Virginia Tech Awards $68K in Safety Research Scholarships

Six Virginia Tech engineering students just received scholarships that will help them save lives through crash safety research, and the funding honors a professor who dedicated his career to protecting people.

The Clay Gabler Memorial Scholarships support students studying transportation safety, injury biomechanics, vehicle crashworthiness, automated vehicles, and aeronautical safety. The awards honor Hampton Clay Gabler III, a former biomedical engineering professor and department chair who died in 2021.

Since launching in 2023, the program has awarded roughly $68,000 to 23 students. The scholarships come from the Clay Gabler Undergraduate Endowment and Virginia Tech, administered through the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science.

"Clay Gabler was a dear friend and colleague to all of our biomedical engineering faculty, staff, and students," said Stefan Duma, the institute's executive director. "He was always very student focused and loved working with his graduate students."

This year's recipients work on projects that directly improve public safety. Some collaborate with the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, testing protective equipment that shields athletes and motorcyclists from brain injuries. Others research how to make vehicles safer in crashes or study automated vehicle technology.

The students range from undergraduates to doctoral candidates. Doctoral student Ethan Burt studies with Pamela VandeVord, while junior Asha Patel works at the Helmet Lab.

The Ripple Effect

The scholarships create impact far beyond campus. Students use the funding to attend conferences where they share breakthrough research with safety experts worldwide. One helmet design improvement or vehicle safety innovation could protect millions of people.

"This scholarship means a lot to me," Burt said. "It gives me the resources to travel and attend conferences, allowing me the opportunity to share my work and connect with researchers in my field."

Patel echoed the sentiment. "I am extremely grateful for this scholarship opportunity," she said. "It allows me to continue my undergraduate studies while pursuing meaningful research in the helmet industry."

The program celebrated its recipients at an April 9 ceremony in Kelly Hall. Amanda Agnew, a transportation safety research expert from Ohio State University, delivered a lecture to inspire the next generation of safety researchers.

These students are learning to prevent injuries and save lives while honoring a professor who believed in putting students first.