TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Holly Eriksen, a sophomore majoring in civil and environmental engineering, recently received the Dorothy Lemke Howarth Memorial Scholarship from the Society of Women Engineers.

The Dorothy Lemke Howarth Scholarships were established in 1991 through generous donations from Dorothy Lemke Howarth, a longtime SWE member. Donations have continued each year, increasing both the value and number of scholarships. Awards are made to sophomore engineering students who are U.S. citizens.

A Tuscaloosa native, Eriksen was one of five students selected nationally to win the $2,000 scholarship. Other recipients are students at the Arizona State University, Georgia Technological Institute, Kansas State University, and the University of Idaho.

Eriksen is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Alpha Lambda Delta, and Phi Eta Sigma. She is also active with the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Student Government Association’s Information Services Committee.

SWE was founded in 1950. It is a not-for-profit educational and service organization, and it is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and become recognized for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering has about 1,800 students and more than 95 faculty. It has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.