Foster Research Scholarship

The Foster Research Scholarship Fund was initiated in 2015 by Kevin and Vanessa Foster in honor of Kevin's parents, John and Maura Foster, and his College Advisor, Professor Liang Liu. Through the constant support, encouragement, and mentoring of both his parents and Professor Liu, Kevin was fortunate enough to have a college experience filled with undergrad research, construction site visits, and international trips, internships, presentations from industry professionals and a semester abroad. In 2009, he graduated with an bachelor's degree in CEE focused on construction management and structures, and in 2010 he graduated with a master's degree in CEE/Construction Management. The scholarship is intended to enable recipients to become more involved with the department, get exposed to undergraduate research, create connections with industry professionals and ultimately make a positive impact on the students' overall university experience.

Scholarships shall be provided to undergraduate students who are enrolled in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. First preference shall be given to freshman or sophomore students majoring in construction management, with second preference given to junior students.  Preference will also be given to students who have applied to, or have participated in, the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program. 

Past recipients:

2023     Nicholas Novak

2022     Billy Delaney, Emily Shao

2021     Junryu Fu, Natalie Hill

2020     Elizabeth Callis, Xuhuan Zhao

2019     Michael Rivkin

2018     Meijun Liu