February 10, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rancho Mirage, California
The Association of Modified Asphalt Producers (AMAP) has selected four students from a pool of extremely qualified applicants as recipients of AMAP’s Dr. David R. Jones IV scholarships for 2020.
One undergraduate and three graduate students will each receive a stipend of $2,000. Winners will be honored at the awards luncheon of AMAP’s 2020 Conference and Workshop.
- Mackenzie Steffen
University of Saskatchewan, Canada
(undergraduate)
- Miguel Montoya
Purdue University
(graduate)
- Shishi Chen
University of Missouri-Columbia
(graduate)
- Thomas Calhoon
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
(graduate)
AMAP thanks its members who have endowed this scholarship and continue to support students with education and career goals of improving asphalt through modification.
About the 2020 Winners
Mackenzie Steffen is a senior studying Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Saskatchewan, Canada, under the supervision of Danielle Gaudet. She worked as a summer student and intern at Husky Asphalt in the Technical Services and Innovation group.
During her tenure as an intern, Mackenzie performed the ASTM/AASHTO/ISSA quality control testing procedures for asphalt binders, emulsified asphalt, aggregate and pavement preservation; performed the maintenance and calibration procedures required for laboratory AASHTO R18 accreditation; assisted in the production of Polymer Modified Asphalt (PMA); participated in research and development of new and improved asphalt-based products; and delivered technical support for the engineers and technologists.
Mackenzie plans to use her knowledge from the various asphalt related courses and her intern experience to pursue a career in the asphalt industry.
Miguel Montoya is a Ph.D. student at the Lyles School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University, where he also received his M.S. degree in civil engineering. After his undergraduate studies, Miguel joined the Innovative Materials and Pavement Group lead by Professor John Haddock at Purdue University who is also his advisor.
His master thesis consisted of developing a field measurement technique that quantifies asphalt emulsion curing times using electrical resistance measurements. Due to its field applicability, Miguel’s master thesis was filed as a patent application by the Purdue Research Foundation’s Office of Technology Commercialization. Currently, Miguel is working on his PhD dissertation, “Environmentally Tuning Asphalt Pavements Using Phase Change Materials.”
Miguel enjoys playing and watching soccer. He is an avid fan of FC Barcelona in Spain and his hometown team Motagua in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Shishi Chen is a graduate student studying civil engineering with a minor in statistics at the University of Missouri – Columbia. As a graduate research assistant, she is working on the waste plastic project to develop more durable and sustainable pavement funded by DOW Chemical Company. Shishi also worked on the Illinois Tollway project to establish a performance-based asphalt pavement specification at the Missouri Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Laboratory.
Beyond her ultimate career goal to become a pavement expert, she loves cooking, cycling and volunteering in local communities serving underserved populations and children.
Thomas Calhoon is currently studying civil engineering as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. In addition to working as a pavement graduate researcher under Dr. Mihai Marasteanu, Thomas also works in the Office of Materials and Road Research at Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Beyond engineering, Thomas is passionate about protecting the health of the Earth and combating the current climate crisis. His dream is to achieve this goal by making pavement sustainable and eco-friendly. Thomas hopes to work with innovate paving technology such as bio-rejuvenators and bio-asphalts.