Scholarships and Awards

NCTSPM is dedicated to promoting excellence in transportation education and research. Students at each of the 4 universities in NCTSPM have received scholarships and awards for their outstanding achievement in transportation studies.

• 2016 Scholarship Recipients
• 2015 Scholarship Recipients
• 2014 Scholarship Recipients
• 2013 Scholarship Recipients
• 2012 Scholarship Recipients
• Student Biographies

2016 Scholarship and Award Recipients:

• Alice Grossman (Dwight D. Eisenhower Graduate Research Fellowship)
• April Gadsby (Dwight D. Eisenhower Graduate Research Fellowship, Helen Grenga Outstanding Woman Engineer Award, Sigma Xi Best Undergraduate Research)
• Atiyya Shaw (Eno Leadership Development Conference, Eno Alumni Award)
• Calvin Clark (Dwight D. Eisenhower Graduate Research Fellowship)
• David Boyer (Tai Fellowship)
• Elliot Sperling (Dwight D. Eisenhower Graduate Research Fellowship)
• Homa Fartash (ITS Florida Anne Brewer Scholarship, Sanchez Grand Prix Scholarship, South Florida WTS Travel Grant, Runner Up - Florida Section of ITE's Poster Competition)
• Jack Cebe (Dwight D. Eisenhower Graduate Research Fellowship, Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals Gihon Jordan scholarship, Eno Fellowship)
• Janille Smith-Collin (Dwight D. Eisenhower Graduate Research Fellowship, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Dissertation Scholarship)
• Simon Berrebi (APTA Foundation Reba Malone award)
• Samaneh Khazraeian (Best Student Paper Award at TRB's 2016 International Conference on Managed Lanes, WTS International Southwest Travel Award, Third Place in the 3 Minute Thesis Competition in the Mobility Category at the 2016 UTC Conference for the Southeastern Region)
• Somaye Fakharian Qom (1st Place Best of Student Paper Awards at TRB's 2016 International Conference on Managed Lanes, FIU's Outstanding Dissertation Year Fellowship, Breaking Barrier Women in Transportation Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Florida International University, Summer 2016, Outstanding World Ahead Graduate, Office of Provost, Florida International University, Summer 2016, Outstanding PhD Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Florida International University, Summer 2016)
• Stephanie Amoaning-Yankson (Women in Lenovo Leadership Scholarship, Society of Women Engineers, Leadership Legacy Scholarship: WTS Atlanta)
• Xiaodan Xu (WTS Atlanta for Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship)

2015 Scholarship and Award Recipients:

• Margaret-Avis Akofio-Sowah (Transportation Research Board Charley V. Wootan Award)
• Meshal Almoshaogeh (International Road Federation Executive Fellowship)
• Stephanie Amoaning-Yankson (American Association of University Women International Fellowship, International Road Federation Executive Fellowship)
• Stefanie Brodie (Marie Curie Experienced Researcher Fellowship)
• Jack Cebe (Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship)
• Somaye Fakharian Qom (ITS Florida Anne S. Brewer Scholarship, 3rd Best Student Essay Award at ITS America)
• Jamie Fischer (Transportation Research Board Charley V. Wootan Award)
• Alice Grossman (Eno Future Leaders Development Conference, Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship, Women’s Transportation Seminar’s Atlanta Chapter, Women’s Transportation Seminar Leadership Legacy Scholarship)
• Shahadat Iqbal (ITS Florida Anne Brewer Scholarship, STRIDE Student Poster Competition First Place Entry)
• Samaneh Khazraeian (Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship, WTS South Florida Chapter, Scholarship Award, Florida International University
• Carly Queen (Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Georgia Engineering Foundation Arcadis Scholarship)
• Atiyya Shaw (National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) Fellowship,  2015 Georgia Chapter of American Society of Highway Engineers' Babs Abubakari Memorial Scholarship)
• Denise Smith (Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Minority Ph.D. Fellowship)
• Janille Smith-Colin (Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Transportation Research Board Charley V. Wootan Award)
• Emelyn Venturini (Sharon D. Banks Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship, WTS South Florida Chapter)
• Ling Wang (Florida ITS Anne Brewer Scholarship)
• Jiawei Wu (Florida ITS Anne Brewer Scholarship)

