A former All American in lacrosse, Clifford “Cliff” Kigar serves as the coach of the Haymakers Lacrosse team in central Ohio. Cliff Kigar graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. He attended RPI as a recipient of the Rensselaer Medal, a scholarship program for high school juniors.
Rensselaer was founded in 1824 as the nation’s first university devoted to technological research. It began the medal scholarships in 1916 to honor students for their achievement in mathematics and science and to encourage them to enter a science-related field. It is the oldest award of its type, on par with the Brown Book Award and the Harvard Book Prize.
Medalists receive $25,000 for four years, or $100,000 in total. Recipients must be enrolled at RPI and remain in good standing. Before matriculating, the winners and their families travel to RPI for an open house in September, where they learn about campus life and get to know the students and faculty. The medals are presented at the Honors Convocation held in October.
The original medals were cast from bronze-plated brass and were later gold-plated. Today they are produced in a tin and antimony alloy that is specially aged.
