The Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department held its annual Student Awards Convocation on Saturday, 2 April. This event brings together scholarship winners and donors for a luncheon and awards presentation. RailTEC would like to congratulate the following 2022 Illinois rail scholarship and award recipients. They are:
- Dale Robbenolt – Ira O. Baker Prize
- Jake Wagoner – CN Railway Transportation Scholarship and Albert J. Reinschmidt Memorial Scholarship in Railway Engineering
- Allison Hefner – CN Railway Transportation Scholarship
- Tommy Stogin – Norman and Mary Carlson Scholarship
- Liam Bots – Michael and Jean Franke Family Foundation Scholarship
Information about each of the awards can be found below.
Ira O. Baker Prize
The purpose of the Baker Prize is to recognize outstanding seniors and is the highest honor a graduating CEE senior can receive. In addition to superior scholastic achievement, CEE faculty select winners based on a student’s activities in organizations and on personal characteristics that include initiative, reliability, and potential. The Baker Prize has been awarded to the top-ranking CEE seniors every spring since 1924. The award is named after Ira O. Baker, a civil engineering faculty member from 1875 to 1925, and Department Head for 39 of the 50 years.
Canadian National (CN) Railway Transportation Scholarship
This scholarship was established in 2018 to encourage and support student excellence in rail engineering and is presented to an outstanding engineering student(s) on the basis of leadership, scholastic performance, and demonstrated accomplishments and interest in railroad transportation at Illinois. It was created as part of CN’s support for RailTEC’s educational programs.
Norman and Mary Carlson Scholarship Fund
Established in 2005, the Carlson Scholarship encourages students to pursue careers in the rail industry. Carlson graduated from the UIUC College of Commerce and Business Administration in 1964, has spent his career in service to the railroad industry, and has written and published extensively on the history and technology of railways.
Michael W. & Jean D. Franke Family Foundation Scholarship
The scholarship is awarded to an outstanding student interested in railroad transportation engineering, as evinced by coursework, participation in rail research, and other railway engineering and transport related activities. The objective of the scholarship is to encourage the candidate to continue railway engineering studies and ultimately pursue a career in the rail-related transportation industry.
Albert J. Reinschmidt Memorial Scholarship in Railway Engineering
This scholarship was founded and sponsored by friends and railroad industry colleagues of Dr. Albert J. Reinschmidt. Reinschmidt earned all of his degrees studying railway engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and went on to a successful career in railway research, engineering practice, and policy with the Association of American Railroads. The scholarship is intended to provide financial assistance to help any civil, electrical, industrial, and mechanical engineering student achieve their educational goals in rail transportation engineering and technology with the objective of supporting development of a new generation of engineers advancing rail safety, efficiency, and technological advancement.