Posted: Monday, February 24, 2020

University of Evansville Civil Engineering Scholarship is Funded Annually by NATE; Honors Jones’ Legacy as a Structural Engineer, Industry Icon

(Raleigh, North Carolina) - NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and Tower Family Foundation today jointly announced that Elijah Sullivan, a junior civil engineering student from Evansville, Indiana has been named as the 2020 recipient of the Ernie Jones Memorial Civil Engineering Scholarship at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. The official announcement was made at the NATE Awards & Sponsor Recognition Luncheon on Wednesday, February 19 during the annual NATE UNITE 2020 Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Elijah is at the top of his class academically but especially excels in his major courses related to construction and UE’s structural analysis and design sequences. In addition to his civil engineering major, Elijah is now pursuing minors in both Mathematics and Engineering Management with an anticipated graduation date of May 2021. Ever curious about the way things work, Elijah has participated in the University of Evansville’s steel bridge project, and has been involved with the Aces Concrete Canoe team since his sophomore year. Most recently, he interned with the Indiana Department of Transportation's (INDOT) bridge inspection unit in the summer of 2019. For the summer of 2020, Elijah is actively seeking to obtain a structural design internship.

“Elijah is a dedicated student who demonstrates an eagerness to learn as much as possible about structural design and construction,” stated Dr. James Allen, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Evansville. “In my structural analysis and design classes I can always count on Elijah to ask insightful questions that lead to an increased understanding by not only himself, but also his classmates. He has a unique ability to frame his questions in a way that leads to deeper discussions of practical design and construction issues. We think this diligence and continuous pursuit for deeper understanding of the behavior of his designs embodies the spirit of Ernie Jones as the recipient of his named memorial scholarship,” added Dr. Allen.

Ernie Jones was a structural engineer who worked in the broadcast tower industry for 30 years. During his career, Mr. Jones served as a Professional Engineer and President of Consolidated Engineering, Inc. and as Vice-President of Structural Engineering at Electronics Research, Inc. Ernie was also a participating member of the TR-14.7 Committee of the Telecommunications Industry Association and Electronics Industry Association since 1986 where he assisted with writing and approving the ANSI-TIA/EIA 222 Standard which is the American National Standard for Steel Antenna Towers and Antenna Supporting Structures.

The Ernie Jones Memorial Civil Engineering Scholarship awards a $2,500 NATE-funded scholarship annually to a junior or senior level civil engineering student at the University of Evansville’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.

For more information on NATE, visit www.natehome.com. Visit www.towerfamilyfoundation.org to learn more about the Tower Family Foundation.

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