Farmington Hills, Mich. (July 1, 2015) –For the 2015-2016 academic year, the ACI Foundation has awarded 10 Student Fellowships, eight Graduate Scholarships, and one Undergraduate Scholarship. The Barbara S. and W. Calvin McCall Carolinas Fellowship was awarded for the first time.
ACI Foundation Student Fellowships
The ACI Foundation Student Fellowships are offered to high-potential undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, construction management, and other appropriate curricula who are nominated by ACI member faculty. The purpose of the Student Fellowship Program is to identify, attract, and develop outstanding professionals for productive careers in the concrete field. During the academic year, each student will receive a $7000 ($10,000 for the Charles Pankow Foundation Student Fellowship) educational stipend for tuition, residence, books, and materials; appropriate certificates, recognition, and publicity; paid travel expenses and attendance fees to two ACI conventions; assignment to an industry mentor; and an optional summer internship (internships are required to receive the Baker Student Fellowship, Elmer Baker Student Fellowship, Cagley Student Fellowship, and Charles Pankow Foundation Student Fellowship).
The last portion of the application process is an interview with the Scholarship Council, a council of the ACI Foundation. Finalists for the ACI Foundation Fellowships were invited to attend The ACI Concrete Convention and Exposition—Spring 2015 this past April in Kansas City, MO. The recipients include:
ACI Baker Student Fellowships
Ash Kotwal will attend Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, where he is pursuing his PhD in materials science, engineering, and commercialization. His career goal is to contribute to the advancement of science and engineering by developing high-performance and sustainable materials that provide solutions for the concrete industry. His Faculty Nominator was John Schemmel, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN.
Scott Smith is completing his BS in civil engineering (structural emphasis) at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA. He intends to continue on to graduate school and further pursue his research interests of structural material consumption trends and nonlinear computational analysis. Following graduate school, he plans to work toward his PE license in a structurally related design firm and remain an active ACI member. Eventually, he hopes to aid in the development of federal- and state-based policy related to investment in infrastructure and structural-materials-based industries. His Faculty Nominator was Stephan A. Durham.
ACI BASF Construction Chemicals Student Fellowship
Richard Deschenes attends the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, and is working toward his PhD in civil engineering. After graduation, he hopes to find a faculty position as a teacher and researcher. His research interests include concrete durability and concrete structural design. He was nominated by Micah Hale.
ACI Cagley Student Fellowship
Todd Clapp is attending Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, and pursuing his MS in civil engineering with a focus on structures. His career goal is to become an innovative structural engineer, with immediate plans of finishing his degree and becoming a licensed professional engineer. Whether in teaching, research, or consulting, he wants to make an impact and help solve the major challenges that structural engineers are facing today. He was nominated by James Hanson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN.
ACI Charles Pankow Foundation Student Fellowship
Curtis Walter attends the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. He is enrolled in the civil engineering program and pursuing a degree in structural engineering. His immediate career goal is to accumulate as much engineering experience as possible in a variety of scenarios, including consulting, construction, and project management, to learn where he is best suited and work toward his PE license. He was nominated by Lisa R. Feldman.
ACI Presidents’ Fellowship
Jacob Darlington is attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, working on his MS in civil engineering with a structural engineering focus. His career goals are to work as a consulting engineer and make a difference in the world, to be involved with complex projects, developing practical and innovative solutions to the increasingly challenging problems confronting society. He was nominated by Jose A. Pincheira.
ACI Richard N. White Student Fellowship
Andrew Eiland is completing his MS in structural engineering at Auburn University, Auburn, AL. He plans on a career in civil engineering and is researching opportunities in the concrete repair industry. Anton Schindler was his Faculty Nominator.
Barbara S. and W. Calvin McCall Carolinas Fellowship
Steven Thornton is enrolled at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, during the award year and will be studying abroad at the University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, for the first semester of the award year, working on his BS in civil engineering. His career goal is to contribute to the design of sustainable infrastructure by making use of systems that can monitor existing structures and by developing new structures that can withstand extreme environments. His Faculty Nominator was Roberto Nunez.
Richard D. Stehly Memorial Fellowship
Ahmed Al-Basha attends New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, where he is working on his MS in civil engineering with an emphasis in structural engineering. His career goal is to receive his PhD in civil and materials engineering and then continue to perform research to optimize and improve the characteristics and constituents of ultra-highperformance concrete (UHPC). He envisions becoming more involved in ACI as a student and professional engineer, maybe presenting at the ACI Concrete Convention and Exposition, and publishing in ACI’s journals. Craig Newtson was his Faculty Nominator.
