Thanks to the continued support of the Gene Haas Foundation, the Fowler School of Engineering (FSE) recently awarded nine students with a total of $18,000 in scholarships, designed to bolster their enthusiasm for CNC machining technology and manufacturing. These awardees were selected in recognition of their commitment to CNC machining in engineering.

“Through the generous support of the Gene Haas Foundation, the Fowler School of Engineering at Chapman University is able to provide instruction in CNC machining and manufacturing to our students,” shared FSE Associate Professor Dr. Nicole Wagner, whose instrumental role within the FSE community has involved personally facilitating this valuable partnership.

The Gene Haas Award—An Impactful Partnership

The Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship Award offers financial assistance to students aspiring to build careers in manufacturing and CNC (computer numerical control) machining. 

“CNC machining is an automated manufacturing process in which a programmed computer software controls machine tools to fabricate parts. This automated subtractive process provides precise and repeatable parts ideal for a manufacturing environment,” explained Dr. Wagner.

Since 1999, this prestigious scholarship has sought to inspire and cultivate the next generation of skilled professionals in the advanced manufacturing industry, helping to bridge the gap between education and workforce readiness. In 2025, FSE celebrates three years of partnership with the Gene Haas Foundation, now having coordinated with the foundation to offer this life-changing opportunity to 19 passionate engineering students in total.

“The main reason I applied for the Gene Haas Award is my passion for creating,” expressed Emma Garofalo (Computer Science, ‘25), one of the nine award recipients honored this year. “I love building circuits, coding, 3D printing, and more, and when I took the CNC machining class at Chapman, I realized I enjoyed that type of creation as well. This award has helped ease the financial burden of college, allowing me to focus more on learning, creating, and growing my skills.”

The individual awards engineering students can receive (ranging from $500 to $2,500 per student) offer invaluable support towards tuition, books, supplies, and tools required to build and promote skills in machining. However, for many, the benefits of Fowler’s partnership with the Gene Haas Foundation also extend beyond financial support; this award also has the power to significantly propel them towards career readiness in engineering, whether it be through networking opportunities with other awardees or the chance to build their own skills with technology used by companies like Haas Automation Inc.

Uplifting Awardees’ Diverse Lived Experiences

By honoring students from a range of life experiences, the Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship Award’s commitment to community not only celebrates achievement but also builds a more inclusive pathway into CNC training, supporting all recipients in their pursuit of advanced manufacturing careers.

“As an older student transitioning into manufacturing from data science, I recognize the importance of lifelong learning and adaptability,” stated Haas Awardee Asiyah Speight (Data Science & Philosophy, ‘25). “This journey has required me to step outside of my comfort zone, embrace new technical skills, and push forward in an industry where representation matters. I hope to inspire other students—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds—to see that it is never too late to pursue a passion, acquire new skills, and make meaningful contributions to STEM fields.”

For fellow Haas Awardee Taylor Eskew (Computer Science and Physics, ‘27), this award will expand her usage of precise technologies (such as silicon photomultipliers) to convert, scale, multiply, or detect light nanoparticles—one of her research aims at Chapman. Beyond the extensive research benefits, Eskew wished to highlight the personal impact of the award on her drive to succeed in the vast realm of physics and computer science as a woman engineer. Thanks to Chapman’s ongoing relationship with the Gene Haas Foundation, FSE has had the pleasure of supporting eight women engineers through this award across the past three years.

“Receiving the scholarship holds way more of an emotional importance to me than solely a financial importance just because of the statement of investment it makes; it’s being told ‘you should continue this’ by one of the most watched developments and companies in the world,” said Eskew. “Inspiration-wise, this award has been a huge encouragement. Being a woman in a male dominated field, you kind of have to search for support a lot more instead of it just coming to you. And so when you do get those opportunities, it speaks volumes: this person believes in me and wants to invest in me, and so I need to keep going.”

Inspiring the Future of Innovation In and Beyond the Classroom

Thanks to the generosity of the Gene Haas Foundation, FSE students across a wide variety of programs and experience levels can cultivate skills they will use in their day-to-day as students (across both lab and classroom spaces) and as future engineers. For example, the scholarship’s aim to sponsor CNC training access greatly expands upon resources, technologies, and experiences available on Chapman campus.

“The support from Gene Haas Foundation is critical for students gaining new knowledge on advanced manufacturing using our state of the art equipment in the Design | Create | Innovate Lab,” shared Interim Dean Tom Piechota. 

For Speight, the Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship will help grow her experiences in computational modeling, data science, mechanical engineering, and advanced machining technologies—all of which she has already begun to cultivate here on Chapman campus through Fowler’s challenging and career-oriented course offerings. 

“One of the most exciting aspects of this scholarship is its alignment with CNC machining and the development of technical expertise in the manufacturing sector. I am currently enrolled in CPSC/CENG 298 on Machining Processes, which has provided me with hands-on experience in CNC machining,” shared Speight. “Receiving the Gene Haas Award allows me to further develop my technical skills in machining and manufacturing while also exploring how computational techniques, AI, and analytics can optimize production processes.”

For all awardees across educational programs, the Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship extends beyond financial support; it serves as a launchpad for their futures in engineering, inspiring them to pursue ever-evolving, real-world solutions by harnessing foundational technologies—resources they will use and value throughout their lives.

“The Gene Haas Award means more than just financial relief to me—it represents an opportunity to have a direct impact on my future career,” said Garofalo. “It excites me because it allows me to focus on developing a skill set for my future. I’m inspired by the idea that, with the tools and knowledge this award helps provide, I can contribute to innovations in the tech field. I hope to leave a lasting impact through my work and contribute to pushing the field forward.”

The Fowler School of Engineering would like to thank the Gene Haas Foundation for their continued generosity and extend our huge congratulations to all of the 2025 Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship Awardees:

Megan Abe, Computer Engineering

Kali Cajala, Computer Science

Gabriel Davidson, Computer Science

Taylor Eskew, Computer Science

Emma Garofalo, Computer Science

Blythe Papish, Data Science

Francisco Ramos, Software Engineering

Maxwell Rovenger, Computer Science

Asiyah Speight, Data Science

 

Those interested in the Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship are encouraged to learn more by visiting our website.