2014 Scholarship and Award Recipients:

• Margaret-Avis Akofio-Sowah (2014 Leadership Legacy Scholarship for Graduates)
• Gauen Rhys Alexander (2014 Billy Jones Memorial Traffic Engineering Scholar Award from ALSITE)
• Adel Badiee (NCTSPM Academic Scholarship Award)
• Simon Berrebi (Awesome Foundation Award, Intelligent Transportation Society of Georgia Wayne Shackelford Engineering Scholarship)
• Candace Brakewood (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists, NCTSPM Student of the Year)
• Xuanwu Chen (2014 District 10 ITE Best Student Paper Award)
• Frank Consoli (Best Regional Transportation Systems Management and Operations Paper for 2013)
• Ehsan Doustmohammadi (NCTSPM Academic Scholarship Award)
• Tewari Edmonson (Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship)
• Jamie Fischer (ENO Leadership Development Conference, Rodney E. Slater Award)
• Alice Grossman (Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship, Georgia ITE Transportation EngineeringScholarship)
• Samaneh Khazraeian (Florida International University SGA Award)
• Hoki Tse (Georgia ITE Transportation Engineering Scholarship)
• Shrikanth Mamidipalli (NCTSPM Academic Scholarship Award)
• Evangelos Palinginis (NATMEC Travel Grant)
• Joseph Phillips (NCTSPM Academic Scholarship Award)
• Prabha (Popa) Pratyaksa (2015 International Road Federation (IRF) Fellowship Grant, Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship)
• Carly Queen (Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship)
• Ossama Ramadan (UAB 2014 Outstanding Graduate Student in Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering)
• Atiyya Shaw (2014 WTS Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship, International Road Federation Fellowship)
• Janille Smith-Colin (CH2M HILL,Strategic Partner Scholarship, International Road Federation (IRF) Executive Fellowship, Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship)
• Denise Smith (Alfred P Sloan Foundation Minority Ph.D. Program)
• Chieh (Ross) Wang (Georgia ITE Transportation Engineering Scholarship, 2014 Georgia Chapter of American Society of Highway Engineers' Babs Abubakari Memorial Scholarship, Intelligent Transportation Society of Georgia Wayne Shackelford Engineering Scholarship, International Road Federation Fellowship, Taiwanese Ministry of Education's Scholarship for Studying Abroad)
• Erik Winardi (NCTSPM Academic Scholarship Award)

2013 Scholarship and Award Recipients:

• Margaret-Avis Akofio-Sowah (Eno Leadership Development Conference)
• Candace Brakewood (Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship)
• Tewari Edmonson (Eisenhower HSI Fellowship)
• Ehsan Doustmohammadi (GAFP Scholarship)
• Somaye Fakharian Qom (Eisenhower HSI Fellowship)
• Alice Grossman (Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Dorothy Evans Fellowship)
• David Johnson (Eisenhower HSI Fellowship)
• Sara Khoeini (2013 Freeway and Managed Lane Operations Meeting and Conference Best Student Paper Scholarship)
• Josie Kressner (Cameron Rian Hays Outside the Box Competition Grand Prize Winner, Society of Women Engineers Ada I. Pressman Memorial Scholarship, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program)
• Taylor Lochrane (NCTSPM Student of the Year)
• Jamieson Matthews (2013 Alabama Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers Charles E. Alexander Memorial Transportation Engineering Scholarship)
• Evangelos Palinginis (Two-year Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship)
• Anne Marie Pereira (Harvey L Gaines Memorial Expressway Authority Endowed Scholarship)
• Prabha (Popa) Pratyaksa (International Road Federation Executive Fellowship)
• Adnan Sheikh (2013 Freeway and Managed Lane Operations Meeting and Conference Best Student Paper Scholarship)
• Janille Smith-Colin (Women's Transportation Seminar-Atlanta Chapter 2013 Leadership Legacy Scholarship for Graduate Studies)
• Thomas Wall (ACRP Graduate Research Award)
• Sarah Windmiller (American Public Transportation Foundation Parsons Brinckerhoff - Jim Lammie Scholarship)
• James Wong (Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Eisenhower Fellowship, Eno Leadership Development Conference, NCTSPM Student of the Year)
• Cheng Zhong (GAFP Scholarship)

2012 Scholarship and Award Recipients:

• Abdul Muqueet Abro (Graduate Assistant Fellowship)
• Margaret-Avis Akofio-Sowah (Sam Nunn Fellowship, Eisenhower Fellowship, WTS Foundation Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship)
• Eileen Cabrera (Anne Brewer Scholarship)
• Margaret Carragher (Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Eisenhower Fellowship)
• Felipe Castrillon (Eisenhower Fellowship, Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship)
• Jamie M. Fischer (Eisenhower Fellowship, WTS Foundation Terry Gruver Leadership Legacy Scholarship)
• Franklin Gbologah (Eisenhower Fellowship)
• Aaron Gooze (Eisenhower Fellowship)
• Aaron Greenwood (Georgia Tech President’s Fellowship, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship)
• Josie Kressner (Eno Leadership Development Conference)
• Taylor Lochrane (NCTSPM Student of the Year)
• Jinyan Lu (William “Bill” McGrath Scholarship, WTS Foundation Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship)
• Greg Macfarlane (Eno Leadership Development Conference)
• Stacey Mumbower (Eisenhower Fellowship)
• Chris Silveira (Eno Leadership Development Conference)
• Jacob Tzegaegbe (2013 Marshall Scholarship Recipient, 2012 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship)
• Amanda I. Wall (APTF Louis T. Klauder Scholarship, WTS Foundation Sharon D. Banks Memorial Scholarship, Eisenhower Fellowship)
• James Wong (Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Eisenhower Fellowship)
   

Student Biographies:

Abdul Muqueet Abro
Advisor: Dr. Virginia P. Sisiopiku
2012 Graduate Assistant Fellowship Recipient
Abdul Muqueet Abro has an MSCE degree from UAB and has worked as a transportation engineering consultant in the Birmingham, Mobile, and Atlanta regions. He has published six technical papers and served as president of the UAB ITE Student Chapter. top

Margaret-Avis Akofio-Sowah
Advisor: Dr. Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy
Transportation Research Board Charley V. Wootan Award
2014 WTS Leadership Legacy Scholarship for Graduates
Eno Development Conference
Sam Nunn Fellowship
Eisenhower Fellowship
WTS Foundation Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship
Margaret-Avis Akofio-Sowah received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2015. She earned her BS in Engineering Science with a concentration in Civil Engineering from Smith College and then received a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech. Her research focuses on transportation infrastructure (asset) management with an emphasis on effective ways of implementing asset management programs. As a Sam Nunn Fellow, she hopes to study policy implications of infrastructure management as it relates to transportation. top

