The Industry Advancement Graduate Scholarships are awarded annually by the Industry Advancement Fund through the ADSC. The scholarships are intended to enhance the understanding of drilled shafts, micropiles, and anchored earth construction among young professionals about to enter (or entering) the workforce in academic roles, in design positions, and at specialty subcontractor companies. Applicants should be planning to pursue graduate studies in either civil engineering or construction management and must have an undergraduate degree (or will have one by the time the scholarships are awarded) in either engineering or construction management. Some exceptions to these policies may be granted, but will be judged on a case-by-case basis and must show some future involvement with or benefit to the specialty foundation contracting industry.
The application period opens in the spring each year, with scholarships being awarded for the upcoming school year. Proof of enrollment in an accredited university will be required for any scholarship awardees, and scholarships will not be awarded to cover post-doctorate research. Applicants may have completed their undergraduate studies anywhere in the world, but the applicant must show proof that the institution was accredited by a recognized organization. Awardees must attend an institution in North America.
Applicants may be awarded a scholarship twice, if they are judged to warrant such an accomplishment by the Scholarship Committee. Applicants may not win more than twice, even if their field of study changes.
Judging is at the sole discretion of the Scholarship Committee. The ADSC and the IAF do not recognize any other persons or entities with the right to challenge, question, or dispute the selection of awardees.
How much are the Scholarships?
Each scholarship is worth $3,000.
Apply for a Scholarship:
*Note: This scholarship is restricted to undergraduate civil engineering
students enrolled at California Polytechnic State University.
April 10, 2026 ENTRY DEADLINE
All completed applications must be received at the ADSC office by the close of business.
Scholarship Chairman
Gene Sheedy
Midwest Drilled Foundations & Engineering, Inc.
gsheedy@midwestdfe.com
ADSC Scholarship Liaison
Tina Greenwell
tgreenwell@adsc-iafd.com
2025 – 2026 Winners:
| Tingkai Wang | University of Texas at Arlington | Jack Watson Scholarship |
| Emily Steele | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Ohio Valley Chapter Scholarship |
| Shaya Banar | University of Louisville | Ohio Valley Chapter Thomas A. Buzek Scholarship |
| Jacob Dunton | Brigham Young University | Johnie Stephens Memorial Scholarship |
| Thomas Steger | Iowa State University | Vern Case Scholarship |
| Saad Rehmetullah | Tufts University | Northeast Chapter Scholarship |
| Colin Dreger | University of Alberta | Family and Friends Teri Dres Scholarship |
| Mohamad El Ahmad | Villanova University | Bill Maher Memorial Scholarship |
| Julio Cesar Guerro Ospino | University of California, Los Angeles | Edward S. Nolan Scholarship |
| Rupsa Roy | Iowa State University | South Central Chapter Scholarship |
| Merissa Mills | University of California, Los Angeles | Michael Mahaffey Scholarship |
| Saeed B. Nia | Iowa State University | Long Family Scholarship |
| Metehan Alp Memis | St. Louis University | Midwest Chapter Scholarship |
| Derrick Mirindi | University of Pennsylvania | Michael W. O’Neill Scholarship |
| Connor Kristopher Hvamb | University of Alberta | Friends and Family Scholarship |
| Amin Mohammadzadeh | University of Louisville | Southeast Chapter Scholarship |
| Seyed Hamzeh Sadeghi Valikboni | University of Colorado Boulder | West Coast Chapter Scholarship |
| Melia Costa | California Polytechnic State University | Stan Case Scholarship |
2024 – 2025 Winners:
| AJ Risberg | University of Kentucky | Johnie Stephens Memorial |
| Ali Doostvandi | Texas A&M University | Michael Mahaffey |
| Alicia Walburger | Brigham Young University | Edward S. Nolan Memorial |
