UA Graduate Student Receives Scholarship from Zonta International

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Shenavia Wilkerson Howell, a doctoral student at The University of Alabama in metallurgical and materials engineering, recently received a scholarship from the Zonta Club of Tuscaloosa.

Howell, a native of Linden, was selected for the award based on her excellent academic record and her dedication to society. She completed her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Stillman College and a master’s degree in metallurgical and materials engineering from UA. She is working on her doctorate under the supervision of Dr. Viola L. Acoff, professor of metallurgical and materials engineering. Howell has presented at six national conferences, and she has four published papers about the materials and alloys used in aerospace applications.

Howell participates in UA’s joint student chapter of the American Society for Materials International and The Minerals, Metals, & Materials Society by conducting tours for prospective students and assisting with outreach activities.

Howell also is an active member of the community as she just completed eight years of service with the Army Reserve where she served as a medical supply specialist with the 75th Combat Support Hospital. In addition to serving her country, she is a parent volunteer at Alberta Elementary School and the Tombigbee Girl Scouts.

The Zonta Club of Tuscaloosa awards one scholarship each year to a woman in the community that exemplifies continued success. Zonta is an international organization whose purpose is to improve the status of women worldwide. Zonta has more than 32,000 members in countries all over the world.

In 1837, UA became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering, with about 1,900 students and more than 95 faculty, is one of the three oldest continuously operating engineering programs in the country and has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.