Shertzer one of 20 Egleston Scholars

Shertzer, of Pineville, is a 2016 graduate of LSMSA.
The Egleston Scholars program recognizes undergraduate students of Columbia engineering who embody the mission of the school at large – to educate socially-responsible engineering and applied science leaders whose work results in the betterment of the human condition, locally, nationally and globally.
It is a comprehensive four-year program designed to support and enrich the undergraduate experience of the most highly accomplished students through select access to resources within Columbia engineering, the university at large, New York City and throughout the world.
The program makes available a stipend to support each scholar’s academic and professional goals, numerous research opportunities, faculty mentorship, enhanced team advising, as well as the opportunity to participate in the larger community of the Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Program.
Shertzer plans to major in computer science and minor in operations research, economics or political science.
At LSMSA, he competed in speech and debate, attending the national tournament four times and earning the Degree of Premiere Distinction, the highest honor bestowed by the National Speech and Debate Association. He also served as vice president of the Computer Science Club, competing in programming competitions and leading computer science education efforts by helping to coordinate and teach an Android application development workshop to community middle school students.
He spent his summer interning in a software development lab at the Louisiana State University Center for Computation and Technology, ultimately co-developing a now-published web and mobile application. The project, titled Waterway Information for Vessels, consolidates a variety of informational and emergency resources for the operators of Gulf Coast naval vessels, providing a simplified interface for previously inaccessible information. He contributed the programming and user interface design of the project, introducing new functionality and conducting extensive multi-platform debugging to help prepare the application for distribution.
At Columbia engineering, Shertzer hopes to continue his involvement in debate and political activism, explore New York’s diverse music and arts offerings and delve into a myriad of new experiences while obtaining the skills necessary to continue contributing to socially aware application development projects.