Gauen Rhys Alexander

2014 Billy Jones Memorial Traffic Engineering Scholar Award from ALSITE
Gauen Rhys Alexander is a civil engineering student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. While in school, he has also been working as the lab supervisor for Cardno ATC’s Birmingham office. Originally from Orange County, CA, Gauen has made the beautiful state of Alabama his adopted home. Gauen’s professional interests include geotechnical engineering and pavement design. When not at school or work he enjoys the outdoors and science fiction. top

Meshal Almoshaogeh

International Road Federation Executive Fellowship
Meshal Almoshaogeh is a Saudi civil engineer. He planned on working in the area of transportation as an academic and researcher, so he joined the University of Central Florida in 2012 to pursue his graduate degree. In summer 2014, he got his Masters degree in “Transportation Engineering Systems” and continued in the same program for his Phd in fall, 2014. Meshal was nominated by his professor Essam Radwan to be an IRF scholar for the IRF Executive Fellowship program, class 2014 and he was selected by the program. top

Stephanie Amoaning-Yankson

2015 American Association of University Women International Fellowship
2015 International Road Federation Executive Fellowship
Originally from Ghana, Stephanie graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. She then participated in the Ghana National Service Scheme where she worked for a year as a volunteer teaching assistant for the Transportation Engineering course at KNUST. In the fall of 2012, Stephanie came to Atlanta to pursue graduate studies at Georgia Tech focusing her research on incorporating resiliency considerations in transportation system management. Stephanie currently serves as the President of the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) at Georgia Tech, as well as, the treasurer of the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS@GT). She is a fourth year Ph.D. student. top

Adel Badiee

NCTSPM Academic Scholarship
Adel Badiee finished his B.S degree in General Civil Engineering at Azad University in Iran in 2011. He worked for 3 years in Iran at both Construction Site and Designing Office. At fall 2014 he just started his Graduate Program in Civil Engineering - Structural Engineering at UAB. Right now he is working under supervision of Dr. Uddin as a Research Assistant and his project is about Barrier Rail Design Procedure. ​ top

Simon Berrebi
Advisor: Dr. Kari E. Watkins, P.E.
2014 Awesome Foundation Award
Intelligent Transportation Society of Georgia Wayne Shackelford Engineering Scholarship
Simon is a Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech in Civil Engineering under the guidance of Dr Kari Watkins. In his work, Simon creates on-line control algorithms that use real-time information to optimize bus operations. He received Masters of Science in Civil Engineering and a Bachelors of Arts and Science in Math and History from McGill University. Prior to coming to Georgia Tech, Simon worked in logistics consulting at Diagma in Paris. top

Candace Brakewood
Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship
NCTSPM Student of the Year
Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Candace Brakewood is a PhD candidate in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. She received two master’s degrees, in Transportation and Technology and Policy, from MIT, along with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2006. Her research focuses on improving public transportation systems using new technologies, especially information and communication technologies. She is currently working with Dr. Kari Watkins on the OneBusWay project. top

Stefanie Brodie
Advisor: Dr. Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy
Marie Curie Experienced Researcher Fellowship
Stefanie Brodie is a fifth year Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech, and a member of the Infrastructure Research Group in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She received her bachelor's in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland, and dual master's degrees in Civil Engineering and City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech. Her thesis is on the topic of accessibility. top

Eileen Cabrera.
Advisor: Dr. Mohammed Hadi, P.E
Anne Brewer Scholarship
Eileen Cabrera is the first-place recipient of the Anne Brewer Scholarship from ITS Florida. The scholarship, which included $2,000 and a certificate, was presented at the awards banquet at the TRANSPO 2012 Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. She received her undergraduate degree from Florida International University (FIU) in December 2011. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree from FIU, and is expected to graduate in August 2013. Her work experience includes interning at the Florida Department of Transportation District 4 as part of FIU’s UTC internship program, and working as a graduate research assistant with the FIU ITS Laboratory. top

Margaret Carragher
Advisor: Dr. Kari E. Watkins, P.E.
Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Eisenhower Fellowship
Margaret Carragher is a first-year dual degree student in Civil Engineering and City Planning at Georgia Tech. Her focus in both is improving transit and transit ridership in urban areas. Her research is focused on determining the impact that schematic maps have on traveler mode choices in Atlanta, Georgia. top

Felipe Castrillon
Advisors: Drs. Jorge Laval and Randall Guensler
Eisenhower Fellowship, Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship
Felipe Castrillon is a second-year PhD student at Georgia Tech with a focus on traffic flow theory. He studied at College of the Holy Cross, where he received a BA in Economics, and at Columbia University, where he received a BS in Civil Engineering. top

Jack Cebe
Advisor: Dr. Randall Guensler
Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship
Jack Cebe is working towards a dual Master's degree in Civil Engineering and City and Regional Planning. Having worked in the transportation field for four years, he has a unique perspective on some of the greatest needs for transportation practitioners and communities around the U.S. He proposed his Eisenhower fellowship to research ways to integrate transportation, stormwater, and greenspace design, to find space-saving transportation solutions, and to work to develop ways to better integrate multiple modes of transportation into regional travel demand modelling.top

