Over the past few months, several undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) have been awarded a variety of prestigious scholarships and fellowships in the area of transportation. Accordingly, we would like to recognize these individuals for their outstanding accomplishments.
Georgia Section ITE Scholarship
Chris Barrow, an undergraduate student in CEE was one of three students selected to receive the 2007 Georgia Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Scholarship. A junior at Georgia Tech, he is pursuing a degree in the area of infrastructure while working part time with both the Georgia Transportation Institute (GTI) and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA). In order to be eligible to receive this Scholarship, one must show an interest in the transportation field, demonstrate leadership, and make a contribution to the transportation sector. Chris, his wife Ariel, and their daughter Aubrey received the award at the 2007 ITE annual meeting in December 2007.
Eisenhower Fellowship
Saroch Boonsiripant, a Ph.D. candidate in the Transportation program in CEE, and Laurel Paget-Seekins, a first year PhD student in CEE, have been selected to receive the 2008 Dwight David Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The program objective is to attract qualified students to the fields of transportation education and research, and advance transportation workforce development. The fellowship will fund their participation in the 2009 Transportation Research Board Meeting in January in Washington, DC.
Saroch is pursuing research related to vehicular speed variation and its relationship to road safety under the guidance of Dr. Michael Hunter. Following graduation, he will pursue a career in the field of transportation safety either with a university back in his home country of Thailand, or a global road safety organization.
Laurel is examining the current transit financing structure and its impacts on equity and efficiency of transit systems and is supervised by Dr. Meyer. She works with the Atlanta Transit Riders' Union, Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 732, and disability rights' organizations to bring the voices of dependent transit riders and workers to the regional transit planning process in Atlanta.
Transportation Engineering Scholarship
Shawn Pope, a master's degree student in CEE received the 2007 Transportation Engineering Scholarship from the Georgia Section ITE The scholarship is given to the top transportation students each year to encourage student involvement in the profession and to develop future Georgia transportation engineers. He also recently received a scholarship representing the Southeastern region to present at the 2008 International Highway Engineering Exchange Program. Shawn is currently working on the development of airline pricing models with his advisor Dr. Laurie Garrow.
Shawn dutifully served as the 2007-2008 ITE student chapter president. He was also the recipient of the 2007 Jim McGee Memorial Scholarship. He has served as an intern at the Gwinnett County DOT and also at Jacobs-Carter Burgess. Shawn holds a BS degree from Georgia Tech in Civil Engineering.
Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow and Eno Fellow
Anthon Sonnenberg, PhD student in the Transportation group recently participated in the prestigious Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program of the National Academies. After being selected, Anthon spent 3 months at the National Academies in Washington, DC where he engaged in the analytical process that informs the creation of national policy-making with a science/technology element. He was mainly involved in Transportation Research Board's committee on carbon emissions and energy policies.
Anthon is also a recipient of the 2008 Eno Fellowsihp, sponsored by the ENO Transportation Foundation. The Foundation gives 20 of the nation's top graduate students in transportation a first-hand look at how national transportation policies are developed. During a week-long conference, Eno Fellows participate in meetings with federal officials and leaders of business and non-profit organizations in Washington, DC.
Engineer of the Future Scholarship
Chester Thomas, a master's degree student in CEE was awarded the "Engineer of the Future" scholarship from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). This scholarship gave him the opportunity to attend graduate school at Georgia Tech where he is pursuing an MS with an emphasis in transportation systems. The scholarship also allows him to start employment with GDOT as soon as his coursework is completed, including an extensive training program which covers all aspects of Transportation Engineering. "The training I will learn at GDOT will be invaluable towards attaining my PE license and making me a well rounded PE; I would highly recommend this program to anyone, especially if you are still completing your undergraduate degree, this allows for a very easy transition", said Chester.