The DFI Educational Trust Awards Women in Deep Foundations Professional Development Grants

Hawthorne, N.J. (July 15, 2020): The DFI Educational Trust has awarded five Women in Deep Foundations (WiDF) Professional Development Grants of $1,750 each to women working in the deep foundations industry to attend DFI’s 45^th Annual Conference. The grant includes complimentary conference registration and covers related expenses for attending the conference. The grants will be presented during the Annual Conference at the Women in Deep Foundations (WiDF) 6^th Annual networking event.

The recipients are:

• Meghan Brassard, P.E., senior geotechnical engineer, Haley & Aldrich
• Julia Chessa, Project engineer, Menard Group USA
• Taylor DaCanal, geotechnical specialist, American Geotechnical and Environmental Services
• Akhila Manne, senior geotechnical engineer, Keller Ground Engineering (India)
• Ingrid Tomac, Ph.D., assistant professor, University of California San Diego

The Trust also awarded $500 from the Paul DeBruyn Memorial Student Scholarship Fund to Fernanda Bezerra Tomaduci Imamura, Ph.D. student, University of Alberta, to defray costs of attending the 2020 Annual Conference.

The WiDF Committee is comprised of women and men who are advocates for retaining women in the deep foundations industry. The goal of the committee is to foster greater success and interest of professional women in the industry by promoting networking events, endorsing outreach and building mentoring relationships.

About the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI): DFI (www.dfi.org) is an international association of contractors, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, academics and owners in the deep foundations industry. Our multidisciplinary membership creates a consensus voice and a common vision for continual improvement in the planning, design and construction of deep foundations and excavations. We bring together members for networking, education, communication and collaboration. With our members, we promote the advancement of the deep foundations industry through technical committees, educational programs and conferences, publications, research, government relations and outreach. DFI has more than 3,500 members worldwide.

About the DFI Educational Trust: The Deep Foundations Institute Educational Trust (www.dfitrust.org) is an independent, 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2006 by the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) as its charitable arm. The mission of the Trust is to support and encourage individuals in the fields of study related to the deep foundations industry by providing scholarships and opportunities to meet and work with deep foundations industry leaders.