The Freeman Fund was established in 1924 by John R. Freeman, Past President and Honorary Member, ASCE. The income from the fund is to be used in the aid and encouragement of young engineers, especially in research work for objectives as indicated in the rules.

In addition to the Society’s Freeman Fund, Mr. Freeman established similar trusts with the Boston Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In 1949 ASME and ASCE entered an informal agreement by which each would award a fellowship every other year, in alternating years. In 1989 ASCE decided to award the Fellowship every year.

Recent recipients

2023–2024

  • Hazem Abdelhady, S.M.ASCE Purdue Univ.
  • Harshit Mishra A.M.ASCE Colorado State Univ.
  • Marissa Webber, S.M.ASCE Carnegie Mellon Univ.

View all ASCE fellowship recipients

Rules

  1. The Freeman Fellowship may be presented annually to not more than three graduate civil engineering students, who will use the fellowship for tuition, research, and living expenses.
  2. The purpose of the fellowship is to further the education of worthy students in hydraulic engineering.
  3. Eligibility:
    1. At the time of application, the individual must be a member of the Society of any grade and in good standing at the time of application and award.
    2. The fellowship may be awarded only to those students who will continue their formal graduate education.
    3. Previous recipients of the fellowship are eligible to apply in any succeeding competition for these awards provided the other requirements of eligibility are satisfied.
  4. Application:
    1. Complete applications, following directions provided below, are to be submitted by January 15 of the year of award. Applications are required to be submitted online; mailed applications will no longer be accepted. For questions, please contact [email protected].
    2. Applications must include:
      1. completed contact information form (PDF)
        (Note: this form requires the signature of a faculty advisor in order to be considered complete.)
      2. personal 500-word essay on why the applicant should receive this fellowship, why the applicant chose to become a civil engineer, specific ASCE involvement, any special financial needs, and long-term goals and plans;
      3. completed detailed annual budget statement (PDF);
      4. description of the proposed research and its objectives, signed by an institutional representative indicating proposed research is acceptable;
      5. minimum of two recommendation letters, one of which must be from a faculty member;
      6. official transcript;
      7. one- to two-page resume. Include honors, activities, organizations, ASCE activities (including any offices held), and any work experience.
  5. Selection:
    1. All applications will be reviewed by the Society Awards Committee or its designee for recommendation to the Executive Committee for final approval.
    2. The committee reserves the right to recommend that no award be made in a particular year if no meritorious applications are received. Selection is based on (a) technical and social value of the proposed research. Preference is given to research which will contribute to the solution of conflicting engineering issues involving social, economic, environmental, or political concerns or compromises; (b) ability of the proposed research to meet the overall objective of the fellowship; (c) relevant professional experience, previous research or course of study either as a practitioner or in academia; (d) prior contribution to the engineering profession and/or the hydraulic engineering.
  6. Awards:
    1. The amount of the fellowship will be determined annually by and subject to approval of the Executive Committee of the ASCE Board of Direction based on income from the fund endowment.
    2. The fellowship may be used toward expenses for experiments, observations, and compilations to discover new and accurate data that will be useful in hydraulic engineering. The fellowship also recognizes underwriting fully or in part, some of the loss that may be sustained in the publication of meritorious books, papers, or translations pertaining to hydraulic science and art that might, except for some such assistance, remain mostly inaccessible.
    3. Travel is for the purpose of aiding the recipient to visit engineering works in the United States, or in any other part of the world, where there is good prospect of obtaining information useful to hydraulic engineers.
    4. Recipient will be notified of selection in the spring by the Executive Director of the Society.
    5. Award funds will be sent to the recipient.

Application Instructions

Online applications must be completed and submitted in a single session. All application materials must be submitted in English. Applications are required to be submitted online; mailed applications will no longer be accepted. For questions, please contact [email protected].

Application Deadline: January 15.

To complete the online application, you must have the following:

  1. A single PDF that includes the following items:
    1. A completed contact information form (PDF)
      (Note: this form requires the signature of a faculty advisor in order to be considered complete.)
    2. A personal essay which shall be no more than 500 words on why the applicant should receive this fellowship, why the applicant chose to become a civil engineer, specific ASCE involvement, any special financial needs, and long-term goals and plans;
    3. A completed detailed annual budget statement (PDF);
    4. A description of the proposed research and its objectives, signed by an institutional representative indicating proposed research is acceptable; and
    5. A one- to two-page resume. Include honors, activities, organizations, ASCE activities (including any offices held), and any work experience.
  2. Minimum of two (2) letters of recommendation, one of which must be from; a faculty member/research nominator. Recommendations must be submitted online by the author and must have a signature and be on letterhead.
    (Note: make sure you provide the recommendation letter submission link to your recommenders.)
  3. Official Transcripts: A digital copy of an official transcript must be sent from your institution to [email protected]. If a digital copy is not available, send a sealed copy to: ASCE Scholarships Program, American Society of Civil Engineers, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191.

Apply now

All application requirements must be fulfilled. Incomplete applications will not be considered.