Xuanwu Chen
Advisor: Dr. Mohammed Hadi, P.E.
2014 District 10 ITE Best Student Paper Award
Xuanwu Chen is a doctoral candidate in Civil Engineering at the Florida International University (FIU). He earned a bachelor’s degree in Transportation Engineering from Southeast University, Nanjing, China in 2005. He also holds a master’s degree in the same field from University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF) and his master thesis analyzes multi-lane roundabouts’ performance.Chen is currently collaborating with Dr. Mohammed Hadi as a graduate research assistant at Lehman Center for Transportation Research (LCTR) at FIU. In the development of his career in Transportation Engineering, Chen’s wide array of research interests lie in the area of ITS, traffic control systems, traffic simulation, travel demand modeling, geometric design, and emission. top

Frank Consoli
Advisor: Dr. Haitham Al-Deek, P.E.
Best Regional Transportation Systems Management and Operations (RTSMO) Paper for 2013
Together with his advisor, Dr. Haitham Al-Deek, Frank Consoli was selected for the Best RTSMO Paper for 2013 for his paper entitled "Smart Event Traffic Management: Impact on the Central Florida Regional Transportation Network and Lessons Learned". top

Ehsan Doustmohammadi
Advisors: Dr. Virginia P. Sisiopiku
GAFP Scholarship
Ehsan Doustmohammadi is a PhD student in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). His research interests lie in the area of transportation engineering, with a focus on transportation economics, planning and traffic safety. He currently holds a graduate research assistantship funded through NCTSPM. top

Tewari Edmonson
Advisors: Dr. Sylvan Jolibois, Dr. Berrin Tansel, P.E.
Eisenhower HSI Fellowship
Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship
Tewari Edmonson is a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in civil engineering at Florida International University. Originally from the island of Jamaica, Edmonson came to the United States when he was fifteen years old. During his junior year as an undergraduate at FIU, he interned with the Florida Department of Transportation as a data research specialist. During his senior year, he as accepted into the Executive Internship Program for the Miami-Dade County area, and worked with the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department. top

Somayeh Fakharian Qom
Advisor: Dr. Mohammed Hadi, P.E.
Top Student Paper Award at TRB's 2016 International Conference on Managed Lanes
FIU's 2016 Outstanding Dissertation Year Fellowship
2015 3rd Best Student Essay Award at ITS America
ITS Florida Anne Brewer Scholarship
Eisenhower HSI Fellowship
Somaye is currently a doctoral candidate (third year of PhD program) under the supervision of Prof. Mohammed Hadi at Civil and Environmental Engineering with focus in Transportation Engineering. She has conducted Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) research projects with a goal of improving our transportation system by providing decision support for transportation planning and traffic operations. Her PhD dissertation is about the Multi-Resolution Modeling (MRM) of managed lanes with consideration of autonomous/connected vehicles, which is very important topic in the United States especially in Florida for transportation agencies. She submitted the essay from her dissertation topic to ITS America (2015) and her essay was nationally awarded the 3rd place. She has also contributed to the establishment of the Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS) student chapter at FIU, after joining the PhD program at FIU. Somaye was the first president and cofounder of WTS student Chapter and led many activities of the chapter for the first one and a half year of its life. In a short time, the WTS international chapter recognized the FIU student chapter as the 3rd recognized WTS student chapter in the United States. top

Homa Fartash
2015 ITS Florida Anne Brewer Scholarship
Ralph Sanchez Grand Prix Scholarship
South Florida WTS Travel Grant
Florida Section of ITE Poster Competition Runner Up
Homa Fartash, a PhD. candidate at FIU is studying her third year of PhD. program with the major of Transportation Engineering holding a GPA of 3.97. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is her area of interest. Currently, she is working on a funded research project titled as “Guidelines for the Evaluation of Ramp Signaling Deployments in a Real-Time Operations Environment” under supervision of Dr. Mohammed Hadi. Homa is currently serving as the Vice President of FIU ITE Student chapter and a member of WTS International (Women’s Transportation Seminar). She was recognized as the recipient of Anne Brewer Scholarship (ITS Florida), Sanchez Grand Prix Scholarship, South Florida WTS travel Grant and the Runner up of the Florida Section ITE Poster Competition. top

Jamie M. Fischer
Advisor: Dr. Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy
Transportation Research Board Charley V. Wootan Award
Eisenhower Fellowship
ENO Leadership Development Conference
Rodney E. Slater Award
WTS Foundation Terry Gruver Leadership Legacy Scholarship
Jamie M. Fischer is a fourth-year Georgia Tech PhD candidate who is passionate about engineering, education, and communications. Her research focuses on incorporating human and quality-of-life concerns into infrastructure management in general and transportation decision making in particular. In her graduate coursework, she focuses on geospatial and statistical analysis methods, survey methodologies, transportation linkages to public health, and infrastructure management. She is active in the Institute of Transportation Engineers and Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) at Georgia Tech; she served as WTS president during the 2010-2011 term. top

Franklin Gbologah
Advisor: Dr. Michael Rodgers
Eisenhower Fellowship
Franklin Gbologah is a third-year PhD candidate in Transportation Systems at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on freight transportation systems including intermodal terminal operations, connecting transportation networks, and development of sustainable freight transportation systems and policies. Before coming to the United States in 2008 to pursue a master’s degree in Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. top

