Women In Defense Awards HORIZONS Scholarships.

• Position: NDIA News

National Defense Industrial Association affiliate Women In Defense has awarded more than $130,000 in scholarship funds to 16 women from around the country as part of its HORIZONS scholarship program.

The awardees were selected from among 61 applicants for the annual scholarships that help fund the academic pursuits of women who are studying for careers in defense and foreign policy.

"I am elated for these women," said Rachel McCaffrey, executive director of WID and a retired Air Force intelligence officer. "Their creativity, innovation, leadership and passion demonstrate their potential and their commitment to our nation. They embody what WID stands for: the power of diversity in strengthening our national defense."

Hawk Carlisle, president and CEO of NDIA, said the HORIZONS scholarship class of 2018-2019 represent diverse fields of study and career paths.

"We are so excited for this class of HORIZONS honorees," he said. "Defending our nation takes more than the military. Behind those warfighters are great minds capable of great ideas."

NDIA donated $100,000 to the scholarship fund to mark its upcoming centennial in 2019. The remaining funds came from Northrop Grumman Corp., other defense industry sponsors, private donations and support from WID chapters.

A reception was held in honor of the recipients in Washington, D.C., in August.

Awardees include: Katharine Ahrens, Ph.D. candidate, mathematics, North Carolina State University; Priya Balasubramanian, Ph.D. candidate, electrical and computer engineering, Cornell University; Sarah Grant, law student, Harvard University; Erika Lustig, a senior, computer science and...