Planetary Society Honors International Space University Scholarship Recipient at Event in Bremen Germany

The Planetary Society will honor Karl Wittwer, the first recipient of its new Jim and Lin Burke Scholarship for the International Space University (ISU), at a public event on August 21 in Bremen, Germany.

The $14,500 scholarship has enabled Wittwer, from Australia, to attend ISU's annual summer session, which takes place from July to September this year in Bremen.

The Society will recognize Wittwer's award at a public event, "Red Rover, Red Rover: Bringing Robotic Space Exploration to the Classroom," that Rachel Zimmerman, the Society's Education Projects Coordinator, is giving at ISU on Tuesday, August 21.

The Jim and Lin Burke scholarship will be awarded annually for one student to attend the ISU summer session. It was named for James (Jim) and Lin Burke, long-time advocates and staff participants in the ISU summer session and active Planetary Society members. Burke, one of the pioneers of America's space program, is the technical editor of the Society's magazine, The Planetary Report.

The 2001 scholarship was made possible by a donation from Planetary Society member Eric Tilenius, who funded the first year of the program. The Planetary Society will establish a scholarship fund for future recipients. Tilenius himself was a former recipient of another scholarship from The Planetary Society a decade ago.

The International Space University is an educational establishment that provides international, interdisciplinary, and intercultural education in all aspects of the space sector. The ISU provides both a one year Master of Space Studies (MSS) program at its Strasbourg Central Campus, and an intensive ten week summer session, which travels to a new city each year.

The Jim and Lin Burke scholarship is open to all candidates who have been accepted to attend an ISU summer session, but who have not already secured scholarships to cover their fees. This year all such candidates were contacted by the Planetary Society and invited to apply for the scholarship.

The August 21 event, "Red Rover, Red Rover: Bringing Robotic Space Exploration to the Classroom," is free and open to the public. It will begin at 8:00 PM at the International Space University at the University of Bremen. For more information concerning this event, please visit the Society's website.