K-State at Salina student receives Smithsonian internship

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Source: Eric Lawrence, 620-255-3145, ejl@k-state.edu
Editor's note: Lawrence is a graduate of Minneola High School.
News release prepared by: Jennifer Newberry, 785-532-6415

Friday, May 5, 2006

K-STATE AT SALINA STUDENT RECEIVES SMITHSONIAN INTERNSHIP

SALINA -- An interest in aircraft restoration has earned Eric Lawrence, a student at Kansas State University at Salina, a 10-week summer internship with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Lawrence, junior in aviation maintenance, Salina, will be working at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage Facility in Suitland, Md., where he will prepare aviation artifacts for display at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport. The Udvar-Hazy Center is the companion facility to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

"I think that the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is the top restoration experience that I could get," Lawrence said. "I have always wanted to do restoration work on cars, and always wanted to do the same with aircraft."

Lawrence hopes his Smithsonian internship will lead to a full-time job after he graduates in May 2008.

The GlobalFlyer, the record-setting aircraft, will soon be heading to the National Air and Space Museum, so Lawrence's experience may prove beneficial as he participated in the latest GlobalFlyer project. He was a member of the maintenance crew for the most recent record flight. He would like to be involved with the plane's preparation for display at the Smithsonian, he said.