UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Owen Hitchcock, a graduate student pursuing his master’s degree in civil engineering, was recently presented with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship by the Federal Highway Administration.
The fellowship is awarded to exceptional students across the country seeking degrees related to transportation.
“It’s helping me financially with my education as well as my networking for my career,” said Hitchcock. “It provides me with a stipend for school, but there is also a travel allowance to attend the Transportation Research Board conference in Washington, D.C.”
Students are given a $10,000 stipend for their education during the fellowship, as well as a $1,500 travel allowance to attend conferences like the Transportation Research Board conference.
The U.S. Department of Transportation awards the fellowship to 150-200 students per year. In total, there are around 3,000 Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellows around the country.
This means Hitchcock is now among some of the brightest and most talented individuals pursuing transportation engineering. However, he would not have won the fellowship had it not been for his adviser, Vikash Gayah, assistant professor in civil engineering, suggesting it.
“There is an application process that my adviser recommended me for. After he did that, I just went for it,” said Hitchcock. “It’s a very prestigious fellowship, so it’s not that I didn’t think I was qualified, but I certainly wasn’t expecting it.”
Although Hitchcock wasn’t expecting the honor, he certainly isn’t taking it for granted.
“It means a lot,” said Hitchcock. “I have met several other recipients of the fellowship and they’re all very bright and talented individuals. It feels good to be in the same company as them.”