Engineering senior only Utah student to win prestigious scholarship

The American Society of Civil Engineers recently awarded USU civil engineering senior Seth Thompson the prestigious Samuel Fletcher Tapman ASCE Student Chapter Scholarship.

Thompson is the only Utahn to receive the 2018 scholarship. There were eighteen total scholarships awarded to students throughout the nation.

The native of Payson served as the ASCE Student Chapter president last school year, in which he said his involvement was “key to receiving this scholarship.”

Thompson found the scholarship by perusing the ASCE.org website.

“The application process required a 1-page essay on my involvement in ASCE, and plans for future involvement as a professional engineer, a narrative resume, 2 letters of recommendation, a financial aid budget sheet, and an academic transcript,” Thompson said.

According to Paul Barr, professor and department head for the Civil and Environmental Engineering department said, “Thompson is dedicated, happy and smart. He is gifted in the classroom, generous with his time outside of the classroom and is a fun person to be around.”

Awarded the Outstanding Senior for the Civil Engineering department last year, Barr got a chance to know Thompson better in class and while he served as ASCE president.

“I was impressed with his willingness to do all that needed to be done on the business end of being President, but never lost track of wanting to take care of the students and make it better for them,” Barr said.

Thompson will graduate with his Bachelors of Science degree in December, and plans to complete an MS in Civil Engineering at USU next year.

“I will be conducting hydraulic research on the performance of labyrinth weirs at the Utah Water Research Laboratory on campus,” Thompson said.

Blake Tullis, a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department has seen Thompson’s efforts pay off in both the work field and the classroom.

“Seth reached out to me spring 2017 looking for a job. After working on his internship for an engineering firm, he began working for me and has done a great job ever since,” Tullis said.

Barr relates that Thompson has been a delight in class and through his research.

“He is the kind of person that you would not only want to have in your company working alongside of you but also with your friends at a football game,” Barr said.

Thompson’s goal is to graduate debt free with a master’s degree, and among other scholarships that he has received, this one will help him do that.

When Thompson isn’t working in the campus water lab, he enjoys fishing, hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding and hiking with his wife and family.

USU has helped Thompson not only achieve his career goals, but has made an impact on his life for the better.

“As a first generation college student, I have had a great experience at USU. I have made great friends and truly have found a profession that I am interested in, that is challenging, and that is meaningful for me,” Thompson said.

— kortni.marie.wells@aggiemail.usu.edu

@kortniwells