2009 MAC-IECA Scholarship Winner Announcement 

The 2009 Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association scholarship resulted in a three-way tie, where each applicant received $600 in their name toward next semester’s expenses.  The winners were Gerald Henson, a Structures Geotechnical and Construction major from Virginia Tech; Daniel Michaelson, an Environmental Science and Engineering Science Major from the University of Virginia; and Filla Baliwag, an Earth and Environmental Sciences major from the University of Mary Washington.  

Congratulations to the following winners of the 2009 Annual Scholarship Award.

• Gerald Henson has interned with a number of construction and engineering firms including TCMS, LLC, the Rappahannock Construction Company, and Geo-Technology Associates.  He was also the recipient of the 2009 Geo-Technology Associates scholarship award.  His vast understanding of the construction industry was apparent in his essay, where he described not only his experience in the field, but also how important erosion and sediment controls are in protecting the environment.    

   

• Daniel Michaelson, a recent employee at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in the landscape ecology lab, has a wide background in the environmental sciences relating to Erosion and Sediment Control.  He conducted hydrological analyses that considered the effects of sediment on fish- species distribution in the non-tidal watersheds of Maryland, and studied the spatial variation of sediment yield in the Rivanna River Basin in Virginia.  His essay not only described this experience, but also communicated his desire to pursue a career in Erosion and Sediment Control due to future environmental implications relating to this important issue.
  

• Filla Baliwag was a recent recipient of the University of Mary Washington’s Undergraduate Research Award 2009, where she was acknowledged for her undergraduate research on the long-term effects of mining on fluvial systems, experience that she highlighted in her essay.  A native to the Philippines, Baliwag also described the effects of siltation on waterways near the City of Manila located in her native lands, and compared  this serious environmental  degradation with that existing in the United States.

Each year, MAC-IECA is proud to provide scholarships to assist undergraduate students within a designated field of study associated with erosion and sediment control with tuition expenses.