Scholorships awarded!

The Fieldbus Foundation has announced the 2011-2012 recipients of the James O. Gray-Fieldbus Foundation Scholarship Fund. The program honors the memory of James (Jim) O. Gray, a long-time leader in the Fieldbus Foundation who passed away in 2002. It establishes a perpetual $250,000 (ca €190k) endowment fund providing scholarships to students seeking a career in the industrial automation profession.

Fieldbus Foundation President and CEO Rich Timoney congratulated Ms. Thunyaporn Sathaporn, student at KMITL, Bangkok, Thailand, on being named a 2011-2012 James O. Gray Scholarship recipient.

Since 2003, the James O. Gray-Fieldbus Foundation Scholarship program has funded 26 educational scholarships for students around the world.

Wataru Futagoishi

Thunyaporn Sathaporn

Gang Zhao

Recipients of 2011-2012 scholarship
Mr. Wataru Futagoishi, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan: Wataru Futagoishi is a first-year student in master's courses within Waseda University's Department of Applied Mechanics. His course work is focused on mechanics, mathematics and other related topics. Wataru has been recognized at the head of his class in mechanical engineering and won the JSME Hatakeyama Prize, the most prestigious award for junior students in the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was enrolled as a research member to address diagnostic problems using FOUNDATION fieldbus devices. Wataru is currently studying corrosion diagnostics with Coriolis mass flowmeters. He will graduate in March 2013.


Ms. Thunyaporn Sathaporn, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Bangkok, Thailand: Thunyaporn Sathapaporn is a junior majoring in Automation Engineering at KMITL. In this area of study, she has had the opportunity to learn about fieldbus technology basics and serve as a professor’s assistant in KMITL’s 2010 FOUNDATION fieldbus seminar and workshop. Thunyaporn is currently studying topics such as PID control and sequence control systems, as well as the design and configuration of fieldbus control strategies in industrial operations.

Mr. Gang Zhao, SAIT Polytechnic, Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Gang Zhao is enrolled in his second year within the Instrumentation Engineering Technology program at SAIT Polytechnic. A native of Shandong, China, Gang completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Physics in 1983 and went on to work for a power supply company. He was later employed at an environmental firm, where he was involved with a variety of lab analysis instruments. Gang intends to pursue his strong interest in instrumentation to gain additional knowledge and professional opportunities related to FOUNDATION fieldbus technology.

Fieldbus Foundation President and CEO Rich Timoney congratulated the latest scholarship recipients. He said, "Each year, the James O. Gray-Fieldbus Foundation Scholarship Fund recognizes a group of deserving students involved in the field of instrumentation and industrial automation. This unique scholarship was established with the support of control technology stakeholders around the world, whose efforts will help maintain a strong and vibrant control industry."

Jim Gray was employed by Invensys/Foxboro for 25 years as sales and marketing manager. In addition to being very active within the Fieldbus Foundation from its inception, he held the positions of: secretary of the Board of Directors, member of the Executive Committee, and member of the U.S. Marketing Committee.