Last fall, the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering launched a minor in construction management. Developed in conjunction with regional and state construction agencies, the curriculum provides state-of-the-art training in the construction industry. Now, has established the IEA Women & Minority in Construction Scholarship to support undergraduates studying civil, environmental or electrical engineering.
“The construction industry needs to increase the representation of females and minorities, but there are not enough candidates,” IEA Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Morayma Da Silva said. “We want to invest in them from the beginning, when they are in college, to create a pipeline of candidates for the future. We are excited to work in collaboration with universities such as University of Nevada, Reno, so that we can keep empowering females and minorities pursuing a career in construction.”
IEA is a leading infrastructure company specializing in renewable energy, power delivery, heavy civil, rail and environmental. The scholarship aligns with the company’s core values, including a focus on acting with “honesty, fairness, respect, and safety to further a culture of unquestioned integrity,” and it is part of a long-term vision to push the industry toward greater equity.
“Diversity is an asset to the company,” Da Silva said. “We are doing this because it is the right thing to do, and because we believe that as a leading construction company it makes us stronger.”
In addition to supporting the state of Nevada because of its local business ties, IEA established this scholarship because of the rate of attendance of female and minority students at the University of Nevada, Reno. The first recipients will be named this fall.
“The College of Engineering is dedicated to addressing the barriers in our fields to ensure greater diversity, equity and inclusive practices. A professional value in the computer science and engineering disciplines, diversity is key to the continued success of our community and our world,” College of Engineering Dean Manos Maragakis said. “We are grateful to IEA for establishing this scholarship to support the exceptional students who will become the next leaders in the construction industry.”
