UA Students Receive Engineers Without Borders Scholarships

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers recently awarded three University of Alabama students scholarships for their work with Engineers Without Borders.

Laith Al-Faqih, Steven Gilbert and Tommy House were each honored with $500 scholarships at the Engineers Without Borders International Conference at Rice University. Only 10 scholarships of this kind are awarded nationally every year.

Al-Faqih is a native of Amman, Jordan. He is currently a doctoral candidate working on a multi-disciplinary degree in environmental engineering and business. Al-Faqih is the vice president of design for Engineering Students Without Borders at the Capstone. He is an active member of the student chapters of the Alabama Water Environment Association and the Alabama Water Resources Association.

A native of Hoover, Gilbert is a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. He is also the historian and publicist of the UA chapter of Engineering Students Without Borders. Additionally, Gilbert is a lab assistant at the UA Internal Combustion Engines Laboratory and a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.

A Decatur native, House is a senior majoring in civil engineering. He is the UA president of Engineering Students Without Borders, and he was also a founding member of the UA chapter. House is also a member of the University Honors Program, American Society of Civil Engineers and the UA Emerging Leaders Program.

Engineers Without Borders is an international organization made up of student and professional chapters. The goal of the organization is to carry out collaborative engineering projects with needy communities worldwide. The UA Chapter of Engineering Students Without Borders was formed in fall 2005.

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 137,500 members of the civil engineering profession worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. ASCE’s vision is to position engineers as global leaders building a better quality of life.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences. ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the engineering and technology community.

In 1837, The University of Alabama 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 has about 1,800 students and more than 95 faculty. It has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.