Majjigapu named national chair of graduate student structural engineering leadership council

Majjigapu has been named the inaugural chair of the SEIG Student Chapter Leadership Council.

Praveen Majjigapu, a doctoral student in civil engineering at West Virginia University, has been named inaugural national chair for the Structural Engineering Institute Graduate Student Chapter Leadership Council. The council represents SEI Graduate Student Chapters at universities across the United States.

A subsection of the American Society of Civil Engineers, SEI is a technical group that seeks to enhance the knowledge of the students in the field of structural engineering and ensure a smooth transition from college to career. The experience gained by the students as a member of the graduate student chapter will help them to be an active member of SEI in the professional life and contribute to structural engineering as well as to the society. 

“I am deeply honored to be able to represent the WVU chapter at the national leadership council as its inaugural chair,” said Majjigapu, who is also the recipient of WVU’s Outstanding Merit Doctoral Fellowship. “This brings visibility to our Chapter and the University, and gives me an opportunity to shape the future of this new council. Through this council, we plan to work toward establishing a scholarship for motivated graduate students to benefit from attendance at the Structures Congress.”

The WVU Chapter, which was named national Student Chapter of the Year in 2016, has been active in providing educational opportunities, speaking opportunities to present research in conjunction with professional events and SEI Structures Congress. They have worked to promote civil engineering to undergraduates and prospective graduate students and have provided outreach to K-12 students. Members have also assisted in forming the policies and procedures that govern the SEI Graduate Student Chapters. Majjigapu serves as WVU chapter president.

“Praveen has been very active in our Chapter, serving as its president since 2014 and contributing to its national visibility,” said Chapter Advisor Udaya Halabe, professor of civil and environmental engineering. “He has played a key role in promoting and creating network opportunities with other graduate student chapters as well as professional chapters and his leadership qualities has led to his election as the inaugural chair.”

The Graduate Student Chapters Leadership Council was created for the purpose of interacting with and providing the technical and professional services of the Institute to graduate student chapters. It will serve as the communications mechanism for local GSCs to express needs and make recommendations to the local activities division executive committee, which with the assistance of the GSCLC sets policies and develops programs that will improve and strengthen the GSCs.

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