Matt Shaw named student marshal for spring 2016 commencement
4/19/2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Matthew J. Shaw will be the student marshal for the aerospace engineering baccalaureate degree program at the Penn State College of Engineering spring commencement ceremony on May 6. Shaw will receive a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering.
He has chosen David Spencer, professor of aerospace engineering, to be his faculty escort. College of Engineering student marshals are selected for their outstanding academic achievement and contributions to engineering student life.
Shaw is the son of Mary Ann and Michael Shaw of North Huntingdon, PA. He is a 2012 graduate of Norwin High School in North Huntingdon.
A Schreyer Scholar, Shaw completed an honors thesis titled “Experimental Evaluation for Collision of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with Aircraft Lifting Surfaces.”
He holds membership in the Sigma Gamma Tau Aerospace Engineering Honor Society (vice president, 2015-2016) and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society (corresponding secretary, 2015-2016).
Shaw was the recipient of the Boeing Company Scholarship, Tau Beta Pi Scholarship, Leonhard Scholarship, Pennsylvania Ready to Succeed Scholarship, Alumni Scholarship Award, Aero Pioneers Class of 1944 Scholarship and the Blue and White Scholarship.
His academic honors include the President’s Freshman Award, the President Sparks Award and the Penn State Greater Allegheny Faculty Award for Academic Excellence in Engineering. He was also a Penn State Greater Allegheny Honors Student.
Shaw’s internship experience includes B/E Aerospace Inc., where he worked as a flammability certification engineering intern researching testing trends for articles subject to FAA flammability certification testing; and Cleaveland Inc., where he served as a development engineering intern constructing and designing test setups, and also as a summer intern in the sub-assembly department.
His undergraduate research experience at Penn State includes leading the design and fabrication of a human-powered airplane project with other aerospace seniors, as well as a two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle project; assisting in the research of metacognitive learning in physics classrooms; and assisting with biodiesel production.
Shaw’s extracurricular activities included Penn State Greater Allegheny Lion Ambassadors (2012-2014), intramural soccer (2013-2014) and membership in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Penn State chapter (2016).
Following graduation, Shaw will intern at Pratt & Whitney, where he will work on aerospace controls for aircraft engines. He will then pursue a graduate degree in aerospace engineering at Penn State.
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