The Paul Zia Memorial Lecture Series

2025 scholarship recipients

All scholarships are completely funded through the generous donations of sponsors of the Paul Zia Memorial Lecture Series.

Samuel Valmassoi, MCE Student
Sam Valmassoi is a Master's student in Structural Engineering.  He previously completed his BS in Civil Engineering at NC State where he conducted research under Dr. Rudi Seracino in the Constructed Facilities Laboratory, focusing on the application of FRP composites in the Harkers Island Bridge Replacement project.  In addition to his academic work, Sam serves as the President of the Pack Recovery student organization.  In his free time, he enjoys hiking and backpacking, as well as traveling abroad in order to experience different cultures firsthand.

Anindya Samya Saha, PhD Student
Anindya Samya Saha is a Ph.D. candidate in structural engineering. His doctoral research, advised by Dr. Giorgio T. Proestos, focuses on assessing the behavior and residual capacity of reinforced concrete bridge elements, including girders and pier caps. Anindya has studied long-term prestress loss in aged concrete structures and the shear behavior of deep concrete beams.  He will soon conduct large-scale experimental testing of pier caps as part of his dissertation research. Anindya formerly served as an instructor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, his alma mater, where he greatly enjoyed teaching and mentoring students. Outside of research and teaching, Anindya can often be found on the badminton court chasing tournament wins, sketching with a pencil, or traveling to photograph landscapes. He has a curious love for data analysis and exploring theoretical ideas, and never misses the chance to dive into a good TV show.

Nick Angel, MCE Student
Nicholas Angel is in his final year of a Master’s degree in structural engineering. During his time as a graduate student at NC State, he has worked as a Bridge Engineer-in-Training, getting hands-on experience in structural engineering analysis and design. Outside of academics and industry work, he enjoys watching and playing soccer with his friends and listening to 90’s rock music.

Tyler Wheeler, MCE Student
Tyler Wheeler is studying structural engineering as a graduate student at North Carolina State University. Before attending NCSU, she played collegiate soccer and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Virginia Wesleyan University. Her graduate studies have included professional experience at a local consulting firm, where she focused on public and private bridge projects. Outside of academics, Tyler enjoys coaching youth soccer, live music, and spending time with her Great Dane. 

Ananna Sarker, MS Student
Ananna Sarker is pursuing her Master’s degree in structural engineering at North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on large-scale experimental testing of deep concrete beams reinforced with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars, and is being conducted in the Constructed Facilities Lab (CFL) under the guidance of Dr. Giorgio T. Proestos and Dr. Rudi Seracino. Beyond her research, Ananna enjoys traveling, singing, and expressing her creativity through sketching and painting.

Aline Cristiane Kumpfer Nascimento, PhD Student
Aline Cristiane Kumpfer Nascimento is a Ph.D. student in civil engineering at North Carolina State University, working under the guidance of Dr. Moe Pourghaz and Dr. Greg Lucier. Her research focuses on alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in concrete, with an emphasis on developing a modified T-FAST test as a chemical approach to assess ASR risk in hardened mixtures. By quantifying ion leaching using X-ray fluorescence and other mineralogical techniques, Aline aims to improve the prediction of concrete behavior in the field, helping to mitigate durability issues in infrastructure. She enjoys planning and conducting lab-based experiments and working with chemical and microstructural analysis methods. Beyond research, Aline serves as treasurer for the Civil Engineering Graduate Student Association (CEGSA) and enjoys cooking, playing tennis, and taking care of her home and four cats.

Mykel Laney, MCE Student
Mykel Laney is a graduate student studying structural engineering at North Carolina State University, where he previously completed his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering. Mykel has experience outside of academics with a consulting firm in Charlotte, NC working on their structures team and focusing on vertical structures such as buildings and parking garages.  After graduate school, Mykel plans to return to this same firm and intends to specialize in multi-material structures, especially those that incorporate wooden structural elements.  Outside of academics, Mykel loves to golf and to spend time with his friends and family.

Allison Ebbert, MS Student
Allison is a second semester MS student in structural engineering who also completed her undergraduate degree at NC State. She is advised by Dr. Greg Lucier, working on the study of shear friction in grouted precast concrete connections that are commonly used in accelerated building construction.  Allison has tested 60 large-scale precast concrete specimens at the Constructed Facilities Laboratory and is working on analyzing and publishing the results of those experiments.  She loves the practical nature of experimentation, and enjoys hearing about other projects and helping others with their laboratory work. Allison plans to stay in the Triangle after graduation with the goal of becoming a licensed structural engineer.

Vikita Kamala, PhD Student
Vikita is a doctoral student advised by Dr. Ghadir Haikal. Her research focuses on the computational modeling of fiber-reinforced composites with softer inclusions, with the goal of optimizing the placement of those inclusions to enable self-healing composites. Vikita currently serves as the president of the Civil Engineering Graduate Student Association (CEGSA). Apart from her research, Vikita enjoys cooking, singing, and traveling with her other half. She is also the founder of Lotus Academy and Research in Pune, India, an organization that aims to motivate and support underprivileged kids to pursue education.  After graduation, she hopes to further expand this organization and to see it flourish.

William H. Martin, PhD Student
Bill Martin, PE, SE, GE is a Ph.D. candidate in Structural Engineering and Mechanics (SEM) at NC State University. Under the guidance of Dr. Jason Patrick, his research advances self-healing strategies in fiber-reinforced polymer composites to overcome life-limiting delamination damage and to improve resilience in high-performance structures, such as aircraft and wind turbines. His multidisciplinary work integrates mechanics, materials science, heat transfer, and electrical engineering, honoring Dr. Paul Zia’s legacy in innovative structural materials. Bill has maintained steady progress in his doctoral studies while balancing professional duties at a Raleigh-based engineering/construction firm, which he helped grow from 15 to over 1,400 employees across the US and Canada. He also contributes to service through ASCE 7 subcommittees and other standards’ committees, mentoring students and young engineers, and teaching SEM courses at NC State.  Bill is most proud of his loving family, including his wife and four children, and enjoys spending time together. Note: Bill generously declined the monetary portion of this award, leaving those financial resources for other students.