Three civil engineering students receive ABCD of WNY Scholarships

by Sarah D'Iorio

Three University at Buffalo (UB) civil engineering undergraduate students have been named 2015 scholarship recipients from the Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD) of Western New York.

Edward Almeter, Wil Nagengast and Caitlin O'Leary were formally recognized at an ABCD Dinner Meeting at Classics V in Amherst, NY, on February 26, 2016. Almeter was awarded the Philip F. Frandina Memorial Scholarship ($5,000); Nagengast and O'Leary were each awarded the ABCD WNY Undergraduate Scholarship ($2,500).

Almeter, a senior, is a member of the UB American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter, serving one year as treasurer, and a member of the UB Steel Bridge Team, currently serving as a project manager. He has interned at Clark Patterson Lee’s Buffalo office and has worked as an Undergraduate Student Assistant in the area of statics/mechanics of solids at UB.

Nagengast, a junior, is a member of UB ASCE, the UB Steel Bridge Team, the UB Leadership House Alumni, and the University Honors College. He has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and has completed internships with NYSDOT Region 1 and Bishop Beaudry Construction in Colonie, NY.

O’Leary, a senior, is a member of UB ASCE, the Chi Epsilon Honor Society and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. She has interned at Marathon Engineering in Rochester and the Department of Public Works for the Town of Greece, NY. She intends to continue her education at UB in pursuit of a Master of Science in civil engineering with a concentration in bridge engineering.

“Each year the Western New York Chapter of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design is pleased to recognize the accomplishments of several undergraduate students as they pursue a career involving the design or construction of bridges,” said Timothy Bradley, who serves as ABCD of WNY Scholarship Chair. “The association has been fortunate and pleased to be able to award multiple scholarships each year to deserving students as way to encourage them to accomplish their goals.”

Each scholarship applicant is rated on academic performance as well as community involvement, work experience, scholastic and personal recommendations, and a personal essay describing why the applicant is interested in a career in the bridge industry.

The Western New York Chapter of ABCD has been providing college scholarships to area students and schools since 1998. The organization is also a longtime sponsor of the UB ASCE Steel Bridge Team. For more information, visit https://www.abcdwny.org/student-outreach.