The William and Audrey Madia Scholarship Fund shall provide scholarship to undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at IUP majoring in chemistry or physics for educational opportunities.
Bill Madia grew up in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Swissvale, along the Monongahela River. Bill was the first person in his family to attend college. While he was accepted at both Penn State and IUP, he ultimately chose IUP due to its lower tuition.
Bill worked in the steel mills during the summers, to pay for his education at IUP. He pursued his passion for science and spent a lot of time in the newly constructed Weyandt Hall. Bill earned his BS in Chemistry from IUP as well as an MS in Physics. He met his future wife, Audrey De Lawuil at a dance during his freshman year.
He attended Texas A&M to earn a PhD in Nuclear Physics, but was drafted into the army. He served two years in Washington, D.C. conducting top secret scientific research for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He finished his education under the G.I. Bill studying nuclear chemistry at Virginia Tech and graduated with his PhD in a record-setting 27 months.
In 1975, Bill started at Battelle in Columbus, Ohio, where he spent the first 10 years as a researcher in Battelle's nuclear programs before being promoted to lab director in 1985. From 1994-2000 he served as the director of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, and from 2000-03 he was appointed director ofthe Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Madia returned to Battelle in 2003 as executive vice president for Laboratory Operations, where he remained until retirement in 2007.In 2008 he joined Stanford University as vice president of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.
Dr. Madia also became a director of United States Enrichment Corporation, a uranium enrichment company in 2008. He is a presidential advisor for Nuclear Science and Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and for research at Michigan State University and Princeton University. He is also an advisor for EnerTech Capital Partners. In 1988, Bill received IUP's Distinguished Alumni Award. Bill and his wife, Audrey, endowed an annual scholarship to provide tuition support for an IUP student.
The William and Audrey Madia Scholarship is awarded in the Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, and Engineering Department on even numbered years and in the Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, and Engineering Department on odd numbered years. This year (2020) the award is in Physics.
Award Criteria: (For Even Years)
- Must be enrolled as a full-time chemistry student at IUP.
- Must have earned a minimum of 2.5 grade point average and be in good academic standing with the university.
- Must demonstrate self-reliance, maturity, and flexibility to deal with the challenges and opportunities associated with the college's academic programs.
- Preference will be given to students who have financial need.
Application Materials
The application is be due by 4:00 p.m. on October 30, 2020, in the Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, and Engineering Department Main Office, 143 Weyandt Hall. Students should also, where necessary, arrange for letters of recommendation to be sent as soon as possible, so that they arrive in the Chemistry Department Office no later than November 3. For awards that require an interview, Dr. Elcesser will contact the students before Thanksgiving recess.
The award amount for 2019-20: Up to $1,220.
William and Audrey Madia Scholarship Application
Prior Award Recipients:
2017-18 (Chemistry): Keven Clark and Megan Desmond
2015-16 (Chemistry): Dakota Merriles
2013-14 (Chemistry): Charles Culbertson
2011-12 (Chemistry): Rebecca Beadling and Elyse Kleist