Buzz Aldrin, a member of the Apollo 11 crew and former Air Force colonel, presented audience members with a slide show about his life and family. (Michael Pickering)
For Miami University senior Gregory Newstadt, this past week might be described as out of this world.
Newstadt, an electrical engineering and engineering physics major, was invited to Hall Auditorium to accept a scholarship from former Apollo 11 astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, in front of an audience of Miami faculty, family and friends Wednesday.
The $10,000 scholarship presented to Newstadt comes from the Astronaut Scholarship Fund (ASF), a nonprofit organization established in 1984 and headed by the six surviving members of America's original Mercury astronauts - including Aldrin.
Aldrin is best remembered as one of the first men to set foot on the moon during the first lunar landing mission in 1969. He was invited to present a check to Newstadt on behalf of the organization and speak about his life and career as an Air Force fighter pilot, astronaut and international hero.
After an introduction by Miami President David Hodge, Aldrin joked with the audience and told personal stories about his time as a student at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and his life before the space missions.
"At the beginning of the '60s, President Kennedy said he wanted to dedicate the decade to sending a man to the moon and bringing him back safely," Aldrin said. "I really liked that last phrase, so I decided to do it."
Aldrin also presented a slideshow of his life, including family pictures and home video of his walk on the moon with fellow Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Mike Collins.
"Neil had the camera for most of the trip, so as you can see, all the good pictures are of me," Aldrin said.
The speech was followed by a standing ovation for Aldrin and the presentation of the scholarship to Newstadt.
Originally from Louisville, Ky., Newstadt holds an internship with NASA's Glenn Research Center where he has developed models of power loads for the International Space Station.
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"The primary focus of my research has been in the physics department ... on simulating the solar system," Newstadt sad. "In particular, I have researched the likelihood of the existence of extra-solar planets (planets that exist outside of the Milky Way)."
Newstadt adds that his time with the research center and at Miami has been highly gratifying. "The $10,000 is obviously a plus, but the most rewarding part of this experience is the honor awarded to it, as well as the chance to meet Buzz Aldrin," Newstadt said.
He plans to use the award to continue his education at Miami where he will pursue a Ph.D. in electrical engineering. To date the Astronaut Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $2.3 million in scholarships to students from the 18 ASF supported universities across the country such as Purdue University, Tufts University and Syracuse University among others.
Since its establishment in 1984, more than $153,000 has been given to Miami students studying a wide range of science related fields.
Aldrin, who is also a retired Air Force colonel, remains a busy man.
Since his time in space, Aldrin has written two books about his experiences as an astronaut in addition to a popular science fiction novel, assisted in the founding of an elementary school, traveled to the South Pole, worked closely with the Salvation Army and taken part in submarine excursions to view the Titanic wreckage.
"I got seasick when I was little, so I thought 'Why mess with ships? I just want to get into the air!'" Aldrin said. "Now I can say I've been up there, out there and down there."
For more information on ASF, visit www.astronautscholarship.org.
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