Aaron Gooze
Advisor: Dr. Kari E. Watkins, P.E.
Eisenhower Fellowship
Aaron Gooze is a second-year dual master’s student in Civil Engineering and City and Regional Planning at Georgia Tech, with a concentration in Transportation Engineering. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in Industrial Engineering in 2004, he spent seven years involved in the freight logistics industry before returning to graduate school to pursue his passion in public transit. His current research is focused on transit system planning and rider information technology innovation. He currently serves as treasurer of the Student Planning Association and is active in the Institute of Transportation Engineers, WTS, and Young Professionals in Transportation in the Atlanta area.top

Aaron Greenwood
Advisor: Dr. Michael P. Hunter
Georgia Tech President’s Fellowship
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (three-year award, plus tuition)
Aaron Greenwood is a third-year Georgia Tech doctoral student in the school of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research interests include transportation safety, human factors, and road user behavior. He is active in the Student Government Association and currently serves as graduate vice president of Student Welfare. top

Alice Grossman
Advisor: Dr. Randall Guensler
Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship
Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship
Dorothy Evans Fellowship
Eno Future Leaders Development Conference
Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship, Women’s Transportation Seminar’s Atlanta Chapter
Women’s Transportation Seminar Leadership Legacy Scholarship
Alice Grossman completed bachelor’s degrees in physics and astronomy at Vassar College in 2010, and began her PhD studies at Georgia Tech in 2012. She is interested in how infrastructure shapes urban communities, and her research focuses on sidewalk database development and quality analysis. Before graduate school, Grossman spend two and a half years in Catalonia, Spain working for the Spanish Ministry of Education and interning at architecture firms BOPBAA and RCR Arquitectes. top

Shahadat Iqbal
Advisor: Dr. Mohammed Hadi, P.E.
2015 ITS Florida Anne Brewer Scholarship
STRIDE Student Poster Competition, First Place Entry
Shahadat Iqbal is a doctoral candidate in Civil Engineering at Florida International University (FIU). He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He has also worked as a Research Engineer at the same university for two years before joining FIU. Now he is working as a graduate research assistant in the Lehman Center for Transportation Research (LCTR) at FIU with the research team of Dr. Mohammed Hadi. His focus research areas are ITS, connected vehicle, traffic simulation, travel demand modeling, and big-data analyst. He has several publication including one from Transportation Research Part C. top

David Johnson
Advisor: Dr. Berrin Tansel, P.E.
Eisenhower HSI Fellowship
David Johnson is an undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Florida International University (FIU). He currently serves at the Vice President of Student Affairs for the FIU Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is a member of the Delta Epsilon Iota Honors Society. His focus of study is in transportation engineering, and his interests include the sustainable development of efficient transportation systems and other green initiatives in transportation engineering. top

Samaneh Khazraeian

Best Student Paper Award, 15th International Conference on Managed Lanes
WTS International Southwest Travel Award
Third Place, 3 Minute Thesis Competition, Mobility Category, 2016 UTC Conference for the Southeastern Region
Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship, WTS South Florida Chapter
Florida International University Scholarship Award
Florida International University Student Government Association Award
Samaneh Khazraeian is an FIU Ph.D candidate pursuing Transportation Engineering with a focus on ITS under the supervision of Dr. Mohammed Hadi. She has a 3.96 GPA. She currently serves as the President of FIU WTS (Women’s Transportation Seminar) Student Chapter. She has been the recipient of the 2014 Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship Award, a FIU Student Government Association (SGA) award, and a FIU University Scholarship. She is working on a Research Project on “Utilization of Connected Vehicle Data to Support Traffic Management Decisions”. She is also involved in voluntary projects including a recent effort with FDOT District 6 on a Pedestrian Priority Zone Project in Downtown Miami. top

Sara Khoeini
Advisor: Dr. Randall Guensler
2013 Freeway and Managed Lane Operations Meeting and Conference Best Student Paper Scholarship
Sara Khoeini began her PhD studies in January of 2011 at Georgia Tech, and her PhD research focuses on developing a modeling framework for socioeconomic analysis of managed lanes. She uses advanced statistical and spatial analysis to discover the relationship between user’s travel behavior toward congestion pricing and their socio-spatial attributes. Khoeni’s dissertation is entitled “Modeling framework for Socio-economic analysis of managed lanes; Case study: Atlanta I-85 HOV-to-HOT corridor”. She received her master’s degree in Transportation and Highway Engineering from Clemson University, and her bachelor’s in Civil Engineering-Surveying from K. N. Toosi University of Technology in Tehran, Iran. top

Josie Kressner
Advisor: Dr. Laurie Garrow
Cameron Rian Hays Outside the Box Competition Grand Prize Winner
Society of Women Engineers Ada I. Pressman Memorial Scholarship
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Eno Leadership Development Conference (2012)
Josie Kressner is a fifth-year graduate student in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. Previously, she attended Washington University in St. Louis, where she received a BS in Civil Engineering and BA in Architecture. In August 2011, she completed an MS in Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech, and she now continues to work toward a PhD. Her research interests are in the areas of transportation engineering, statistics, modeling, and urban planning. Broadly, her goal is to improve cities through their transportation systems and to plan better for the future of cities through their economic, environmental, and social health. top

