PITTSBURGH (Feb. 12, 2020) The Civil
and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department of the School of Engineering is
delighted to announce the establishment of the John F. Oyler Fellowship. The
Fellowship will provide full tuition support for a graduate student in good
academic standing and specializing in structures or solid mechanics in the
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, with preference for students
entering the Engineering Accelerated Graduate
(EAGr) program. It
is funded by a gift from the John Francis Oyler and Nancy Lee Victoria Fleck
Oyler Foundation to recognize Dr. Oyler’s longstanding connection to the CEE
Department.
Dr. Oyler was a professor in the Swanson School for 25 years before
retiring in 2018. He began his teaching career after 40 years in industry,
where he worked for Dravo Corporation, Daxus Corporation, and his own
consulting firm, Oyler Consulting Services. During his time at Pitt, he taught
Statics, Mechanics of Materials, Materials of Construction, and Senior Design
Projects. He hopes that this recent gift will help jumpstart students’ careers
in the field in which he dedicated more than 65 years of service.
“My family and I are quite grateful for the opportunity the Civil
Engineering Department gave me to participate in the education of young
engineers for the past two and a half decades,” he said. “It has always been my
belief that a civil engineer should acquire proficiency in all of the civil
engineering disciplines and a complete mastery of at least one.”
Students in the EAGr program are encouraged to apply for
the Fellowship, which will announce its first award in 2020. EAGr is an
accelerated master’s program that was established to ease the path toward an
advanced degree. Eligible students will earn both a bachelor’s and master’s
degree within their discipline in five years, rather than six. Interested
students should contact Dr. Leonard Casson, the Undergraduate Coordinator for
the CEE Department.
“I am in agreement with the general opinion in the civil engineering
profession that a fifth year of formal education is an essential requirement
for achieving the professional level. It certainly was true in my career,” said
Dr. Oyler. “We are particularly interested in encouraging students to pursue
their master's degrees in solid mechanics and structures via the EAGr program.”
In 2017, the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE) selected Oyler as recipient of the 2017 Michael A. Gross
Meritorious Service Award in recognition of contributions to civil engineering.
He was nominated by former students wishing to pay tribute to his role in their
professional development and the impact he has had on countless other students
over the years.
More recently, Dr. Oyler was selected to receive the 2020
Distinguished Service Award from the Pennsylvania Society of Professional
Engineers (PSPE). The award recognizes “an individual or individuals for
outstanding contributions toward the improvement of the social, economic, and
professional status of the Professional Engineer.”
“These recent awards are a reflection of what Dr. Oyler has done for
decades to elevate the stature of our profession,” said Radisav Vidic, William
Kepler Whiteford Professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering. “He
has impacted the lives of our students, and with this generous gift, he will continue
to support their careers and leave a lasting legacy in the Swanson School.”
In addition to the John F. Oyler Fellowship, Pitt’s School of Health
and Rehabilitation Sciences established the Nancy
L. Oyler Student Award with a gift from the Oyler family foundation. The
Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program designed the award
to support and encourage graduate level training and clinical excellence in rehabilitation
counseling. It was established in 2019 to honor the memory of Mrs. Oyler, who
worked as a rehabilitation counselor, which involved providing psychosocial
adjustment services to persons with disabilities.
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2/12/2020
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