| Augie Loehr | Auburn University | Long Family |
| Baris Elmas | University of Missouri-Columbia | Midwest Chapter |
| Baturalp Ozturk | New York University | Michael W. O’Neill |
| Daniel Goldstein Fridman | Purdue University | West Coast Chapter |
| Daphne Milkert | Milwaukee School of Engineering | Southeast Chapter |
| Fereydoun Najafian Jazi | University of Louisville | Bill Maher Memorial |
| Kyra Hicks | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Friends and Family |
| Matias Frediani | Drexel University | Vern Case |
| Melinda Eason | Villanova University | South Central Chapter |
| Murilo Heryaldo Pinheiro Tarozzo | Auburn University | Teri Dres Friends and Family |
| Phillip Anthony Matthews | Auburn University | Jack Watson |
| Samuel Lambert | University of Kentucky | Thomas Buzek |
| Tanner Hanson | University of California, Los Angeles | Northeast Chapter |
| Will Shaffer | Virginia Tech (M.S.), University of California, Irvine (Ph.D, current) | Ohio Valley Chapter |
2023 – 2024 Winners:
| Daniel Adeleke | Villanova University | Friends & Family |
| Ahmed Radwan | Texas A&M University | SC Chapter |
| Erick Christian Cruz | Texas A&M University | Jack Watson |
| Amit Gajurel | Texas A&M University | Michael W. O’Neill |
| Anres Espinosa | University of Maine | NE Chapter |
| Morgan Sanger | University of Washington | West Coast Chapter |
| Brayden Curry | University of Colorado at Boulder | Edward S. Nolan |
| Celal Uyeturk | Tufts University | Johnie Stephens |
| John Nunez | New Jersey Institute of Technology | Bill Maher Memorial |
| Katherine Weimann | Lehigh University | Teri Fres Friends & Family |
| Lucia Moya | Iowa State University | OV Chapter |
| Julia Loshelder | University of Arkansas | Long Family |
| Tristen Mee | University of South Florida | SE Chapter |
| Mostafa Ebrahimi | Southern Illinois University | Midwest Chapter |
| Rupsa Roy | Iowa Sate University | Vern Case |
| Anuoam Bhattarai | Villanova University | Michael Mahaffey |
| Daniel Goldstein Fridman | Purdue University | Thomas A Buzek |
2022 – 2023 Winners:
| Pourya Alidoust | Temple University | Friends & Family |
| Mehran Azizian | University of Washington – Seattle | SC Chapter |
| Johnathan Blanchard | University of Arkansas | Jack Watson |
| Sadie Brockett | Iowa State University | Michael W. O’Neill |
| Kristina Crivello | New York University | NE Chapter |
| Clement DeGiovanni | University of California – Berkeley | West Coast Chapter |
| Miguel Gonzalez | University of Washington | Edward S. Nolan |
| Elizabeth Iannetti | Drexel University | Johnie Stephens |
| Hannah Iezzoni | Villanova University | Bill Maher Memorial |
| Andrea Mattson | University of Washington | Teri Fres Friends & Family |
| Lucia Moya | University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign | OV Chapter |
| Quinten Prieur | Virginia Tech University | Long Family |
| Olga Lucia Rojas Esparza | Auburn University | SE Chapter |
| Hamid Rostami | Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville | Midwest Chapter |
| Venkata Abhishek Sakleshpur | Purdue University | Vern Case |
| Uzochukwu Uwaoma | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | Michael Mahaffey |
| Mackenzie Zabel | University of Michigan | Thomas A Buzek |
2021 – 2022 Winners:
| Hussein | Ahmed | Faculty of Engineering, Western University | Edward S. Nolan Scholarship |
| Pourya | Alidoust | Temple University | Bill Maher Memorial Scholarship |
| Tran | Anh | University of Arkansas | Jack Watson Scholarship |
| Malaak | Araujo | University of South Florida | South Central Chapter Scholarship |
| Katherine | Cheng | University of California, Davis | Women’s Association Scholarship |
| Colin | Dreger | University of Alberta | Johnie Stephens Memorial Scholarship |
| Fernanda | Imamura | University of Alberta | Northeast Chapter Scholarship |
| Meera | Kota | University of California, Berkeley | West Coast Chapter Scholarship |
| Julia | Loshelder | University of Arkansas | Women’s Association Teri Dres Scholarship |
