Over the course of his four years at Mississippi State University, senior civil engineering major Phong Ly has been no stranger to awards, honors and recognition.
Adding to his impressive list of accolades, Ly has been named to the prestigious New Faces of Civil Engineering for 2019 by the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is among just 10 U.S. college students selected for the honor.
The ASCE New Faces program highlights a select group of civil engineering leaders and recognizes their academic or professional accomplishments as well as their community engagement.
“I’m incredibly honored to be featured in a group of diverse, aspiring civil engineers who understand our role in balancing environmental, social and economic sustainability for our communities,” Ly said. “I was very pleasantly surprised to receive this award, since ASCE is comprised of university chapters around the nation sprawling with young and talented engineers.”
Among his many accomplishments, Ly is one of just seven engineering students to be elected to the 2019 class of MSU’s James Worth Bagley College of Engineering Student Hall of Fame. Additionally, Ly was among only 50 students nationwide to earn a merit-based scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation in 2018. He also captured first place in the undergraduate student paper competition at the 2018 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress.
Active on campus
During his time in Starkville, Ly has been involved in Mississippi State’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders and worked with the university’s Watersheds and Water Quality Research Lab under assistant professor John Ramirez-Avila. He has also worked with the Sustainable Bioproducts Department under assistant professor Jason Street. He interned with Gulf Power to monitor water quality and biological conditions near coal-fired and natural gas power plants in the Florida panhandle.
“Phong is an energetic, engaging undergraduate scholar who has a commitment to becoming the best professional engineer he can,” said Dennis Truax, MSU department head for civil and environmental engineering. “He is driven to use his abilities to help develop a sustainable future for everyone.”
A native of Brandon, Ly is pursuing an environmental engineering concentration and is a member of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College.
“I am very happy to positively represent the work ethic, rigor and countless extracurricular and research opportunities in the Bagley College of Engineering,” Ly added. “As a first-generation student and person of color, I hope I can serve as a positive role model to minorities seeking a STEM career.”
Each year, the ASCE honors its New Faces of Civil Engineering – 10 college students and 10 young professionals whose early-career accomplishments mark them as the profession’s future stars. In 2018, recent alumna Sarah McEwen was selected to the New Faces professional list, with Andrew Odenthal named in 2012.
MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube at @msuengineering.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.