Academics

Two Penn State students receive American Society of Civil Engineers awards

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Central Pennsylvania Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has selected two Penn State students for the 2017 Student Award.

Emma Clement, an undergraduate student studying civil engineering with an interest in environmental engineering, and Juliana Neves, a civil engineering doctoral candidate with a focus in cementitious materials, received two of the four available $2,000 awards.

Three awards are given to junior/senior class applicants and one award is reserved for a graduate-level applicant. Eligible applicants have to be a member of a student or national chapter of ASCE or reside within one of the nineteen counties or five colleges that the Central Pennsylvania Section covers.

The students were evaluated on their GPA, extracurricular activities, an adviser recommendation and a student essay. The rating system particularly emphasized the importance of a candidate’s GPA and community involvement.

Clement, who received one of the three undergraduate awards, is heavily involved on campus. She is an officer in the Penn State Student Chapter of ASCE and is an officer in the Society of Women Engineers at Penn State. Clement is the president of a Penn State Campus Girl Scouts service organization called On My Honor. She additionally participates in undergraduate environmental engineering research focusing on water treatment.

After graduation, Clement intends to obtain a doctorate in environmental engineering and participates in graduate-level research.

Neves completed her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 2014 at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in Brazil and her master’s degree in civil engineering with a focus in cementitious materials from Penn State in 2016. She is currently in the second year of her doctoral program at Penn State and plans to continue teaching and working as a research assistant.

Her research investigates the microstructure of concrete through scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and other laboratory techniques.

Clement and Neves both learned they were chosen for the award by receiving an email from the Student Award Selection Committee.

“Being selected for this award is really great,” said Clement. “It will especially help me apply for graduate school in the future.”

Neves said, “I plan to use the award money to go see my parents and friends in Brazil.” 

This is the 26th year ASCE has offered the student awards. Last year two students from Penn State, Drew Bechtold and Mary Taylor, received awards. Recipients of the 2017 award were honored at the ASCE Central PA Section Dinner Meeting in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on Nov. 8.

Last Updated November 20, 2017

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