SCHOLARSHIP FUND | fla-asce

SCHOLARSHIP

The ASCE Florida Section and Florida Engineering Foundation are pleased to announce the 2026 scholarship endowment partnerships. These endowments support 9 scholarships for students studying civil engineering in Florida universities and are awarded each year at the ASCE Florida Section Annual Conference. All applicants must be ASCE members and pursuing their studies in civil engineering at a Florida school. Previous undergraduate recipients may only apply for a graduate scholarship. Previous graduate recipients of a ASCE Florida Section scholarship are not eligible to apply.

Past President’s Undergraduate Scholarship – This scholarship was the first of two that was resurrected by E. Bruce Lawson, a past Florida Section President, who attributed his success in civil engineering to his involvement in the ASCE University of Florida student chapter. Recognizing the burden of increasing college fees, Bruce was the impetus of this scholarship that he partially subsidized, along with contributions from former Florida Section presidents and others within the Section. This scholarship was created in 2016 and was endowed and first awarded at the 2017 Annual Conference. This scholarship is open to any undergraduate college student ASCE member pursuing a degree in civil engineering in a Florida school. The scholarship award is $1,500.

Past President’s Graduate Scholarship –This scholarship was the second of two that was resurrected by E. Bruce Lawson, a past Florida Section President, who attributed his success in civil engineering to his involvement in the ASCE University of Florida student chapter. This scholarship is open to any graduate student ASCE member pursuing a degree in civil engineering in a Florida school. The scholarship award is $1,500.

EPIC/Chittaluru Family Scholarship – This scholarship was endowed in 2017 by Prasad Chittaluru, a past East Central Branch president and President & CEO, EPIC Engineering & Consulting Group in Orlando. Students whose passion is to learn and apply innovative technologies to enhance the civil engineering profession are encouraged to apply to this scholarship. This scholarship is open to any undergraduate or graduate ASCE student member pursuing a degree in civil engineering in a Florida school. The scholarship award is $500.

Hayden Family Scholarship – This scholarship was endowed in 2017 by Myron and Judy Hayden. Myron and Judy, as well as son Tom Hayden and his wife Mary Jane, were past presidents of the Tallahassee Branch. Sister Audra Hayden has been heavily involved with ASCE Tallahassee activities throughout her career. Judy Hayden was a first-generation college student. They feel strongly that ASCE is one of the most important engineering societies in our profession and realize that some engineering students cannot afford the rising prices of college tuition. They have each been fortunate throughout their careers and feel that The Hayden Family Scholarship is their family’s way of giving back to our community by supporting the engineers of tomorrow. This scholarship is open to any first-generation undergraduate ASCE student member pursuing a degree in civil engineering in a Florida school. The scholarship award is $1,000.

Universal Engineering Sciences Scholarship – This scholarship was endowed in 2017 by Sy and Mark Israel, officers of UES and championed by Keith Butts, a past Florida Section president and past Gainesville Branch president. This scholarship was created as the need for professional engineering services has continued to grow, with experts predicting a significant demand for infrastructure growth and repairs in the US in the coming years. They believe in giving back to the communities where we live and work every day. This scholarship is open to a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in the geotechnical engineering. The scholarship award is $500.

Kathy J. Caldwell Women in Engineering Scholarship – The ASCE Women in Engineering Scholarship Endowment will support the Kathy Caldwell Scholarship with an annual $1,500 scholarship to be given to a woman studying civil engineering. A group of individuals have joined together to fund this scholarship endowment. Kathy Caldwell is a past ASCE Florida Section President as well as a former ASCE Society President, an ASCE Fellow, a Fellow of the Structural Engineering Institute and currently serves on the ASCE Foundation Council of Trustees. Kathy is a professional engineer and graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s in civil engineering. This scholarship is open to any female undergraduate student pursuing a degree in civil engineering. The scholarship award is $1,500.

Larry Madrid Family Scholarship – This scholarship endowment is given to honor Larry’s memory and his commitment to civil engineering in Florida. He graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s in civil engineering and a master’s in geotechnical engineering. He was President of Madrid CPWG, Inc., located in Bartow. Larry was a professional engineer, an ASCE Fellow, and a Diplomate of Geotechnical Engineering. This scholarship is open to any graduate student pursuing a degree in geotechnical engineering. The scholarship award is $1,500.

