MIDDLETOWN – KVH Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: KVHI) has selected Samantha Sinapi of Portsmouth as the recipient of its first KVH Technology Scholar Award.

“We created the KVH Technology Scholars program to promote continuing education in the fields of math and engineering, in recognition of their importance to the future success of KVH Industries as well as our local and national economies,” Chris Watson, KVH’s marketing manager, said this week.

The $1,000 award will be given each year to a deserving high school senior who will be attending a four-year math or engineering program the next fall, KVH said. The check presentation, at the KVH facility in Middletown, was followed by a company tour for Sinapi and her father, Ralph Sinapi, who is an engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport.

“On behalf of everyone at KVH, I want to congratulate Ms. Sinapi, who was chosen as our inaugural award recipient based on her outstanding work in school; her personal commitment to the study of engineering; and her senior project, which was carried out in cooperation with a Disney Imagineer,” Watson added. “We wish her great success in the future.”

Sinapi, a recent graduate of Portsmouth High School, will be matriculating this fall at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

KVH Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: KVHI) is a maker of live mobile media systems and of navigation and guidance systems for defense and civilian use. Additional information is available at www.kvh.com.