ELYRIA, OH- Heather Parker, a sophomore at The University of Akron (UA), is the first recipient of a $2,500 scholarship funded by KS Associates, a civil engineering and land surveying firm. KS Associates established the scholarship in 2006 in partnership with UA's Women in Engineering Program (WIEP) to support women's pursuits of careers in engineering.

The annual scholarship is available to female civil engineering students of sophomore status and above who demonstrate academic excellence and who have a minimum grade-point-average (GPA) of 2.75.

Parker's application was selected based on the quality of an essay she submitted and her GPA of 4.0. Applicants were judged by Halle Jones Capers, P.E., director of the WIEP, and Lynn S. Miggins, P.E., president of KS Associates. According to Miggins, "The scholarship is testament to KS Associates' core value of supporting education and WIEP's mission of developing highly qualified women engineers." Miggins has been a member of the UA WIEP Advisory Council since 2005.

About The University of Akron Women in Engineering Program:

The University of Akron established the WIE Program in 1993 to recruit more women into engineering disciplines by providing the tools and resources students need to successfully complete their degrees. WIE is committed to increasing the quality and quantity of well-educated engineers in the workforce. For more information visitwww.engineering.uakron.edu/wiep.html.

About KS Associates:

KS Associates is a civil engineering and land surveying firm founded in 1987. The firm provides land survey and mapping services; design, bidding and construction administration of public infrastructure and transportation projects; and development services for residential, commercial and institutional projects. KS Associates is a FBE (Female Business Enterprise). Approximately 30 percent of KS Associates' staff of 61 employees is female. For more information visit www.ksassociates.com.