Tribute to the Founders Fellowship
Anahid Behrouzi is a PhD candidate in civil engineering, with a structural concentration, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL. Following doctoral studies, she would like to remain in academia as civil engineering faculty, teaching and continuing to engage in research related to the seismic performance of structural concrete components as well as methods to integrate physical models/ visualization tools in the engineering classroom to improve student engagement and understanding. Daniel Kuchma was her Faculty Nominator.
ACI Foundation Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarships
Funded primarily through donations, the ACI Foundation administers these scholarships, which are offered to highpotential, full-time first- or second-year (after bachelor’s degree) graduate students. During the academic year, each student will receive a $3000 educational stipend ($5000 for the ACI Stewart C. Watson Memorial Scholarship) for tuition, residence, books, and materials and appropriate certificates, recognition, and publicity. The ACI Richard D. Stehly Memorial Scholarship is awarded to an undergraduate student.
Recipients of the 2015-2016 ACI Foundation Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarships are:
ACI Bertold E. Weinberg Scholarship
Daniel Hussey will be attending Manhattan College, New York City, NY, working on his MS with a focus in civil engineering structures. His career goal is to continue conducting research on sustainable concrete design, while developing as an engineer. He plans to obtain his PE license and apply his knowledge and skills to better the world.
ACI Katharine & Bryant Mather Scholarship
Caitlin Mancuso is pursuing her Master’s of Engineering Science in civil engineering, specializing in structural engineering, at Western University in London, ON, Canada. Her research is focused on the “Effect of Early-Age Material Properties on Concrete Slab Deflections.” Her career goals include working as a consulting engineer on projects across North America and potentially around the world. She plans on becoming more actively involved with ACI (and will be presenting at the ACI Concrete Convention and Exposition in Denver, CO), allowing her to never stop learning throughout her engineering career.
ACI Kumar Mehta Scholarship
Jessica Rosewitz is a first-year PhD candidate in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA. Her career goal is to teach at the college level and ensure that future civil engineers have the skills needed to succeed in their careers. She feels strongly that this should include project work and research, to enrich what is learned in the classroom. Furthermore, she believes that the field of civil engineering is ready to be revolutionized with the use of sustainable and ecologically sound building materials, which can be achieved through research.
ACI Richard D. Stehly Memorial Scholarship
Jared Schimmelpfenning attends Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, and plans to graduate in the Spring of 2018 with his BS in construction engineering and management. Through this program, he will have completed three summer internships at various locations across the United States. His career goal is to work in the field for a large construction or contracting firm that offers opportunities to be promoted. After obtaining some experience in the field, he will evaluate the option of continuing for his master’s or doctorate degrees.
ACI Scholarship
Aileen Vandenberg attends the University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, and is working on her PhD in the Civil Engineering department with a construction materials science focus. Her career goal is to become a university research professor and continue to apply a cross-disciplinary approach to understanding the science behind construction materials, and apply this knowledge to new greener types of construction materials. Secondly, she will draw upon her math and physics background to participate in STEM outreach activities such as teaching or mentoring younger students who want to get a foot in the construction materials field. Heather Todak is working on her MS in civil engineering, focusing on materials/structures, at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. Her career goal is to become involved in the forensic assessment and evaluation of existing structures.
ACI Schwing America Scholarship
Donald Shaw III will be pursuing his MS in civil engineering with an emphasis on structural engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. This summer, he will work as a Bridge Design Intern for the Indiana Department of Transportation. After completing his degree, Shaw will work as an Engineer in Training (EIT) designing bridges, with plans to eventually become a licensed professional engineer. ACI Stewart C. Watson Memorial Scholarship Shawna Peterson is completing her MS in structural engineering and geomechanics at Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Her career goal is to work as a structural designer at a structural engineering firm that designs a variety of building types.
W. Gene Corley Memorial Scholarship
Aishwarya Puranam is completing her MS in civil engineering, with an emphasis on structures, at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. In her career as a structural engineer, she plans to continue exploring and learning the field of structural engineering. She wishes to be actively involved in ACI, contributing toward developing standards to ensure the construction of safe structures.
Nominate a Student, Submit an Application
The application process will open soon for the ACI Foundation Student Fellowships and Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarships that will be awarded in the 2016-2017 academic year. Instructions to nominate a student for the ACI Foundation Student Fellowship Program are available at www.scholarshipcouncil.org/Student-Awards/Fellowships. Only students nominated by faculty members who are also ACI members will be eligible to receive applications for the ACI Foundation Student Fellowship Program. After a student is formally nominated, the ACI Foundation will e-mail an official application to the nominated student. Applications for ACI Foundation Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarships are available to the general student population and do not require a faculty nomination. For more information, visit www.scholarshipcouncil.org.