The Sirgo Family Endowed Scholarship in Mechanical Engineering was established by the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System on Nov. 7, 2011, to benefit The University of Texas Cockrell School of Engineering. Gift funds were provided by Nancy and Eric Sirgo.

Eric Sirgo and Nancy Pliszka met their freshman year in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Eric and Nancy both graduated in August 1987 with BSME degrees and entered the Texas job market.

Eric Sirgo began work for Chevron USA in Midland, Texas, in 1987. He completed assignments in facilities engineering, corrosion engineering, and operations. Nancy worked for Rockwell on Department of Defense payload projects for the space shuttle from 1987 to 1989. After the couple married in late 1989, she joined Eric in Midland, working for General Tire as a project engineer. Later she worked for Orion Pacific, building the first plastics recycling plant in West Texas. She completed her engineering career at Ref-Chem Engineering in 1998, working at petrochemical plants in West Texas.

In the past 15 years, the Sirgos have lived in Bakersfield, Calif., New Orleans, Houston, and San Ramon, Calif. Currently, Eric is general manager of operations for Chevron Europe in Aberdeen, Scotland, overseeing North Sea operations.

Nancy and Eric’s daughter, Audrey, will attend UT Austin in the fall of 2012, enrolling in the Cockrell School of Engineering. Their son, Alex, is a freshman at the International School of Aberdeen.

Both Nancy and Eric come from engineering families. Nancy’s father, a chemical engineer from the University of Wisconsin, enjoyed a 38-year career at Shell Chemical. Eric’s father, a geologist from Tulane University, enjoyed a 38-year career at Texaco. Two of Eric’s brothers are engineers, all working in the energy business. Seven of Nancy and Eric’s nieces and nephews are pursuing degrees or careers in engineering.

Nancy and Eric acknowledge the impact engineering careers have had on their lives. Careers in engineering have provided them a way to support their family, to solve problems that they face in their lives, and to travel the world. They are grateful that their parents pushed them toward the engineering discipline and The University of Texas at Austin.

The Sirgos are true believers in the discipline of engineering and the contributions engineers make to society. They believe that “engineers use their skills to identify opportunities, consider alternatives, and apply solutions to a wide range of issues facing the world we live in and do so on a continuous basis.” The Sirgos encourage students to push themselves in the field of engineering and go on to change the world.

Update September 2019: Audrey Sirgo graduated in 2016 with a BSME.