AIAS Announces Randy Pausch And Mark Beaumont Scholarship Recipients

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences today announced the four recipients of its annual Randy Pausch and Mark Beaumont Scholarships, who will each receive $2,500 to put towards their game-related education. Stephen Campbell of Lebanon Valley College, Lu-Yu Huang of Carnegie Mellon University, and Justin Nesbit and Grant Kao of The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University are the latest to receive the annual scholarships, which are granted by the AIAS' philanthropic foundation. “Young creative talent has always been the life stream of the interactive arts,” said Joseph Olin, president emeritus of the academy. “The Academy is looking forward to being able to continue supporting the academic achievements of those students pursuing an interactive entertainment career.” The academy established the Randy Pausch Scholarship in 2008 to honor the late Carnegie Mellon professor and co-founder of the school's Entertainment Technology Center. The scholarship is given each year to students pursuing careers specializing in the development of interactive entertainment. The Mark Beaumont Scholarship, established this year, is named for the late COO of Capcom North America and Europe, and is focused on students pursuing careers specializing in the business of interactive entertainment. “Immediately following my undergraduate education I went into finance, but I found I had no passion for it,” said scholarship recipient Grant Kao in a statement. “I decided to take a risk and explore my passion, and am now pursuing my graduate degree in video game design. I am honored to be selected for this scholarship and am glad this effort has been brought to fruition thanks to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.”