Brandon Mintz, civil engineering master’s student, at the College of Engineering and Computing at FIU, was selected as the 2008-2009 Charles Pankow Foundation ACI student fellowship award recipient. This is a highly competitive fellowship where all of the finalists were extremely well qualified.

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) is a nonprofit technical and educational society organized in 1904, and is one of the world's leading authorities on concrete technology.

ACI offers fellowships to high-potential undergraduate and graduate students in engineering, construction management and other appropriate curricula. To be eligible to apply for this fellowship, students must be recommended by a faculty member who is also an ACI member.

Recipients of The Charles Pankow Foundation ACI Student Fellowship are students who are enrolled in either undergraduate or graduate classes in the award year. A 10 to 12 week internship in a construction environment with the Charles Pankow Company prior to the award year is required.

Fellowship awardees are required to submit a written report near the end of their fellowship period describing the value of the fellowship to their development and to their preparation for their chosen career after graduation.

As the recipient of this award, Brandon will receive a $10,000 educational stipend for tuition, residence, books and materials during each academic year. He will also receive the appropriate certificates, recognition and publicity, in addition to paid travel expenses and attendance fees to two ACI conventions.

Brandon began at FIU in the accelerated combined BS/MS in civil engineering program. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in the spring of 2007. By the time he graduated, Brandon had been inducted into six honor societies and graduated cum laude.

He is currently pursuing a master’s degree, and will be graduating in the spring of 2008. He also works as a research assistant, and has had the privilege of working on several projects. The main project he has been involved with is the evaluation of Cazaly hangers, which is what he is writing his thesis on.

He plans to continue with his education and pursue a Ph.D. which will allow him to sharpen his research skills, and provide more opportunities in the engineering industry.

“My interests beyond school include either work in the engineering industry or in education. Either way I hope to make an impact on engineering by either working in the industry or inspiring the next generation of engineers who in turn will come up with tomorrow’s advances.”

Congratulations to Brandon. We wish you continued success!