E. Bruce Lawson Leadership Scholarships – The E. Bruce Lawson Scholarship Endowment was established in 2021 to support undergraduate scholarships. Bruce is a past ASCE Florida Section President and a former ASCE Region 5 Governor. He is a professional engineer who graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in civil engineering. This undergraduate scholarship will be announced each year by the current ASCE Florida Section President to highlight an area of civil engineering of common interest between Bruce and the current Section President. Heath Jenkins, 2025-2026 ASCE Florida Section President, has designated that this scholarship be awarded to a student who will be 25 or older when they graduate. Both Heath and Bruce were in this age range when they completed their engineering studies. This scholarship is open to any undergraduate student who meets either criterion stated above. The scholarship award is $1,500.

Eligibility
These scholarships are open to high school seniors, undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate/Ph.D. students who meet the following criteria:

The Undergraduate Student Florida Section Past President’s Scholarship is open to all undergraduate student chapter members.
The Graduate Student Florida Section Past President’s Scholarship is open to all graduate/Ph.D. students.
Applicants for any undergraduate scholarship must be enrolled as full time in the Fall 2026 semester at a Florida University Civil Engineering undergraduate program. Students who are enrolled in a program where there isn’t an undergraduate degree awarded and only a graduate degree shall be considered as undergraduate student for the first four semesters of the program and as a graduate student thereafter.
Applicants for any graduate scholarship must be enrolled as full time in the Fall 2026 semester at a Florida University Civil Engineering graduate program.
The applicant is an active member of his/her local ASCE student chapter
Once a student has received a specific scholarship they may not apply for that scholarship again. However, a graduate student may apply for the Past President’s Graduate Scholarship if they have previously received the Undergraduate Past President’s Undergraduate Scholarship.

Requirements

The following items will need to be turned in with the Scholarship packet no later than Thursday, May 21, 2026, 03:14:15 pm). in one PDF file for eligibility:

Career goals essay demonstrating interest in Civil Engineering (up to 400 words)
Unofficial school transcripts
One recommendation letter with contact names and phone number (Ex: Faculty, Employers, Coworkers, ASCE Student-Chapter Officer/Branch/Institute leader)
One student/Branch/Institute reference contact who can be called to discuss applicant’s involvement with ASCE – provide name, email and phone number
Must be present at ASCE Florida Section Annual Conference during the summer (July 22-24, 2026, at the Westin Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort) and enrolled in the following semester (either summer for fall).

Scholarship Selection
Applicants will be selected using the following criteria:

10 points for GPA. One point for each 0.1 GPA above 3.0, i.e., a 3.7 GPA would be 7 points (undergraduate only)
30 points max for ASCE Student Chapter/Branch/Institute Involvement
- 2 points for each semester as officer of Student Chapter/Branch/Institute
- 2 points for each semester as Student Chapter Committee Chair/Branch/Institute
- 1 point for each semester being on Student Chapter Conference Team, Bridge, Concrete Canoe, etc.
- 1 point for each year involved in an ASCE High School Club
- 1 point for each year competed in High School Engineering Encounters or other ASCE-sponsored competition
30 points for essay. All essays will be run through an AI generation filter software. These essays are intended to be written by the student about when and why they decided to study engineering.
10 points based on recommendation letter
10 points max for extracurricular and community activities:
- 1 point for each year of participation in other student organizations
- 1 point for each year as officer in other organizations
- 1 point for each year as committee chair of another organization
- 1 point for each technical club in high school
10 points max based on resume and work experience
- 1 point for each summer semester of work experience
- 1 point for each published paper
- 5 points for unique or unusual attributes or accomplishments.

GPA is only considered for undergraduate scholarship and in the event of a graduate scholarship tie.

Applicants should submit the completed application electronically in ONE .pdf file to judy@fla-asce.org (no later than May 21, 2026, 03:14:15 pm). No other methods of submission will be accepted.

SUBMIT HERE

Amount of Scholarship/Announcement of Award ASCE Florida Section will award a minimum of one $1,000 undergraduate scholarship, one $1,000 graduate student scholarship and more depending on the number of applications received. The award may be given to one or multiple students depending on the quality of the applications received.

For more information, please contact E. Bruce Lawson, ASCE Florida Section Past President Scholarship Endowment Committee, at ebruce7347@aol.com or Judy Nichols, Executive Director, at judy@fla-asce.org.

APPLICATION:

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