Taylor Lochrane
Advisor: Dr. Haitham Al-Deek, P.E.
NCTSPM Student of the Year
Taylor Lochrane is a PhD candidate at University of Central Florida (UCF) and currently works for the Federal Highway Administration. Selected as the 2012 UTC Student of the Year, he received the award at the Transportation Research Board meeting in January 2013. For the past 21 years, the U. S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has honored an outstanding student from each UTC at a special ceremony held during the TRB Annual Meeting. He was selected for his excellent academic achievement and high level of extracurricular engagement in student government at UCF. He also received a Certificate of Appreciation from USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood and other awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the International Road Federation. top

Jinyan Lu
Advisor: Dr. Albert Gan
William “Bill” McGrath Scholarship
WTS Foundation Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship
Jinyan Lu is the recipient of the 2012 William “Bill” McGrath Scholarship of $3,000, which is awarded annually to an outstanding graduate student from Florida. She also received a Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship of $2,000 from Women in Transportation. During her first year in the FIU doctoral program, she led the FIU ITE Student Chapter to its fifth Best Student Chapter Award internationally. top

Greg Macfarlane
Advisor: Dr. Laurie Garrow
Eno Leadership Development Conference
Greg Macfarlane is a second-year doctoral student in Civil and Environment Engineering at Georgia Tech. He comes from Provo, Utah and did his undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, he worked for the Utah Transit Authority. He has studied or worked in the United Kingdom, East and West Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Italy, and China. In 2010, he was one of five transportation doctoral students in the U.S. to receive a $69,500 Eisenhower Fellowship. He is also a recipient of a scholarship from the American Public Transit Association. He is investigating how new data sources (such as credit reporting data) can be used to develop travel demand models. top

Shrikanth Mamidipalli
NCTSPM Academic Scholarship
Shrikanth Mamidipalli has completed his baccalaureate degree in Civil Engineering from Dr.B.A.Marathwada University, India in 2005. He finished his Masters degree in Civil Engineering from University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2009.His masters research comprised of developing a prototype database for transportation data acquired by MPOs. He is pursuing his Ph.D. with emphasis on transportation engineering at UAB. His doctoral research comprises of analyzing pedestrian vehicle interactions at non-signalized crossing locations. He is expected to graduate in spring 2015. top

Jamieson Matthews
Advisors: Dr. Virginia P. Sisiopiku and Mr. Andrew Sullivan
2013 Alabama Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers Charles E. Alexander Memorial Transportation Engineering Scholarship
A civil engineering senior at the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB), Matthews received the award at the 41st ALSITE Annual Meeting, which was held in Gulf Shores, Alabama, from June 5 through 7, 2013. He is enrolled in a dual-degree program between civil engineering and physics, and is Vice President of UAB’s chapter of ASCE, treasurer of UAB’s Institute of Transportation Engineers chapter. Matthews is currently a structural engineering intern at Almon and Associates. top

Stacey Mumbower
Advisor: Dr. Laurie Garrow
Eisenhower Fellowship
Stacey Mumbower joined Georgia Tech as a doctoral student in 2008 and was a 2009 recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and Georgia Tech President’s Fellowship. In 2008, she received one of ten $10,000 national scholarships from the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Graduate Research Award Program on Public-Sector Aviation Issues. Her research focused on disaggregate online pricing and demand data to analyze airline passengers’ itinerary choices. She received her Ph.D. in 2013. top

Evangelos Palinginis
Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship
NATMEC Travel Grant
Evangelos Palinginis is a Ph.D. Student at Georgia Tech (expected graduation 2015). Mr. Palinginis’ research interests are focused on decision making under uncertainty in constructional complexity, including dimensioning comparison and selection of large scale construction configurations. top

Anne Marie Pereira
Harvey L Gaines Memorial Expressway Authority Endowed Scholarship
Anne Marie is an Industrial Engineering major at the University of Central Florida, with anticipated graduation date of summer 2014. top

Joseph Phillips
NCTSPM Academic Scholarship
Joseph Phillips is a graduate student at UAB completing my master’s studies in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Structural Engineering. His graduate research has focused on topics related to wind-induced vibration of highway sign support structures and transmission pole structures. The title of his Thesis was “Drag Coefficients for Highway Variable Message Sign Structures.” Once he graduates, he will start work as a design engineer for a local structural engineering firm in Birmingham.top

Prabha (Popa) Pratyaksa
Advisor: Dr. Michael P. Hunter
International Road Federation Executive Fellowship
Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship
2015 International Road Federation (IRF) Fellowship Grant
Prabha (Popa) Pratyaksa is a third-year graduate student in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. He received his BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech as well, and he is now pursuing his Ph.D. His current research is focused on transportation safety where he is working with crash data to help him evaluate how effective certain safety treatments are in improving the safety performance of roadways. His other research interests include traffic operations, intelligent transportation systems, transportation data management, and transportation planning. Broadly, his goal is to improve the safety of transportation networks for all transportation users. top

Carly Queen
Advisor: Dr. Kari E. Watkins, P.E.
Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship
Georgia Engineering Foundation Arcadis Scholarship
Carly Queen is enrolled in Georgia Tech's dual master's degree program in civil engineering and city and regional planning with a specialization in transportation. She received her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech. She is involved in research with the CEE’s Urban Transportation Information Lab under the supervision of Assistant Professor Kari Watkins. top

Ossama Ramadan
UAB 2014 Outstanding Graduate Student in Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

