ASDSO awards 2011-2012 National Dam Safety Scholarship

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) has selected Alexander McCaskill as the sole recipient of its 2011-2012 Senior Undergraduate Scholarship. This is the twentieth year of the ASDSO Scholarship Program, which awards up to $10,000 to US citizens enrolled in accredited programs in engineering or related fields and planning careers related to the design, construction, or operation of dams.

Alex’s application was chosen from approximately 40 submittals received from schools across the country. He will receive a $9,000 scholarship for the 2011-2012 academic year, as well as a travel stipend to attend Dam Safety ’11, ASDSO’s 2011 national conference, to be held September 25-29, 2011 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Alex is currently a senior at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, majoring in civil engineering with a geotechnical emphasis. He is vice president for the UMKC student chapter of the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers, and also holds student memberships in ASDSO, ASCE, the American Institute of Steel Construction, and the Association of Engineering Geologists. His honor society memberships include Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi, and Phi Kappa Phi.

For the past year and a half, Alex has been employed by The Judy Company, Inc., a geotechnical specialty contractor, where he has gained practical experience in dam safety engineering. After graduation, Alex intends to pursue a graduate degree in geotechnical engineering.

According to ASDSO Scholarship Chairman John Moyle, "All of this year’s candidates were highly qualified, but we were especially impressed by Alex’s dam safety related activities, as well as his impressive academic standing."

Applications for ASDSO’s 2011-2012 dam safety scholarships will soon be available at www.damsafety.org. The deadline for applying is April 1, 2012.