This year, transportation students in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech have won several national and state awards that deserve recognition. At the national level, one student won a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, six students won Eisenhower Fellowships to attend the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board, two students were selected for the Eno Leadership Development Conference and one student won a national scholarship from the National Society of Black Engineers. This article highlights the accomplishments of students recognized at the national level, as well as the students recognized by other state and local scholarships.
Stacey Mumbower
She is a second year graduate student in civil engineering. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. and is advised by Dr. Laurie A. Garrow. Stacey was selected as a 2009 Eno Transportation Foundation Fellow and participated in the Annual Leadership Development Program in Washington, D.C. this past May. The Leadership Development Conference provides a first-hand look at how transportation policy is developed and implemented. Students meet with top government officials, association leaders, and members of Congress to see how transportation policies are debated, shaped, formed, and ultimately adopted and applied. Through this intensive program, Eno Fellows better understand the policy-making process that becomes increasingly more important as they pursue careers in transportation. Stacey also received a prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based graduate degrees. The fellowship provides three full years of funding, providing both tuition and stipend. Stacey also received a Georgia Tech President's Fellowship, which is renewable for three years, and a 2009 Dwight David Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which will pay for her participation in the 2010 Transportation Research Board Meeting in January in Washington, DC.
Laurel Paget-Seekins
Laurel, a second year Ph.D. student, received a full three year Eisenhower Fellowship and a Presidential Fellowship from Georgia Tech. Working with Dr. Michael Meyer, she is examining design and operation characteristics of public transit systems that increase social and environmental sustainability.
Elise Barrella, a PhD candidate in Georgia Tech's Transportation Systems group, was the recipient of a 2009 Georgia Department of Transportation scholarship. On September 17, Elise and the other recipients were recognized by GDOT Commissioner Vance Smith, Jr. at the monthly board meeting. The GDOT scholarships are awarded to students in transportation fields who demonstrate outstanding academic performance, leadership capacity, and commitment to careers in transportation. Elise's research interests, under the advisement of Dr. Adjo Amekudzi, are in the areas of transportation planning, sustainability, and community development. She is also currently serving as the President of Georgia Tech's Women in Transportation Seminar and as Marshall of Chi Epsilon. In addition to the GDOT scholarship, Elise was honored to receive a 2009 Eisenhower Fellowship which will fund her participation in the annual Transportation Research Board conference.
Brent Weigel, a PhD student in the Transportation Systems Engineering group of CEE has received the 2009 Georgia Power Energy Fellowship. Brent was the only graduate student outside of the Environmental Engineering group to receive this prestigious award. He also received an Eisenhower Fellowship that will fund his participation in the annual Transportation Research Board conference. As a graduate research assistant, Brent is working with CEE faculty, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, and the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance to develop a Transit Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management Compendium, which will help transit agencies reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. For his doctoral research, Brent is developing a life cycle analysis framework of transportation and building-related greenhouse gas emissions from building site alternatives, which will enable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment. Upon graduation, Brent will pursue a career as a research university faculty member, with the goal of advancing research and education for sustainable engineering.
Dwayne Henclewood is a PhD student belonging to the Transportation Systems Engineering group at Georgia Tech. Under the guidance of Dr. Michael Hunter, Dwayne's research efforts are focused on estimating and predicting traffic performance measures along urban arterials in real-time. In the spring of 2009 Dwayne was awarded a Dwight David Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship. The objective of this fellowship is to attract qualified students to the fields of transportation education and research, and advance transportation workforce development. The Eisenhower Fellowship will provide financial support for his participation at the 2010 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. For the 2008-2009 academic year, Dwayne served as the president of Georgia Tech's student chapter arm of the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
Donny Katz is a first year transportation graduate student who is working with Dr. Michael Meyer. In 2007, Donny received a Fulbright and traveled to Dhaka where he conducted research to investigate how bus overcrowding affects levels of ridership and operations. Donny is the recipient of an Eisenhower Fellowship, that will provide financial support for his participation at the 2010 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting.
Other recipients of national scholarships this past year include Franklin Gbologah, recipient of the National Society of Black Engineer's Board of Corporate Affiliates $3,000 Scholarship and Brittany Luken, recipient of a $10,000 Airport Corporative Research Program (ACRP) of the Transportation Research Board.
At the state level, Elise Barrella, Brittany Luken, Alek Pochowski and Nick Wood won scholarships from the Georgia Department of Transportation while Carlos Campo, Yi Lin Pei and Yanzhi (Ann) Xu won scholarships from the Georgia ITS Chapter. Brent Weigel, Donny Katz, and Yi Lin Pei also won scholarships from the Georgia ITE Chapter. At the local level, Yanzi (Ann) won the 2009 Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) Overly Scholarship with the Atlanta Chapter.
Chris Barrow
Chris, an undergraduate senior in CEE was awarded the "Transportation Engineer of the Future" scholarship from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). This scholarship will give him the opportunity to attend graduate school at Georgia Tech starting Spring 2010. There he will pursue a MS with an emphasis in transportation systems. Additionally, the scholarship provides the opportunity to start employment with GDOT upon the completion of his coursework. Finally, this scholarship includes placement into an extensive training program which covers all aspects of Transportation Engineering. When asked about the opportunity, Chris stated "It is amazing, not only are you given the opportunity to gain additional knowledge from the faculty at Georgia Tech, but you also receive insight from some of GDOT's brightest minds at the beginning of your career. What more could you ask for?"