Throughout his 15-year engineering career, Mr. Ramadan was involved in 23 Civil Engineering projects that covered design, construction and research works. Mr. Ramadan is currently pursuing his Doctoral degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He completed his course work with straight A’s while conducting funded research and preparing for his dissertation research. The research work he was involved in at UAB led to two technical papers and two invited poster presentations. This year, Mr. Ramadan was selected by the UAB School of Engineering as the 2014 Outstanding Graduate Student in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. top

Atiyya Shaw
Advisor: Dr. Michael P. Hunter
2016 Eno Future Leaders Development Conference
2016 Eno Alumni Award
2015 Georgia Chapter of American Society of Highway Engineers' Babs Abubakari Memorial Scholarship
2014 WTS Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship
International Road Federation Fellowship
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) Fellowship
Atiyya Shaw is a Ph.D. candidate in the Transportation Engineering program at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She received her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in May 2014. Atiyya's interest in transportation stems from her desire to make a positive impact on communities through her work, and also allows her to combine her interests in engineering with her affinity for the social sciences. Every transportation system is built to be3nefit the society that it serves, and Atiyya's research seeks to integrate transportation system users' perceptions and behaviors into transportation systems planning and design through applied human factors engineering and behavioral modeling. Following her graduate education and training at Georgia Tech, she looks forward to a continued career in Transportation Engineering research and education, where she hopes to have the opportunity to continue to conduct exciting and needed research, while imparting the importance of designing Civil Engineering systems for the people who depend on and use infrastructure to her students. top

Adnan Sheikh
Advisor: Dr. Randall Guensler
2013 Freeway and Managed Lanes Operations Meeting and Conference Best Student Paper Scholarship
Adnan Sheikh is a third year graduate student in the doctoral program for Transportation Systems Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Adnan received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2006. After graduating, Adnan spent three years working in I.T. consulting for Accenture in Washington, D.C. His federal clients included the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management. Adnan’s graduate research is focused on congestion pricing, specifically the I-85 Express Lanes in the Atlanta metropolitan area. His research examines value of time and price sensitivity, and involves discrete choice modeling of lane type decisions. top

Chris Silveira
Advisor: Dr. Catherine Ross
Eno Leadership Development Conference
Georgia Tech Masters student Chris Silveira was one of twenty students selected nationally to attend the Eno Transportation Leadership Development Conference in Washington, DC, in June 2012. As an Eno Fellow, he participated in a weeklong program focusing on transportation policy, interacting with key transportation leaders who work at the national level. Attendees at the conference must have shown their commitment to public service and outreach to communities or underrepresented groups. In his letter of application, he emphasized his own public service—including volunteering with the Refugee Resettlement at Catholic Charities of Atlanta—as well as his desire to remain a career-long public servant. He completed his Master's degree in 2013.  top

Denise Smith
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Minority Ph.D. Program
Denise Smith, a native of Landover, Maryland, received her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt University in May 2011. In August 2011, she started her career as a graduate student in Georgia Tech's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. As a student in the Transportation Systems Engineering Program, Denise had a research focus centered on freight transportation modeling and environmental analysis. She received her Master's from Georgia Tech in 2013.  top

Janille Smith-Colin, P.E.
Advisor: Dr. Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy
Women's Transportation Seminar - Atlanta Chapter 2013 Leadership Legacy Scholarship for Graduate studies
CH2M HILL Strategic Partner Scholarship
Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship
International Road Federation (IRF) Executive Fellowship
Janille Smith-Colin is a PhD student and graduate research assistant at Georgia Tech under the supervision of Adjo Amekudzi Kennedy. Her research focuses include performance measurement, asset management, and infrastructure sustainability. Her current research projects include evidence-based practices in transportation, and her research interests include transportation policy implementation, organizational management, and civil infrastructure systems decision-making frameworks. She received her master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her bachelor’s in Engineering Studies from Lafayette College. Her master’s thesis focused on performance measures and their use in transportation asset management. She is also currently involved with the Infrastructure Research Group at Georgia Tech as a researcher. top

Hoki Tse
Advisor: Dr. Randall Guensler
Georgia ITE Transportation Engineering Scholarship
Hoki is a Master's student in Civil Engineering (Transportation Systems) at Georgia Tech with an expected graduation date of May 2015. He received his Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech as well. His interests include refining transit wayfinding signage for a better user experience, and improving safety of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists through innovative signage. He currently works at ARCADIS as traffic engineering intern, and at MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) as transit systems planning intern. He also gained valuable work experiences at Coca-Cola, SRTA (State Road & Tollway Authority), and University of Texas at Austin. top

Jacob Tzegaegbe
Advisor: Dr. Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy
2013 Marshall Scholarship Recipient
2012 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Jacob Tzegaegbe earned an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in December 2011 and is currently pursuing his master’s degree. After completing his master’s studies, he will be attending University College London where he will pursue a PhD in Planning Studies on a Marshall Scholarship. His research area is regulating the informal transit sector in post-BRT African cities. top

Emelyn Venturini
Sharon D. Banks Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship, WTS South Florida Chapter
Emelyn Venturini received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Florida International University (FIU) in May 2015. She is currently a civil engineer with Atkins North America, Inc.  She has been an active member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, the Golden Key Honor Society, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.  Ms. Venturini is the recipient of the 2014 Sharon D. Banks Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship Award and a Florida Bright Futures Award. top

