August 11, 2016, WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering, consulting, and construction firm, today announced the recipients of its 2016 scholarships awards. Brown and Caldwell annually provides college scholarships to promising full-time students pursuing careers in the environmental engineering industry under several award programs, including the long-running Dr. W. Wesley Eckenfelder, Jr. Scholarship and the Minority Scholarship Program, as well as three new scholarship categories: Electrical/Instrumentation & Controls, Women in Leadership and GLBTQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender or /Questioning).
The Dr. W. Wesley Eckenfelder, Jr. Scholarship was established to honor Dr. Eckenfelder and his more than 50 years of pioneering work in the environmental profession. Each year, Brown and Caldwell awards this $5,000 scholarship to students pursuing education and a career within the environmental industry. There were two recipients for 2016:
Megan Murray is an incoming graduate student in the Master of Environmental Management- Water Resource Management program at Duke Nicholas School of the Environment. Her interests lie in the integration of science and policy, water reuse and environmental justice.
Warren Kadoya is a graduate student and research assistant in the department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona. His research is focused on bioremediation, particularly the use of bacteria in the removal of explosives, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals in soil and groundwater.
Through its Minority Scholarship Program, Brown and Caldwell provides time and monetary commitment to invest in scholarships, internships and mentoring for full-time minority college students at the junior, senior or graduate level majoring in environmental engineering or one of the environmental sciences. Each scholarship winner receives a $5,000, and this year's recipients are:
Natasha Bell, is a PhD student in Biosystems Engineering at Clemson University. As part of her PhD research, Bell is investigating the use of floating treatment wetlands and vegetative channels to remediate irrigation runoff from nurseries and greenhouses, so that water may be reused onsite. She received her bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and her master’s from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Jimmy Luong will be will be studying Civil Engineering with an emphasis on Hydrology and Water Resources as a graduate school at the University of California, Los Angeles starting this fall. He is interning for Orange County Public Works to conduct long-term selenium monitoring in the Newport Bay of California and working as a Peer Counselor in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.
The Electrical/Instrumentation & Controls Scholarship was created to support the growth of high-value engineering services within the environmental industry. Students who are pursuing a career with this specialization are eligible to win a $5,000 scholarship.
This year’s winner is Leanne Williams, an electrical engineering senior at Montana State University. She is involved in the Honors College, French Club and the Society of Women Engineers, and is a student leader in the Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship. She is currently an intern with Electro Scientific Industries and plans on pursuing a master’s degree after graduation.
In addition to supporting the great work of organizations like the Society of Women Engineers, Brown and Caldwell is furthering its commitment to advancing the next generation of female professionals by offering a $5,000 Women in Leadership Scholarship to support women that are pursuing education and a career within the environmental industry. This year’s recipient is:
Alex Polasko is currently a PhD student at the University of California, Los Angeles, working to combine the talents of both anaerobic and aerobic bacteria to biodegrade water pollutants. Polasko studied environmental science at the University of California, Berkeley and performed research on the anaerobic biodegradation of trichloroethylene in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.
As part of their dedication to equality in the workplace, Brown and Caldwell offers a $5,000 GLBTQ Scholarship to support students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning, who are interested in pursuing a career in the environmental profession. This year’s recipients are:
Max Fefer, is a graduate student at the University of California, Davis pursuing a master’s degree in water resources engineering. This coming year he will be working on optimization modeling of the California water system to understand climate change impacts on urban and agricultural water supply.
Paige Peters is a research assistant at Marquette University, pursuing a master’s degree in civil engineering with an emphasis on water and wastewater treatment. Her current research focuses on advanced oxidation processes for use in wet weather management, particularly combined sewer and sanitary sewer overflows. Peters is a professional mentor with the Madison Area Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders on water supply and distribution projects in Guatemala.
Scholarship recipients are selected by a committee of Brown and Caldwell professionals on the basis of academic accomplishments. Scholarships are open to full-time college students enrolled in their junior or senior years or graduate programs. For details on eligibility, visit: https://brownandcaldwell.com/scholarships.asp.