Civil engineering graduate student Paul A. Sparks received a $1,000 state scholarship from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee (ACEC). As a state winner, Sparks will compete for a national scholarship with students throughout the United States. National scholarship winners will be announced in October 2010.
“Our scholarship program is another example of how ACEC of Tennessee is committed to the future of our profession,” said Everett Cowan, PE, Gresham Smith and Partners, Nashville, the chairman of the 2010 Scholarship Committee.
Sparks is expected to graduate with a master’s degree in civil engineering in May 2011. He plans to pursue his Ph.D. in civil engineering at Vanderbilt beginning in the fall of 2011. Sparks is active in the National Society of Black Engineers where he mentors high school students. He is also involved in the American Society of Civil Engineers, Black Student Alliance, and Graduate Student Council.
The scholarship was presented to Sparks during the Engineering Excellence Awards banquet on March 2. He was one of two state winners.
Founded in 1968, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee is a statewide organization of more than 110 engineering companies with chapters in East Tennessee, Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis. The organization works to works to improve the business practices of engineering firms, enhance public awareness and understanding of the value of engineering services, and influence public policy to promote the safety of Tennesseans.