Nomination Deadline: March 1st

The prize was established and endowed in 1939 by Daniel W. Mead, Hon.M.ASCE, a Society past president. The contest provides an opportunity for alert young civil engineers to further their professional development and gain national attention.

Award

Up to 5 winners will be chosen. First place will receive a plaque. Other winners will receive certificates.

2023 Recipient

  • Eliyas Encarnacion, S.M.ASCE

Read the 2023 award-winning paper (PDF)

View all winners

2023 Topic

Per ASCE’s Code of Ethics, engineers govern their professional careers on fundamental principles that, above all else, protect and advance the health, safety, and welfare of the public through the practice of Civil Engineering.

Most engineering designs rely on regulations that trickle down from federal, state, and county levels. In some situations, regulations and the ethical considerations of engineers may not always align due to regulations requiring updates to incorporate new standards of practice or as a result of outside influences.

How does an engineer balance regulations and ethics?

Entries for the contest shall be limited to 1 paper from each ASCE or AEI Student Organization and must be submitted through the Faculty Advisor.

Questions should be directed to ASCE Student Services.

Rules

  1. The Daniel W. Mead Prize for Students may be awarded annually on the basis of a paper on professional ethics. Each year the specific topic of the contest for the forthcoming year shall be selected by the Committee on Student Members for the Student Award.
  2. Members of Student Organizations of the Society who are in good standing at the time their papers are submitted are eligible for the contest, unless they have previously received the national award for which they are competing.
  3. Papers for the national contests shall (a) be limited to 1 paper from each Student Organization; (b) not exceed 2,000 words in length; (c) be written by only 1 person; and (d) not have previously been published in other school or Society publications.
  4. The Committee on Student Members shall review each submission and recommend the top five student papers as Society finalists, of which one may be selected as the national winner for approval by the Executive Committee.
  5. All finalists shall receive an appropriate certificate recognizing their achievements. If there is a national winner, they shall receive a wall plaque rather than a certificate.

Nomination

To nominate, a completed submission will consist of a single .pdf file containing:

  1. Cover letter, from the Faculty Advisor stating the name, ASCE/AEI member ID number, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address for the paper's author.
  2. The paper being submitted.

The name of the file shall follow this format:

Mead Student Prize - Author's Last Name - Name of University.pdf

Submissions should be sent to [email protected] and must be received on or before 11:59 pm (EST) March 1.