Bob DeLorenzo Memorial Scholarship

Overview

The Bob DeLorenzo Memorial scholarship is available to high school seniors at two Torrance, California High Schools and is aimed at students who whose passion for math and science enable them to find the FUN in these amazing subjects. The inaugural year of the scholarship was 2020.

The Award

A $4,000 scholarship funded in four annual increments of $1,000 contingent on the student continuing to meet predetermined academic criteria. Recipient to be notified in May.

Qualifications

High school seniors at Torrance High School or North Torrance High School in the city of Torrance, California who:

Will be entering an accredited U.S. College or University or entering community college with the intent to transfer to a U.S. College or University
Will be pursuing a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) field of study

The Application Process

The deadline for 2024 applications was March 10, 2024

First: Students complete the standard Torrance unified school district scholarship packet and submit to their respective high school career office.

Second: On this website, respond to the following (answers limited to 3,500 characters each):

Science and math are serious subjects, but Bob DeLorenzo, aka "Mr. D", found them to be amazing and exciting, and could always be depended upon to find and relish the fun side of these subjects. Since you’re here, you must too! Tell us about a life experience that planted the enjoyment of math/science in your mind.
A classic Mr. D-ism was finding the scientific inaccuracies in movies and TV shows, “The wings can’t be on fire, that’s where the fuel is!” Big Hollywood blockbusters often focus more on entertainment value than scientific accuracy, but an aspiring scientist knows better. Tell us about a few instances in your favorite (non-animated) films where showmanship beat out cold facts, and what would have happened if cooler minds had prevailed. And don't use Jurassic Park or "super hero" type movies (you're better than that!)

A Little About Bob...

A lifelong love of science and enthusiasm for space exploration drove Bob to earn a BSE from Princeton University in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. He spent the next twenty-four years in the aerospace industry with Pratt & Whitney, Rockwell International and Northrop Grumman, primarily in engineering test and evaluation. During those years Bob went on to obtain an MBA from Pepperdine University.

While at Northrop Grumman, he served as Program Manager for New Business Development on the B-2 program. He was selected by the corporate office to help bridge the gap between the engineering community and the business world by critiquing and later instructing a corporation-wide Fundamentals of Shareholder Value course.

Over the years Bob also presented classes to his fellow aerospace professionals on various topics including, computer skills, systems engineering and risk management. After leaving the aerospace industry, Bob spent twelve years teaching at the elementary through high school level as a substitute in the Torrance Unified School District. In addition to helping to inspire and prepare the next generations of scientists and engineers, he gained first-hand knowledge of how students learn. During his time in the classroom, he saw what works and what doesn’t, and how tools beyond the traditional methods could be extremely valuable in helping teachers do their job.

Bob was a charter subscriber of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, responding to the initial solicitation for donations. He became involved with the Challenger Learning Center as a Flight Director in 1999. From then, he became increasingly involved in CLC operations. In addition to taking hundreds of students on missions to the Moon, Mars and Halley’s Comet, Bob: coordinated the activities of other Flight Directors; developed and integrated new student and teacher mission materials; produced and implemented a teacher training curriculum; and formulated and delivered marketing presentations for science education conferences.

Bob was a regular judge for the Los Angeles County and California State Science Fairs