Crystal Group announces 2022 Innovation Scholarship recipients

HIAWATHA, IOWA, August 23, 2022 — Crystal Group, Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of rugged computer and electronic hardware, is pleased to announce the 2022 recipients of its Crystal Group Innovation Scholarship: Makaila L. Forkell from Aurora, Colorado, Sam Gibson from Harrisburg, South Dakota, and Jed R. Wyse from Center Point, Iowa.

“Innovation is the backbone for improving in all aspects of our lives; whether it’s advancing technology, developing smarter processes, increasing access to needed resources or inventing new solutions to positively impact how we live, learn and do business,” said Scott Kongable, president of Crystal Group. “To lead progress, we have to encourage the next generation of purpose-driven innovators like Makaila, Sam and Jed. We’re proud to support their goals through this scholarship.”

2022 Innovation Scholarship recipients

Makaila L. Forkell is a junior at Colorado State University Global pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management. Makaila has a completed her associate’s degree in applied sciences with a paralegal emphasis and received her paralegal certificate. During her freshman year of college, she was accepted into Phi Theta Kappa honor society and has continued to thrive working towards her continued education. Currently, as a paralegal, Makaila assists a small firm in estate planning and probate cases across Colorado. Upon graduation, Makaila is planning to merge her degrees and work for larger paralegal teams and firms. With the overall hopes of assisting attorneys in growing stronger paralegal teams and advocating for estate planning for all families no matter the circumstances.

Sam Gibson is a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln studying mechanical engineering and engineering leadership. During his freshman year, he joined the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Club and quickly realized the impact it created at his university. By his sophomore year, Sam was elected president and had begun facilitating networking events with professors and industry leaders. Sam currently is a Technical Sales Engineer in the energy industry and hopes to continually develop sustainable and innovative technologies further developing our energy resiliency. Following his graduation in 2023, Sam aspires to pursue a career in technology, engineering, and energy to further advance our society utilizing sustainability measures.

Jed R. Wyse is a senior at Iowa State University majoring in Industrial Engineering and Entrepreneurship. During high school and college, Jed has completed nine internships across various fields, including technology and defense, finance, pharmaceutical manufacturing, wind turbine decommissioning, and Iceland Anthropology. Jed recently was inducted as an Innovation Gold Fellow at Iowa State and won the university’s innovation design sprint challenge during the IGNITE Innovation Showcase for his work with Energy Vault. Jed is a member of Tau Beta Pi Honor Society, Cardinal Key Honor Society, and has served as Vice President for his fraternity, FarmHouse. Upon graduation, Jed plans to pursue a career in process improvement for a smaller-sized company that allows him to be creative and innovative, supporting a product that improves lives.

Crystal Group Innovation Scholarship

The Crystal Group Innovation Scholarship is an annual recognition of the academic accomplishments, leadership and participation in both school and community activities of fulltime students pursuing an undergraduate degree in Business, Engineering, or related major. Scholarship recipients receive a $1,000 scholarship payable directly to the institution in which they are enrolled. Details for the 2023 Innovation Scholarship will be posted on crystalrugged.com/scholarships next summer.

About Crystal Group, Inc.

Crystal Group, Inc. is a technology leader in rugged computer hardware, specializing in the design and manufacture of custom and commercial rugged servers, embedded computing, networking devices, displays, and data storage for high reliability in harsh environments. A small, employee-owned business founded in 1987, Crystal Group provides defense, government and industrial markets with integrated solutions that bring seamless, real-time artificial intelligence, autonomy and cybersecurity to demanding edge applications.

Crystal Group products meet or exceed strict IEEE, IEC, and military standards and are backed by a five-plus-year warranty. All products are manufactured in the company’s facility, certified to ISO 9001:2015/AS9100D quality management standards.

©2022 Crystal Group, Inc. All rights reserved. All marks are property of their respective owners. Design and specifications are subject to change.