Clarkson University Civil and Environmental Engineering Ph.D. student Lissette Fernandez has been awarded a scholarship to attend the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Structures Congress April 24-27, 2019 in Orlando. She was one of 20 scholarship recipients worldwide.
The goal of the program is to assist SEI student members to develop and expand their professional opportunities and careers. The scholarship, provided by the SEI Student Initiatives Committee and the SEI Futures Fund, the scholarship provides complimentary Structures Congress student registration and travel assistance for student members to attend and actively participate in Structures Congress.
Fernandez, who recently attended the National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Studies Institute (ASI) on the Resilience of Aging Infrastructures in Costa Rica, said she was happy to receive the scholarship. She said the Structures Congress will allow her to network and exchange professional ideas with the approximately 1,200 members of the SEI community who will be in attendance.
“This opportunity will solidify and expand my knowledge in structural engineering, as well as allow me to discuss my research and professional goals with other students in the field,” Fernandez said. “Participation in the Structures Congress will also help improve and expand my professional opportunities by allowing me to interact with the practicing structural engineering community.”
Fernandez graduated as an architect in Cuba before relocating to the United States and being accepted into the undergraduate civil engineering program at Clarkson. She expects to earn her doctorate in 2020.
“I realized that my passion for construction was more oriented toward its specific technical aspects and challenges,” she said. “Classes such as strength of materials, statics and construction technology increased my interest in the world of engineering.”
Still to be determined upon completion of her doctorate studies in structural engineering: teaching or industry work. Fernandez is advised by Prof. Steve Wojtkiewicz.
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