Amanda I. Wall
Advisor: Dr. Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy
APTF Louis T. Klauder Scholarship
WTS Foundation Sharon D. Banks Memorial Scholarship
Eisenhower Fellowship
Amanda Inez Wall graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2012, and received her Master's in 2013. She served as vice president for Students for Progressive Transit at Georgia Tech and was active in the Institute for Transportation Engineers and Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS). She hopes to make an impact on communities across the nation with the results of her research on Georgia’s most recent approach to transportation finance. top

Thomas Wall
Advisor: Dr. Kari E. Watkins, P.E.
ACRP Graduate Research Award
Dr. Wall received his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech in Civil Engineering last year. Originally from Seattle, Washington, his current research interests involve climate change adaptation planning and infrastructure management, as well as developing new data-sourcing methods involving individual travel behavior and social media platforms. Dr. Wall is actively involved with the Georgia Tech chapters of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and Engineers Without Borders. He is passionate about outreach and education, spending the last three summers working with local high schools to develop transportation modules for introductory engineering classes and mentoring high school students in a college engineering summer immersion program. He has served as a teaching assistant and lead instructor for the undergraduate Transportation Planning and Design Course at Georgia Tech. In 2010, Dr. Wall was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship  by the U.S. State Department to study transportation infrastructure adaptation strategies and strategic uncertainty planning methods in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Outside of academia, Dr. Wall enjoys fly fishing, hiking, and photography. top

Chieh (Ross) Wang
Advisor: Dr. James Tsai
International Road Federation Fellowship
Taiwanese Ministry of Education's Scholarship for Studying Abroad
Intelligent Transportation Society of Georgia's Wayne Shackelford Engineering Scholarship
Georgia ITE Transportation Engineering Scholarship
Georgia Chapter of the ASHE's Babs Abubakari Memorial Scholarship
Chieh (Ross) Wang is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. His current research centers on developing a methodology for a more effective infrastructure management through the utilization of available transportation data, such as pavement surface conditions, traffic volume and composition, crash data, and roadway characteristics. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Ross received both his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from National Taiwan University (NTU), where his research focused on developing on-board inattentive driving behavior warning systems for intelligent vehicles in a real-time setting. His research interests include infrastructure management, transportation data analysis and visualization, information technology applications in transportation, work zone safety, and intelligent vehicles. Ross is the current Vice President of Finance of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Treasurer of the Women’s Transportation Seminar at Georgia Tech. Outside of academia, Ross enjoys singing in the choir, playing the guitar, traveling with family, and shooting some hoops. top

Ling Wang
Florida ITS Anne Brewer Scholarship
Ling Wang is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering at UCF. She earned her master's degree from Tongji University. Her research interests lie in microscopic safety evaluation and prediction for special expressway facilities, with an emphasis on short time crash prediction for expressway ramps and weaving segments based on statistical methods and microscopic simulation. top

Erik Winardi
NCTSPM Academic Scholarship
Erik Winardi is Ph.D student in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering with expertise in structural engineering. He finished his Bachelor Degree at University of Wisconsin at Madison and Master Degree at University of Alabama at Birmingham, both in Mechanical Engineering with Computational Fluid Dynamic specialization. His research interest include dynamic behavior of bridges, finite element analysis, and bridge rehabilitation. ​top

Sarah Windmiller
Advisor: Dr. Kari E. Watkins, P.E
American Public Transportation Foundation Parsons Brinckerhoff - Jim Lammie Scholarship
Sarah Windmiller received her Master’s degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in transportation systems engineering from Georgia Tech in 2013. Her interests are focused on the design and planning of public transportation and ways this service can be better utilized by the public. She researched how equitable and accessible mobile real-time information is among transit riders through the Urban Transportation Information Lab at Georgia Tech. Prior to attending Georgia Tech, she studied at Ball State University, where she received a Bachelor's of Urban Planning and Development. top

James Wong
Advisor: Dr. Kari E. Watkins, P.E.
Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Eisenhower Fellowship
Eno Leadership Conference
NCTSPM Student of the Year
James is an avid transportation enthusiast with interests in public transportation, traveler information, transit data and civic engagement. Before starting the program in Civil Engineering and City & Regional Planning at Georgia Tech, James studied transit systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Following his undergraduate degree, he worked with consulting firms on transportation planning and traffic engineering projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic and South Africa. His favorite projects included transit corridor planning studies, roundabout designs and university transportation master plans. James currently serves as the president of the Georgia Tech chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the vice chair of the Atlanta chapter of Young Professionals in Transportation. top

Jiawei Wu
Advisor: Dr. Essam Radwan
Florida ITS Anne Brewer Scholarship
Jiawei Wu is completing his master's degree in Transportation Engineering at UCF, and he has been admitted to the Ph.D. program. His thesis relates to analyzing and assessing taxi drivers' behavior and performance in large-city driving. He is currently working on two research projects, and co-authored a paper, "Effectiveness of Variable Message Signs on Driving Behavior Based on a Driving Simulation Experiment". top

Cheng Zhong
Advisor: Dr. Virginia P. Sisiopiku
GAFP Scholarship
Cheng Zhong is a PhD student in Transportation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Nanjing University of Technology and a master’s degree in transportation engineering from the University of Wyoming. Since he joined UAB in 2010, he participated in variety of externally transportation projects focusing on traffic simulation modeling, congestion management, and transportation data management. top