New Mexico
LANL Foundation Launches Scholarship For Northern New Mexico Veterans
LANL FOUNDATION NEWS RELEASE
The LANL Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of the Veteran’s Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships to students across Northern New Mexico with ties to the military.
The LANL Foundation’s Board of Directors, in partnership with the Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund (LAESF) Advisory Committee and the LANL Veterans Employee Resource Group, established the fund with the goal of raising $10,000 in the first year. The Foundation met this goal within the first two months and will continue to grow the fund with donations from LANL employees, local Veterans groups, and the broader community.
“It is an honor to serve as a steward for this impactful scholarship in service of our veteran community. Our scholarship program seeks to acknowledge those with a demonstrated commitment to achievement, leadership and service, and we know that veterans live these values every day while serving our country. I am proud to add this opportunity to our growing portfolio of scholarships for the people of northern New Mexico,” said Mike Ammerman, LANL Foundation Scholarship Program Director.
The Veteran’s Scholarship will be included among the scholarships awarded by the LAESF Advisory Committee and administered by the LANL Foundation to provide two-year and four-year scholarships to New Mexicans from the seven-county area surrounding LANL. (Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe, and Taos).
The fund aims to recognize LANL’s dedication to employing veterans by providing scholarships to continue to build the pipeline for veterans and their families to LANL and to make Northern New Mexico an even greater home for those who have left the service. The Veteran Scholarship will initially be offered as one-time awards through the existing Four-Year Undergraduate Scholarship and Career Pathways Scholarship programs, with anticipated increases in the number and value of awards based on projected growth of the fund.
“Like many veterans at the Laboratory, I was blessed to receive an outstanding education and post-service career as a result of my time in the military. There are many veterans however who struggle to find the means to pursue higher education for themselves and their families. This scholarship to me is a demonstration of continued commitment by the veteran community to our fellow service members. At home or abroad, during war or peace, we will always have each other’s back,” said Aaron Charles Miley, who works as a Manager of Projects at Los Alamos National Laboratories and serves on the LAESF Advisory Committee.
In addition to meeting general LAESF eligibility criteria, eligible candidates will be veterans (preferred) or children of veterans who demonstrate a commitment to academic achievement, leadership and service. If no other candidates meet this criterion, students involved in military preparatory courses (JROTC, ROTC, OCS, Service Academy etc.) will be accepted. Members of Veteran affiliated groups outside of LANL (Veterans Affairs, VFW, American Legion, Elk’s Lodge, etc.) are invited to contribute to this fund, which will be administered by the LANL Foundation at no cost to the donors. 100% of donations go directly to scholarships.
Anyone interested in donating to the Veteran’s Scholarship Fund can make a tax-deductible gift via our website here.
Applications for the 2025 scholarship cycle will open in October. To learn more about the LANL Scholars Program, visit our website.
Related
New Mexico
Los Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair
Students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School, and Los Alamos High School at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech. Photo CourtesyLAPS
LAHS junior Tate Plohr and freshman Linus Plohr qualified to attend the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix, Ariz. Photo Courtesy LAPS
Los Alamos Middle School student Branden Keller was awarded the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair. Photo Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Twenty students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Los Alamos High School (LAHS) competed, with several garnering awards at the 2026 New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.
LAHS junior Tate Plohr qualified to attend the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) next month in Phoenix, Ariz. He was awarded the 3rd-place Grand Award. Freshman Linus Plohr qualified as an alternate and will also be attending the Regeneron ISEF.
Students who participated in the state competition include, from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Sydney Chen, Mary Beth Kelsey, Lily Neale, Aurora Roberts Voss and Henry Rodarte; and Glyn Lo and Ernest Maupin, Mountain Elementary.
Students from LAMS who competed include Evelyn Fobes, Mason Garcia, Andrew Gilbertson, James Junghans, Sequoya Ke, Brandon Keller, Nejan Liyanage and Daniel Yampolsky.
LAHS students Julia Neale, Linus Plohr, Tate Plohr, Lilia Veteva, Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch competed at the senior level.
2026 Award winners:
Category Awards – Junior Division
- Animal Science, Cellular & Molecular
- Biomedical & Health Science
- Honorable Mention: Sequoya Ke
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, Software & Technology
- 2nd place: Nejan Liyanage
- Physics & Astronomy
- 1st place: Sydney Chen
- 2nd place: Mason Garcia
- Honorable Mention: Marybeth Kelsey
- Plant Science
Category Awards – Senior Division
- Behavioral & Social Science:
- Honorable Mention: Linus Plohr
- Earth & Environmental
- Honorable Mention: Lilia Viteva
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, & System Software
- 3rd Place: Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch
- Physics & Astronomy
Grand Awards
- ISEF finalist 3rd place: Tate Plohr
- Brandon Keller received the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. James Jungans and Marybeth Kelsey garnered Thermo Fisher Awards.
Other special award winners include:
- CO2 & Greenhouse Reduction Awards (Junior Division)
- Daniel Yampolsky, 2nd place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Sequoya Ke, 1st place, Biomedical & Health Science
- Brandon Keller, 1st place, Energy & Materials Science
- Andrew Gilbertson, 1st place, Physics & Astronomy
- CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Reduction Award (Senior Division)
- Lilia Viteva, 1st place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Office of Naval Research Award
- David Shortess Award
- New Mexico AVS Award
- Citadel Award
- Naval Research Award
- NM Network for Women in Science & Engineering Award
- Yale Science & Engineering Award
- Rose Baca Rivet Award
Related
Arizona State baseball will host a four-game homestand, beginning with New Mexico State on Wednesday, April 22.
The Sun Devils and Aggies faced each other in late March, with ASU winning 10-4. The two teams will meet for the final time at 6:35 p.m. at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
ASU will then welcome Baylor on Friday, April 24, for a three-game series. The Sun Devils have yet to face the Bears this season, but ASU has been doing well so far and has been in the top 25 for four weeks.
Sophomore center fielder Landon Hairston earned Big 12 player of the week honors on April 13, after delivering five home runs in five games. His 10 runs in that stretch were tied for the second-most nationally and his 14 runs batted in were tied for third-most nationally. All nine of his hits went for extra bases, three more than any other player.
ASU’s series against Baylor will start at 6:35 p.m. for the first two games, followed by a 1:05 p.m. start on Sunday, April 26.
April 19
Softball at Houston, Cougar Softball Stadium, noon.
April 22
Baseball vs New Mexico State, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
April 23
Women’s golf at Big 12 Championship, Dallas Athletic Club, TBA.
Track and field at Penn Relays, Franklin Field, 1:22 p.m.
Beach volleyball at Big 12 Championship, Bear Down Beach, all day.
April 24
Baseball vs Baylor, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
Softball vs Texas Tech, Farrington Stadium, 7 p.m.
April 25
Lacrosse at Colorado, Prentup Field, 11 a.m.
Softball vs Texas Tech, Farrington Stadium, 3 p.m.
Baseball vs Baylor, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
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Josh’s Saturday Night Forecast
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Calmer weather has moved back into the state this afternoon. Temperatures are slightly warmer across northwestern New Mexico, while southeastern areas are cooler thanks to the backdoor cold fronts that moved in on Friday. Breezier winds will return Sunday and will help kick off a warming trend across the state, along with an elevated fire threat in eastern New Mexico.
Warmer weather will continue building in across the state throughout the upcoming week. A few isolated rain chances will return Monday in parts of New Mexico, but some of that rain may evaporate before reaching the ground.
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