The Mike Alizadeh Graduate Studies Scholarship for the 2010-2011 academic year was awarded last September to Brett Zitny from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is pursuing a M.S. in civil engineering with an emphasis in geotechnical engineering and will graduate in May 2011. He is a member and former president of the ASCE Student Chapter. The scholarship, which was established in 2007 to honor Geotechnology, Inc. founder Mike Alizadeh, supports graduate students pursuing Masters Degrees in civil or geological engineering with a geotechnical or environmental emphasis who attend a university in the Midwest. The ASCE St. Louis Section Geotechnical Committee administers the scholarship.
To better draw the connection between Mike Alizadeh and the firm he founded in 1984, the scholarship is now called the Mike Alizadeh/Geotechnology Scholarship. The hope is to also make the scholarship more relevant and recognizable to applicants. The scholarship is funded by the Alizadeh family and Geotechnology, Inc.
“We are very proud to be able to offer the scholarship,” said Ed Alizadeh, President and C.E.O. of Geotechnology, Inc. “It is a fitting tribute to my father who founded this company and recognized the importance of a quality education in achieving your career goals. Dad was a big believer in the power of knowledge and it is our hope that this scholarship will help many young people become influential engineers in the community.”
To date, almost $10,000 has been awarded through this scholarship to recipients who attended the University of Missouri, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The application process is opened by April with a deadline in May and a scholarship awarded in late summer. The student is honored at the ASCE St. Louis Section annual dinner in late September.