ASDSO's Dam Safety Scholarship Program was established in 1992, recognizing that one of the keys to achieving the association's goals is the development of well-trained technical persons. Through the program, ASDSO annually awards a scholarship to at least one undergraduate junior or senior who has demonstrated an interest in pursuing a career related to dam design, construction, and operation and is studying in a related field.
As of 2024, ASDSO has awarded more than 50 scholarships totaling more than $270,000.
View History of Scholarship Recipients
ASDSO is currently accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Undergraduate Scholarship Program.
At least one scholarship will be awarded, with up to $20,000 in scholarship funds available. A travel stipend to the ASDSO Annual Conference may also be awarded in addition to the scholarship funds. Successful recipients must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and enrolled full-time at the junior or senior level (during the 2025/2026 school year) in an accredited civil engineering program, or a related field as determined by ASDSO, and must demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in hydraulics, hydrology or geotechnical disciplines, or in another discipline related to the design, construction, and operation of dams. Undergraduate students planning to graduate in May/December 2026 or in May/December 2027 will be eligible for the 2025 scholarship.
Basis for Award - Academic Scholarship (minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA needed), Financial Need, Work Experience, Activities, Essay
A complete application will include a complete application form, three letters of recommendation, an essay, and an official transcript.
Deadline: March 31, 2025
2024-2025 Memorial Undergraduate Scholarships
TOP RECIPIENT
Darya Kholodova
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Darya Kholodova is a senior engineering student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is working toward a degree in Civil Engineering with a minor in Foreign Languages, concentrated in German. She is involved in the University of Alaska Fairbanks' College of Engineering and Mines as the president
of the ASCE Student Chapter, the vice president of the Tau Beta Pi Alaska Alpha Chapter, and an active member of the Student Steel Bridge Team. She is also a student member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Seismological Society of America.
Darya is interested in Geotechnical and Water Resources Engineering. Safety in Civil Engineering is important to her, and for a class assignment she completed a report and presentation on the hazards presented by low head dams as well as steps for their remediation. Darya has been a Geotechnical Engineering Intern with WSP in Anchorage, AK for two summers. In this position she has worked on a number of urban and rural projects involving water resources such as at the Port of Alaska and bringing sewer and water utility lines to Tununak, a village in Alaska."
Darya was awarded a $10,000 scholarship and a travel stipend to attend the Dam Safety 2024 conference in Denver, Colorado.
Jackson Clark
University of Louisville
Jackson Clark is a senior at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. He is working toward a degree in civil & environmental engineering with a minor in biology. Jackson is a member of the Louisville chapter of ASCE and is very active in Triangle Fraternity; he will be serving on its national council for the upcoming academic year.
Jackson found an interest in Dams and Dam Safety during his co-op for the Dam Safety section at the Louisville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the fall of 2023, where he worked on the district's FRM dams and navigational structures to conduct inspections, oversee maintenance, and interpret sensor data. Combining this with his love for the environment and sustainability, Jackson wants to pursue a career developing a more sustainable future for dams and water infrastructure.
Jackson was awarded a $5,000 scholarship.
Jessica Frank
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Jessica “Jess” Frank is a senior working towards a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) in Rolla, Missouri. Jess is involved in visual and performing arts on campus as well as multiple engineering honor societies. Jess became interested in dam safety and hydrology during her undergraduate research and followed that passion in her internships. For the last 2 years, Jess researched groundwater and surface water interactions at Missouri S&T and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In the summer of 2023, Jess was an intern for the environmental group at Western Federal Lands Highway Division in Vancouver, WA, where she wrote environmental desk studies and completed documents for various permits under NEPA. In summer of 2024, Jess worked as a hydraulics and hydrology intern for USACE in St. Louis, MO, where she learned hydraulic modeling and assisted hydraulic structure assessment projects.