| Colin | Minard | California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo | Michael Mahaffey Scholarship |
| Samuel | Pappas | Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville | Midwest Chapter Scholarship |
| Cesar | Quesada Garcia | University of South Florida | Southeast Chapter Scholarship |
| Carl-Franklin | Russell | Auburn University | Long Family Scholarship |
| Travis | Shoemaker | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Ohio Valley Chapter Scholarship |
| Sidney | Tran | California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo | Vern Case Scholarship |
| Aidy | Ung | Virginia Tech | Ohio Valley Chapter Thomas A. Buzek Scholarship |
| Seyed Morteza | Zeinali | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Michael W. O’Neill Scholarship |
2020 – 2021 Winners:
| Araujo | Malaak | Southeast Chapter Scholarship |
| Figueroa Palacios | Genesis | West Coast Chapter Scholarship |
| Glock | Jack | Northeast Chapter Scholarship |
| Huntoon | John | Long Family Scholarship |
| Islam | Naveel | Michael Mahaffey Scholarship |
| Kennedy | Dan | Ohio Valley Chapter Thomas A. Buzek Scholarship |
| Kleinsasser | Tyler | Midwest Chapter Scholarship |
| Lamba | Kanika | Bill Maher Memorial Scholarship |
| Martins-Robalino | Austin | Vern Case Scholarship |
| Mulcahey | Joseph | Edward S. Nolan Scholarship |
| Pereira | Juliana | Women’s Association Teri Dres Scholarship |
| Rahimi | Salman | South Central Chapter Scholarship |
| Rizk | Andrew | Michael W. O’Neill Scholarship |
| Romano | Chris | Ohio Valley Chapter Scholarship |
| Shidlovskaya | Anna | Women’s Association Scholarship |
| Timchenko | Anna | Jack Watson Scholarship |
| Zelkowski | Peter | Johnie Stephens Memorial Scholarship |
2019 – 2020 Winners:
| Bahmani Shoorijeh | Mostafa | Jack Watson Scholarship |
| Burton | Elgin | Michael Mahaffey Scholarship |
| Glaubman | Andrew | Northeast Chapter Scholarship |
| Kargar Ghomesheh | Pourya | Ohio Valley Chapter Thomas A. Buzek Scholarship |
| Kennedy | Dan | Michael W. O’Neill Scholarship |
| Kitchens | Coleman | Southeast Chapter Scholarship |
| Kleinsasser | Tyler | Midwest Chapter Scholarship |
| Mahdavi Kharanaghi | Mohammad | Long Family Scholarship |
| Nebel | Erin | Women’s Association Scholarship |
| Newgard | Jeffrey | West Coast Chapter Scholarship |
| Ranjpour | Deniz | Women’s Association Teri Dres Scholarship |
| Salam | Sajjad | Ohio Valley Chapter Scholarship |
| Sheikh | Bahman | Bill Maher Memorial Scholarship |
| Sudhakaran Prabhu | Sudheer | Edward S. Nolan Scholarship |
| Tran | Anh | South Central Chapter Scholarship |
| Wang | Yen-Chih | Johnie Stephens Memorial Scholarship |
| Zablocki | Mark | Vern Case Scholarship |
2018 – 2019 Winners:
| James | Bartz | University of Manitoba | Michael Mahaffey |
| Anthony | Belfert | John Hopkins University | Edward S. Nolan |
| Johnathan | Blanchard | University of Arkansas | Jack Watson |
| Maya | El Kortbawi | University of California – Davis | West Coast Chapter |
| Daniel | Kennedy | University of Minnesota – Twin Cities | Michael W. O’Neill |
| Amanda | Lewis | University of South Florida | Women’s Association |
| Seth | Mallett | Georgia Institute of Technology | Long Family |
| Sarah | Mobley | University of South Florida | Teri Dres |
| Ashka | Nafisi | North Carolina State University | Vern Case |
| Sofia | Puerto | Tufts University | Northeast Chapter |
| Nicholas | Sabatini | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Ohio Valley Chapter |
| Bahman | Sheikh | Pennsylvania State University | Mid-Atlantic Chapter |
| Nicholas (Nick) | Sianta | Georgia Institute of Technology | Johnie Stephens Memorial |
| Chris | Swenson | Colorado School of Mines | Midwest Chapter |
| Yen-Chih | Wang | Texas A&M University | South Central Chapter |
| Jason | Wright | University of Georgia | Southeast Chapter |
| Michael | Zimmerman | University of Wisconsin – Madison | Ohio Valley Tom Buzek |
Previous Scholarship Winners
