Eight ECSU Students Attend National Transportation Conference

ECSU Daniel Ashley, Heidi Mollenkopf, Tera Banks, Tyler McCoy, Tammie Simmons, William Helms, and Brenden Rawls, joined dean of the school of science, aviation, health, and technology, Dr. Kuldeep Rawat at the Transportation Research Board conference in Washington D.C. in January.

Eight Elizabeth City State University students who were awarded a total of $43,500 from the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program in December 2019 recently attended the Transportation Research Board (TRB) conference in January.

The Eisenhower Fellowship, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, is affording the ECSU students the opportunity to participate in various research projects under the direction of university faculty. According to Dr. Kuldeep Rawat, dean of the school of science, aviation, health, and technology, the students participated in the event with more than 13,000 people in Washington D. C.

The conference topics covered all modes of transportation, and included more than 5,000 presentations throughout 800 sessions and workshops, according to Dr. Rawat. The topics addressed issues relating to policy makers, transportation administrators, researchers, government, private industry, academia and more, he said.

“ECSU students had the opportunity to network with peers, engage with stakeholders, and learn about careers in their fields,” said Dr. Rawat.

The students and their awards are Daniel Ashley, engineering technology major awarded $10,000; Brenna Daniel, aviation science major awarded $8,000; Heidi Mollenkopf, social work major awarded $6,500; Tera Banks, computer science major awarded $5,000; Tyler McCoy, engineering technology graduate student awarded $3,500; Tammie Simmons, applied mathematics major awarded $3,500; William Helms, emergency management major awarded $3,500; and Brenden Rawls, applied mathematics graduate student awarded $3,500.

Students are selected for the Eisenhower Fellowship by an internal review board. The board consists of Dr. Rawat, the principle investigator on the grant, three ECSU faculty members, and Lynis DeVance, the civil rights program manager for the Federal Highway Administration’s Raleigh office.

The final decision for the awards is made at the Federal Highway Commission office in Washington D.C.

According to the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program, the objectives of the grant are to attract the nation’s brightest minds to the field of transportation, enhance the careers of transportation professionals by encouraging them to seek advanced degrees and to retain the transportation industry’s best and brightest men and women.