Annual Report Year 2009 - Civil and Environmental Engineering

VIA SCHOLARS
MASTER’S STUDENTS
Shannon P. Hapuarachy
Crysta Highfield
Peter D. Kauffmann
Hometown: Beckley, W.Va.
Location of Undergraduate Studies: West
Virginia University
Awards and Recognitions: Chi Epsilon
president; co-founder of Sigma
Alpha Epsilon fraternity at WVU; Civil
Engineering Outstanding Senior;
graduated Summa Cum Laude in civil
engineering
Primary Area of Interest: Construction
Outside Work Experience: S.M.H.
Construction as a junior estimator.
Career Goals: I wish to obtain my P.E.
and work at my father’s construction
company.
Hometown: Fredericksburg, Va.
Location of Undergraduate Studies:
Virginia Tech
Awards and Recognitions: Graduated
Summa Cum Laude and
Commonwealth Scholar; member of
Tau Beta Pi, Chi Epsilon, and Phi Beta
Kappa honor fraternities; dean’s list all
semesters of undergraduate study.
Primary Area of Interest: Transportation
and Infrastructure Systems
Outside Work Experience: Research
assistantship, geotechnical
engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg,
Va., January 2007-May 2008; NSF
research assistantship, geotechnical
engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg,
VA May 2006-August 2006; intern,
Turner Construction Company, Howard
Hughes Medical Institute site, Ashburn,
Va., May 2005-August 2005.
Career Goals: I would like to work in
developing countries, helping to bring
about the effective and sustainable
design and engineering of road and
highway systems. By taking part in
collaboration between professionals
from highly developed countries and
currently developing countries I hope
to help bring about positive and lasting
change in the quality of engineering
that can be achieved by all parties.
After gaining industry experience I am
interested in earning my Ph.D. and
continuing to participate in outreach
programs as a professor.
Hometown: Richmond, Va.
Location of Undergraduate Studies:
Virginia Tech
Awards and Recognitions: Graduated
Summa Cum Laude and honors
scholar; Civil Engineering Outstanding
Senior; 2008 VT ASCE president;
2009 Dexter C. Jameson National Chi
Epsilon Scholarship; Tau Beta Pi; Eagle
Scout.
Primary Area of Interest: Transportation
and Infrastructure Systems
Outside Work Experience: AECOM,
roadway design; Wiley & Wilson, civil
site design; Draper Aden Associates,
site planning.
Career Goals: I believe that the
transportation infrastructure network in
this country is unsustainable in terms
of energy use and congestion delays.
I want to develop and implement
solutions to these problems that
include integrated, efficient mass transit
systems.
44 | VIA REPORT | 2009