2025 NBBI Technical Scholarship Recipients

Each year, The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors (NBBI) offers scholarships to students who meet eligibility standards, including being accepted to or currently enrolled full-time in a trade school, technical college, or university in the United States or Canada and majoring in mechanical, manufacturing, electrical, industrial, welding, or chemical engineering, or other closely related engineering fields. To apply, students must be a child, stepchild, grandchild, or great-grandchild of a National Board Commissioned Inspector or an NBBI employee, whether past or present, living or deceased. 

This year, NBBI awarded $30,000 in scholarships, divided among three recipients out of eight applicants. 

The 2025 NBBI Technical Scholarship recipients are:

Ethan Klosterman is set to begin his freshman year at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, with plans to major in mechanical engineering. He has maintained straight A’s throughout high school and earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest achievement in the Boy Scouts of America. Ethan is the son of Jason Klosterman, who works as a security architect in NBBI’s software and services department.

Timothy O’Keefe will be a senior this fall at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering and maintains a 3.61 GPA. Timothy serves as the vice president of the school’s Society of Automotive Engineers BAJA and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and is a teaching assistant for the sophomore mechanical engineering labs. He is the great-grandson of former NBBI Commissioned Inspector Daniel O’Keefe.

Marshal Sayre will be a junior at Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio. As a member of the football team and the student representative on the Engineering Advisory Council, Marshal is studying general engineering and holds a 3.12 GPA. He plans to work in maintenance and reliability within an industrial setting (chemical or petroleum), focusing on predictive and preventative maintenance. Marshal is the son of NBBI Commissioned Inspector Michael Sayre.

The National Board Technical Scholarship Selection Panel comprises chief inspectors and NBBI employees. The 2026 application period opens September 1, 2025, and applications are due by February 28, 2026. Click here for more information.