Pitt Graduate Student Wins Transportation Fellowship Award

Pitt business/engineering graduate student Anthony Fitzpatrick received a $10,000 Francis B. Francois Fellowship from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

Fitzpatrick’s award stems from the larger Francis B. Francois Award given to PennDOT’s District 12 (Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties) for innovative project delivery. The district offered the fellowship to universities across Pennsylvania, seeking proposals on how the fellowship could be used. PennDOT and AASHTO selected Pitt for its unique MBA/Master of Science in Engineering Dual Degree program that is offered through the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and the Swanson School of Engineering.

Fitzpatrick, who is pursing an MBA and a master’s degree in civil engineering, was chosen for his interest in transportation issues and his academic standing. He will work from an integrated business-engineering perspective on a to-be-determined project related to Pennsylvania transportation issues.

Established in 2000, the Francis B. Francois Award honors the eponymous American engineer and noted authority on transportation infrastructure and policy. Francois served for 19 years as executive director of AASHTO, the nation’s leading body on transportation research, policy, and design.