Department of Civil Engineering

Department of Civil Engineering Awards:

2023 Recipient of Dr. T.S. Wu Award

Connor A. Pezeshk was awarded the Dr. T. S. Wu Award by the Department of Civil Engineering! While at the Department of Civil Engineering, Connor was a member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Chapter. Currently, Connor is conducting research for his Ph.D. degree, and is working toward getting his Professional Engineering License.

2023 Recipient of Dr. Fred H. Kellogg Award

Dawson C. Maynard was awarded the Dr. Fred H. Kellogg Award by the Department of Civil Engineering!

2023 Recipient of Thomas S. Fry Award

William H. Daniel was awarded the Dr. Thomas S. Fry Award by the Department of Civil Engineering!

2022 Recipient of Dr. T.S. Wu Award

Sean Borwick was recently awarded the Dr. T. S. Wu Award by the Department of Civil Engineering! While at Herff, Sean was the Captain of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Seismic Design Team, a Peer Tutor for the Herff College of Engineering, and the Conference Coordinator for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter. Currently, Sean is working for the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) on a multi-state seismic hazard mitigation project. Beginning in the autumn of 2023, Sean will begin pursuing a master's degree in civil engineering in Japan on a MEXT Scholarship, researching earthquake hazard management at the University of Tokyo. Ultimately, Sean plans to obtain a Ph.D. and pursue professorship.

From Sean Borwick:

My favorite memory while at Herff was easily the EERI trip to San Diego for the 2020 Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition. I discovered my passion for earthquake engineering there. I made a lot of friends both during the trip and in the months of preparation before it, and through the experience I also got to explore a side of structural engineering not often represented in depth at the undergraduate level. It was also my first time seeing the Pacific Ocean--I'll never forget that sunset! 

I'd like to thank all my professors. Every one of them was stellar, and I'm grateful for the diversity of perspectives on the discipline of civil engineering they have given me. I'd like especially to give thanks to Dr. Pezeshk, for his guidance in my academics and research; to Profe Meier, for his inspiring dedication to engineering pedagogy; and to Dr. P, for the wisdom he furnished me in the toughest times of my college career. Someday, I hope to become a professor who does the same for all my students as they have done for me. 

To my fellow Herff students, the best piece of advice I can give is this: you live in an extraordinary time in human history with unprecedented access to higher education. Modern society has carved out four years, just for you, where you might attend college and dedicate yourself to becoming educated and articulate. Squeeze every drop out of those four years. Edify yourself by joining clubs, pursuing internships, and taking on new responsibilities. Learn to speak, to write, and to solve problems, and come out of these four years with more than a piece of paper. Don't waste a moment!

2022 Recipients of Dr. Thomas S. Fry Award

Zachary Wilson

Robert Amundson

The Dr. Thomas S. Fry Award is presented to the graduating student who has demonstrated academic achievement with a minimum of the last 60 credit hours of coursework at The University of Memphis, and who has earned the highest GPA.

2022 Recipient of Dr. Fred H. Kellogg Award

Robert Amundson

The Dr. Fred H. Kellogg Award is presented annually to the student graduating in that academic year, who, in the opinion of the faculty, is most likely to be an outstanding professional engineer.  In selecting the recipient, the faculty will consider a combination of academic performance, demonstrated design capability, and those qualities of leadership, personality, and character that will contribute to the successful practice of Civil Engineering.

From Robert Amundson:

While there are several different memories that come to mind, my favorite memory was being enrolled in the Engineering Apprenticeship Program my Senior year. This course is structured differently than typical courses, and there are several opportunities to learn various aspects of engineering. I gained experience in group projects, and it helped me see different avenues that can be taken with an engineering degree. 

If I could change one thing in my college education, it would be getting involved with an organization. There are so many opportunities through Herff that students have access to, and I feel that being involved with one of the organizations would not only have benefitted my future career, but it also would have been enjoyable. 

I want to thank all of my professors for their dedication to civil engineering. I specifically want to thank Dr. Camp for giving me the desire to continue to pursue Civil Engineering. I appreciated the first CE courses that he taught because of his style of teaching. I would also like to thank Dr. Claudio Meier for his work ethic and passion for teaching. He strives to teach the “concepts” of Civil Engineering rather than “methods or equations.” He has helped me to truly appreciate Civil Engineering at a deeper level.

I am grateful for the opportunities that the University of Memphis and Herff College of Engineering have given me, and I hope that others take advantage of the opportunities that await them!

2021 Recipient of Dr. Fred H. Kellogg Award

Cooper Morris was recently awarded the Dr. Fred H. Kellogg Award by the Department of Civil Engineering! While at Herff, Cooper was the President of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter and the Captain of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Steel Bridge Team. Currently, Cooper is working for a civil engineering firm where he is progressing toward his Professional Engineering License. In the future, he plans to further his education by working towards a master’s degree.

From Cooper Morris:

My favorite memory was when our American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) chapter was able to go to conference. It was great for all our members to travel to another university to compete and represent Herff. The amount of teamwork we exhibited in preparing for and participating in the conference was awesome to take part in and watch.

I would like to thank Dr. David Arellano for all he has done in assisting me in getting to where I am today. From the first days of freshman year where I was introduced to begin a research project, to providing guidance allowing for me to present at the National Conference on Undergraduate research.

At Herff, there are so many opportunities for everyone from student organizations to research. It is truly wonderful the wide variety of possibilities available, and it allows for every student to achieve the most success during their time in the college.

2021 Recipient of Dr. T.S. Wu Award

Abdurahman Abdulhadi was recently awarded the Dr. T. S. Wu Award by the Department of Civil Engineering! While at Herff, Abdurahman was the Vice President of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter and the Captain of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Seismic Design Team. Currently, Abdurahman is conducting research for his master’s degree and partly working for a civil engineering firm where he is progressing toward his Professional Engineering License.

From Abdurahman Abdulhadi:

My favorite memory while at Herff was being able to go to Vancouver, Canada, for the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Seismic Design Competition (SDC). I learned a lot from this competition that I would not have learned otherwise. I am so proud that we won third place in the competition among 38 top universities across the world! We also were able to explore the city of Vancouver by hiking in the mountains to beautiful waterfalls and trying several local restaurants. I will never forget that it started snowing after we enjoyed a picnic at the bottom of a waterfall.

I want to thank all the civil engineering professors because every single one that I have worked with has taught me something invaluable. Professors have been a key to my success and have provided me with numerous opportunities such as research and Internships with civil engineering firms.

2021 Recipient of Thomas S. Fry Award

Logan Nelson Sirbaugh was the recipient of the 2021 Thomas S. Fry Award

From Logan Sirbaugh:

My favorite memory was volunteering with the elementary, middle, and high school students during Engineering Day. It is exciting to see the interest and dedication that the students are placing into Engineering paths. This allowed me to become more involved in the STEM Hub and K-12 programs.

I would like to thank Dr. Stephanie Ivey for all of her effort into helping me succeed. Dr. Ivey has given me the opportunity to work on various research projects in a variety of subject areas. This has allowed me to gain priceless professional contacts and opportunities that I would have never known existed. She has helped me to narrow down my career path and encouraged me to pursue my Master's degree. I would also like to thank all of the professors in the Civil Engineering department as they have been extremely helpful along the way. Each professor provides a different approach and outlook to education and career paths.
 
The Herff College of Engineering has provided me with numerous ways to become involved. I would suggest that all students become involved in student organizations. By becoming a member of the student organizations, it allows you to gain connections with students, faculty, and professionals.