InTrans / Apr 19, 2019
Graduate student wins women in transportation award
InTrans doctoral candidate Bahar Bazargani was one of two women to recently receive the president’s scholarship from the regional chapter of WTS International, an organization dedicated to supporting women in the transportation industry.
The WTS Greater Chicago Area Chapter, which encompasses Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, recently feted Bazargani among seven women at the undergraduate and graduate level who received various scholarships awarded to assist young women who aspire to a professional career in transportation.
Bazargani said it was one of the happiest moments in her graduate studies when she received the call from Tina Revzin, co-chair of the Chicago chapter, telling her that she would receive the award.
“I have never felt this enthused and confident. The scholarship definitely motivates me to work even harder and aim for farther horizons,” Bazargani said.
Bazargani is working with InTrans’ Center for Transportation Research and Education Director Omar Smadi, and she is researching intelligent infrastructure engineering.
She submitted an application for the award with a letter of support from Smadi and James Hauber, bridge rating engineer at Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), who supervised her when she was a co-op student at the Iowa DOT.
The awards reception was held on April 9 and held in downtown Chicago. It offered an opportunity to meet with the other award recipients and learn about their journey in engineering, as well as meet with representatives from the industry.
Iowa State women have won a scholarship from WTS Greater Chicago Area Chapter in each of the last four years.