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MAXWELL AFB, Ala. — A Civil Air Patrol member has won an Auburn University scholarship worth $6,600 for study in fiber engineering.

Aaron Lyon of Hudson, Fla. was presented with the award at Auburn on Dec. 11, 2003, by Ray Bean, deputy director of cadet programs and professional development at CAP National Headquarters, and Dr. Peter Schwartz, head of the Auburn University Fiber Engineering Dept. “We’re excited to see CAP produce young people of such high caliber,” Schwartz said.

The scholarship is sponsored by the Alabama Textile Education Foundation and is specifically earmarked for a CAP cadet who will major in fiber engineering, textile chemistry, or textile management and technology at Auburn University.

As the first recipient of the award, Lyon said he was “very excited” about the prospect of beginning the fiber engineering program. The 22-year-old emergency medical technician says he is particularly interested in studying the composite materials used in air and space infrastructures.

Fiber engineers focus on the design, development, fabrication and evaluation of fibers used in high-performance materials engineered for aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, automobiles, ships and other watercraft, construction, industrial, recreation, safety, and medical applications. Graduates of the program can enter process engineering, quality engineering, product development, research and development, and a variety of graduate programs.

Lyon’s interest in aviation and aerospace dates from his CAP cadet days. He first joined the organization in 1997 and went on to earn the prestigious CAP Mitchell and Earhart awards in CAP’s multi-step leaderships and aerospace education training programs. Lyon is now a pilot and is currently working toward his commercial license.

The fiber engineering scholarship is one more in the long list of academic scholarships available to CAP cadets. Most scholarships range from $250 to $1,000 per individual, so the new fiber engineering scholarship, worth more than $6,000, is one of the most highly sought.

CAP cadets interested in next year’s fiber engineering scholarship must first be accepted to Auburn University’s fiber engineering program. They then can apply for the scholarship through the Auburn’s financial aid department or through Civil Air Patrol at www.cap.gov <http://www.cap.gov/> . Cadets should also visit the CAP Web site for information on other available scholarships. In addition to sponsoring some of its own scholarships, CAP partners with other organizations to award funds for higher education, including the U.S. Automobile Association, Who’s Who in American High Schools, the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School and the Clara E. Livingston Trust. Cadets can also win scholarships to pursue military aviation careers and flight training.

Civil Air Patrol, the official Air Force auxiliary, is a nonprofit organization with almost 62,000 members nationwide. It performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years.

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