WVU structural engineering chapter named national chapter of the year

David Odeh, president, SEI, presents the 2016 SEI Graduate Student Chapter of the Year award to Udaya B. Halabe and Praveen Kumar Reddy Majjigapu.

The  Structural Engineering Institute Graduate Student Chapter at West Virginia University has been named the 2016 SEI Graduate Student Chapter of the Year.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.

The award, which was presented recently at the annual meeting of the Geotechnical and Structural Engineering Congress in Phoenix, Arizona, recognized the exemplary activities and efforts of the Chapter to advance the structural engineering profession and to encourage the growth of SEI from the local and higher education level. The award was accepted by Udaya Halabe, faculty advisor, and Praveen Kumar Reddy Majjigapu, WVU Chapter chair.

According to Halabe, professor of civil and environmental engineering, the Chapter has been active in providing educational opportunities, speaking opportunities to present research in conjunction with professional events and SEI Structures Congress and outreach to undergraduate and K-12 students.

“Chapter members have coordinated with the Structural Engineering Association of Pennsylvania to provide topics for their annual conference,” said Halabe. “They have also assisted with numerous outreach events including high school visits, freshman engineering presentations and WVU’s EngineerFest. Our members have been active on the SEI Graduate Student Chapter Leadership Council and have assisted in forming the policies and procedures that govern the SEI Graduate Student chapters.”

“I am deeply honored to receive this honor on behalf of all the students in our Chapter,” said Majjigapu. “We have provided opportunities for them to interact with peers and learn from industry professionals through guest lectures, webinars and attendance at national SEI meetings.”

The American Society of Civil Engineers Structural Engineering Institute approved the formation of a Graduate Student Chapter at WVU is spring 2013. The WVU chapter is the second such chapter in the United States.

The Chapter’s mission is to promote graduate education in structural engineering, develop leadership skills, create professional development opportunities for current graduate students, and enhance networking with structural engineering professionals.

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