Purdue Chi Epsilon Chapter President Emily Byl has been selected as one of two 2015 National Chi Epsilon Graduate Fellowship recipients.

Since her initiation into Chi Epsilon in the fall of 2012, Emily has been actively involved in the Purdue chapter.  As the vice president in the spring of 2014, she planned and coordinated ten Fundamentals of Engineering Exam review sessions taught by Purdue professors.  She was given the opportunity to represent Purdue at the 2014 Chi Epsilon National Conclave held in Salt Lake City, Utah.   In April 2014, Emily was elected to the position of chapter president for the 2014-2015 school year.  As president, she supervises the responsibilities of a team of thirteen officers to improve the contributions of the Purdue chapter to the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, and the community of West Lafayette.  Under Emily’s direction, the chapter has worked to grow the CE Buddy Program, a one-on-one mentoring program that pairs Chi Epsilon students with incoming sophomores to welcome them into the Lyles School of Civil Engineering.  Most recently, the Purdue chapter hosted eight of the surrounding Chi Epsilon chapters for the 2015 Great Lakes District Conference in March of 2015.

Applications for this Chi Epsilon national fellowship were subjected to a technical review by the Purdue chapter faculty advisor before being forwarded to the District Councillor for merit review and ranking. The top two candidates from each of the ten districts were then sent to the Chi Epsilon National Office for additional consideration by the finalist selection committee.  Emily was chosen from among these national finalists as one of the two recipients of the 2015 Chi Epsilon Graduate Fellowship.

Emily received her B.S.C.E. with distinction from Purdue University in December of 2014.  As an undergraduate, she completed a six-session co-op with ARSEE Engineers, Inc., in Fishers, Indiana.  Emily is currently pursuing her master's degree at Purdue University as a research assistant working with Dr. Robert Frosch, Associate Dean of Engineering for Resource Planning and Management and Professor of Civil Engineering.  Emily’s research at the Bowen Laboratory involves the preservation of reinforced concrete highway bridge decks as part of the Joint Transportation Research Program.