Marie Moebus Presidential Scholarship sets Heggem up for success as future engineer in energy industry
From the time he was a young boy, Ethan Heggem has enjoyed creating solutions to the puzzles and problems he encountered. As a Montana Tech mechanical engineering senior, Heggem is preparing to spend his professional career doing the same on a much larger scale, with a deep arsenal of tools made possible by a high-quality, hands-on STEM education.
“I am interested in working in the energy industry and exploring ways to improve the generation, delivery, and utilization of energy used around the world as society continues to grow,” Heggem said. “I want to dedicate my career to providing engineering solutions to the hurdles in modern day-to-day life. Throughout my education, I learned that engineering allowed me to use what I was learning, such as math, physics, and coding, to devise solutions to real-world problems on a much larger scale. Because of this, I decided to seek a degree in Mechanical Engineering with the hopes of having a career solving the toughest engineering challenges in the world around me.”
Heggem, a Butte native, says receiving the Marie Moebus Presidential Scholarship has helped greatly expand the depth of his academic experiences. The scholarship is Montana Tech’s most prestigious and competitive award that is a combination of a tuition waiver and cash and is renewable for up to four years.
“I am extremely grateful to be a recipient of the Marie Moebus Presidential Scholarship,” Heggem said. “The tuition waiver and cash reward provided by the scholarship remove the pressure to maintain a part-time job during the academic year to make ends meet and pay my tuition. In turn, I have been able to use the time I would have spent working to instead expand my college experience by doing things like conducting research, running student clubs, participating in campus events, and spending extra time studying to maintain high grades. The flexibility in my college schedule made possible by the Marie Moebus Presidential Scholarship has proven invaluable to my success at Montana Tech.”
Heggem took advantage of numerous academic opportunities.
“I have had many great experiences at Montana Tech,” Heggem said. “I have enriched my experiences through many different activities on campus. Beginning my sophomore year, I have worked as an undergraduate research assistant developing models, conducting experiments, and attending conferences to present our research. In April 2024, I attended the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in California. I joined undergraduates from a vast variety of disciplines and universities across the nation and discussed our current and future research plans. It was a very inspirational experience to interact with the many young minds leading the future of innovation.”
He also made friends and grew professionally and personally through club participation.
“I’m currently the president of both the Montana Tech SAMPE club and the Montana Tech chapter of Tau Beta Pi Honor Society,” Heggem said. “Through these unique leadership opportunities, I’ve met and worked with a ton of fellow engineering students. These networking opportunities have been great for meeting new people and having a good time.”
Heggem has advice for students considering applying for the Moebus Scholarship.
“I would advise students looking to apply for the Marie Moebus Presidential Scholarship to gain a broad range of life experiences and to not focus too much on one aspect of their life, such as academics,” Heggem said. “Even though the scholarship recognizes those achieving high academic success, I believe the Moebus Scholarship embodies the entire spirit of Montana Tech. By saying that, I mean that the scholarship looks at candidates that will not only find success in their collegiate academics, but will also find personal growth and engagement with the community being built in and around the campus of Montana Tech. I think this advice can apply to anyone looking to attend Montana Tech in the future, as taking full advantage of the opportunities provided by Montana Tech will no doubt heighten your college experience and open the door for future experiences to come.”