EREF receives scholarship funding from the Garbageman’s Invitational

The board of directors of the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF), Raleigh, North Carolina, has announced that it has created a scholarship for master’s students that will be funded by donations from the Garbageman’s Invitational, an industry golf tournament and social event.

The EREF scholarship program awards and recognizes excellence in master’s and doctoral solid waste management research and education. Existing EREF master’s and doctoral awards are also made in memory of Francois Fiessinger, P.E., Ph.D., a graduate of Rutgers University and a founding director of the foundation, and additional scholarships were made possible by the late Robert P. Stearns, P.E., DEE, of Long Beach, California-headquartered SCS Engineers, former chairman of EREF, and Robert J. Riethmiller of PTR Baler and Compactor Co., Philadelphia. Most recently EREF established the Waste Industries Scholarship Honoring Lonnie C. Poole Jr., an EREF founder and director emeritus, and the Carl J. Apicella Scholarship.

The Garbageman’s Invitational was founded in 2010 by Kerry Holmes (vice president of sales at Van Nys, California-based Consolidated Fabricators), Mike Melideo (owner, Consolidated Fabricators) and Ray Burke (vice president, Clean Energy, Newport Beach, California). These three men set out to create a unique annual networking event for their customers and prospects in the solid waste and recycling industry throughout the United States and Canada. The 2016 Garbageman’s Invitational will be held April 26-28 at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California.

The sponsors of the Garbageman’s Invitational say they felt strongly that there should be an element of “giving back” to the industry. “As the leader in solid waste research and education, EREF was an easy choice as the charity to benefit from the event,” says Holmes. “EREF, with its presence throughout North America, is well-aligned with the Garbageman’s Invitational’s goal to attract more industry leaders throughout the United States and Canada.”

EREF Scholarships recognize graduate students pursuing excellence in solid waste management research and education. Recipients are chosen based on credentials and potential contributions to the solid waste industry and its scientific community.

“More than 50 students have been EREF scholars, many of whom are now in key academic and professional positions across the U.S.,” says Bryan Staley, EREF president and CEO. “The addition of the Garbageman’s Invitational Master’s Scholarship means that 100 percent of any donations made to the Garbageman’s Invitational will fund graduate students pursuing excellence in solid waste management research and education.”

More information on EREF’s scholarships, as well as a link to the scholarship application, can be found at http://erefdn.org/index.php/scholarships/index. The deadline for the 2016-17 academic year is May 4, 2016, at 5 p.m. eastern time.

EREF is a 501(c)3 class charity that funds and directs scientific research and educational initiatives for waste management practices to benefit industry participants and the communities they serve.