Graduating senior Autumn Lennon of Beacon, N.Y., received the Frederica Clarkson Award during Clarkson University’s spring 2022 commencement ceremony on May 14. She was selected for the $1,000 award by a vote of the full University faculty based on her scholarship and promise of outstanding achievement.
The award was established in 1921 as a bequest in the will of Frederica Clarkson, sister of Thomas S. Clarkson, for whom the University is named. This award and the Levinus Clarkson Award are traditionally given to the two top students in the graduating class.
Lennon, a member of the Honors Program, earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering. She was a presidential scholar for all of her semesters at Clarkson and graduated with a 3.9 GPA. She served as the President of the Clarkson Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for three years, served as an ambassador of the Honors Program, and enjoys volunteering for the St. Andrews Food Pantry when home.
She has received the Women and Minorities STEM Scholarship three times from the Atkins Foundation, which helps students financially pursue their higher education dreams in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM). She also received the Arthur L. Straub Memorial Award and the David M. Craig Outstanding Honors Graduate Award this past spring.
Lennon also finished her Honors thesis, Improving the Communication of Structural Bridge Condition, under the guidance of Dr. Robert Thomas. This work involved investigating how the infrastructure grades, presented by the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card are determined. Lennon did substantial research, and reached out to the head of the New York Bridge Authority, obtaining the most recent inspection report of the Bear Mountain Bridge, to create a comprehensive document to translate the technical information regarding bridge condition to the general public. It is Lennon’s hope that the work presented in this document will aid the public to become more informed about the bridge condition, and in turn, will make people more equipped to advocate for funding of maintenance and repair projects.
Lennon has also recently passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, the first step in the licensure process.
After graduation, Lennon will start as an E.I.T. (Engineer in Training), working for Kimley-Horn on the Transportation Planning and Traffic Operations Design Team in Fort Worth, Texas.
