WTS SCHOLARSHIP IS PLEASED TO
ANNOUNCE THE
2008-2009 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
ANN KOBY WTS President's Legacy Scholarship for Graduates
Jennifer C Duthie, Heart of Texas Chapter
Jennifer C. Duthie looks forward to receiving her Ph.D in Transportation Engineering-Network Modeling from the University of Texas in May and is looking for a university teaching position. She completed her undergraduate work at Cornell University. From her personal statement, we understand her career vision. “While I am aiming for an academic career in a technical area, it is my goal to not be categorized as either a 'technical person' or a 'policy person,' but instead to act as a bridge between the two, applying my technical expertise to aid in decision-making. Throughout my graduate career, I have enjoyed teaching and mentoring new transportation students and I hope to continue to do so in an academic career, and through professional organizations such as WTS. …like Ann (Koby), I also have a deep-seated commitment to public service and am driven to contribute positively to the field of transportation.”
LOUISE MORITZ MOLITORIS Leadership Award for Undergraduates
Alecia S. Phillips, Colorado Chapter
Alecia S. Phillips expects to graduate in May, 2009 from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor in Environmental Design with an emphasis in Transportation Planning. Believing that “there is no better way than to lead by example,” she commutes 20 miles back and forth to school every day on a used road bike. Her application resonates with a growing familiarity with her leadership style, tested in both her personal and educational life. She writes, “I believe that only through dynamic leadership and bold initiative will future trends in transportation support decisions and changes that will positively affect social, political and environmental systems. …I want to create places and systems that balance serving people’s needs with respect for the natural environment.”
SHARON D. BANKS Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship
Susan C. Paulus, Wisconsin Chapter
Susan C. Paulus expects to graduate from the University of Wisconsin this spring with dual degrees: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Business Administration in Supply Chain and Operations Management. She plans to work towards a Ph.D in Engineering. When she began her course work, her goal was to start her own engineering firm. But a trip to the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Annual Meeting opened her eyes to the love of research she shared with TRB participants and her professors. Her personal statement reflects the change in goal, “After graduate school, I plan to become a professor and researcher. With only 8% of engineering faculty being females, becoming a professor will enable me to become a role model for women in engineering and encourage women to pursue degrees in technical disciplines.”
Helene M. Overly Memorial Graduate Scholarship
Bin "Brenda" Zhou, Heart of Texas Chapter
Bin “Brenda” Zhou expects to receive her Ph.D this summer in Transportation Planning from the University of Texas at Austin. She has “tackled several unexplored and sophisticated transportation problems” through her studies. As she stated in her personal statement, “these studies have encouraged me to pursue work as a professor, disseminating knowledge and serving as a role model for younger generations.” Bin received the prestigious U.S. Department of Transportation Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship for her work on micro-simulation of land development; is volunteering her time as a WTS member with the Heart of Texas Chapter’s Professional Development Committee; and serves as a member of TRB’s Travel Survey Methods Committee.
Scholarships will be presented to these inspirational young women at the WTS Annual Conference Awards Dinner in Atlanta.