America’s productivity and global competitiveness. I was first involved in BDPA through the BDPA Scholarship program. I have always been passionate about using data analysis to drive better business outcomes, and agriculture is one of the industrial verticals where these business benefits can be most clearly realized. As a strong Monsanto partner, BDPA can help provide the technically skilled workforce needed to implement the technologies and information systems to make these dreams a reality. I am truly grateful to the BDPA for giving me the opportunity to further my studies of engineering, mathematics, and computing at Purdue University and plan to stay involved with the organization in the future.

I have had two internships during my time at Purdue. The first internship has been with GE Aviation working on software packages to validate models of airplane software and hardware connections. My second internship last summer was with Intel Corporation, where I was working on developing web applications to improve communication and collaboration across the country."

This is the second year that Alex won the Monsanto Scholarship. We are very proud of the work that Alex is doing at Purdue.

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