International Erosion Control Association’s Southeast Chapter Awards Two Scholarships

The International Erosion Control Association’s Southeast Chapter (IECA-SE) has launched a scholarship program for undergraduate students in the southeast region of the U.S. The original intent was to provide one scholarship, but the strong applicant pool prompted IECA-SE to award two $1,500 scholarships.

Christopher Bellamy, a junior in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department at Clemson University, and Amber Beutler, a senior in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department at the University of Florida, both received $1,500 for use towards their fall 2007 tuition.

“We are very excited to have launched the scholarship program. It is a wonderful encouragement to the students to continue pursuing their related professions, and it offers new connections for IECA-SE to both the academic community and the next generation of sediment and erosion control professionals,” said Beth Chesson, CPESC, president of IECA-SE.

John Slupecki, Florida state representative for IECA-SE, and J. P. Johns, South Carolina state representative for IECA-SE, traveled to the students’ universities to personally present the scholarships to Bellamy and Beutler. The two students were selected by the IECA-SE’s scholarship committee based on their essay, grade point average and letters of recommendation.

Bellamy, a Biosystems Engineering major, plans to graduate in May 2008. Pursuing an interest in environmental studies that started in high school with the Future Farmers of America program, he plans to attend graduate school and then hopes for a career with the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

“It is a real honor and I am proud to receive [the scholarship]. There are so many opportunities in the erosion and sediment control field, I am glad I have taken an interest,” Bellamy said.

Beutler is scheduled to graduate in December 2007 with a major in Land and Water Resources. Focused on beach erosion, she intends to continue her studies in graduate school and then join a coastal engineering firm specializing in low-impact design and construction. Currently, she is conducting research on the correlation between the design of manmade structures in coastal waters (jetties, ports, canals) and the impact those structures have on coastal erosion.

Source: IECA