Xueyang Wang and Matthew Griffiths were recently awarded scholarships from the Deep Foundation Institute's Educational Trust. Credit: Provided by Xueyang Wang and Matthew Griffiths
Civil engineering students receive scholarships from engineering educational trust
Apr 4, 2025
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two Penn State civil engineering students were awarded scholarships from the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) Educational Trust. This year, the trust provided 10 U.S. and Canadian students pursuing careers in civil or geotechnical engineering a total of $43,750 in scholarships from five different funds. The trust is a nonprofit organization established and overseen by the DFI, consisting of a total of 23 different scholarship and grant funds available for students.
Xueyang Wang, a second-year graduate student in civil engineering advised by Ming Xiao, professor of civil and environmental engineering, was awarded $2,500. Wang received the award due to her research into deep foundation systems used for construction.
“I am honored to receive this scholarship from the DFI educational trust,” Wang said. “The support from this award will allow me to continue my research in deep foundations and motivates me to continue contributing to the field of geotechnical engineering.”
Matthew Griffiths, a recent Penn State alumnus of the civil engineering program who was a student at the time of application, was awarded $5,000 toward the cost of his education. Griffiths received the award due to his leadership efforts and community involvement at Penn State, including service on the executive board of Penn State’s American Society of Civil Engineers chapter, Penn State’s steel bridge construction team and a former team captain at the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania’s annual student estimating competition.
“It’s an incredible honor to receive this award, which has been instrumental in supporting my education and helping me start my career in the heavy-civil construction industry,” Griffiths said. “I am incredibly grateful to the scholarship committee and donors for this generous support and recognition.”
DFI is an international association of contractors, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, academics and owners involved in the construction and design of deep foundations for buildings, tunneling and excavation, according to its website. DFI’s Educational Trust supports research in the deep foundations field by providing scholarships, grants and other funding opportunities to students around the world. Since its formation in 2006, the trust has awarded more than 550 individuals over $2 million in scholarships and research funding.
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