Excellence in Engineering: Emily Guglielmo By Marlys Amundson Last spring, the UCLA Alumni Association recognized three outstanding seniors, one of whom was a civil engineering major - and the first engineering recipient since 1993. Emily Guglielmo, who finished with a GPA close to 4.0, was honored for her scholastic achievements, her research, and her dedication to engineering student organizations and the Special Olympics. Guglielmo worked closely with Professor Jonathan Stewart and a graduate student on a soil liquefaction project analyzing ground failure incidents in Taiwan. A 1999 earthquake caused hundreds of structures in Taiwan to settle, tilt, and collapse due in part to liquefaction and ground softening. As a junior, Guglielmo was asked to design and implement a web site for the project, and analyze test data. Civil engineering professor Stewart explains, "She continued her work on the project in the field, performing data collection in Taiwan and working with our local collaborators. There are very few students who I would feel comfortable sending to a foreign country to perform important research, and Emily is that rare student." Working in Stewart's lab gave Guglielmo the opportunity to conduct independent research. "It was a wonderful opportunity to take a subject we had studied in class - soil liquefaction - and learn more about it in depth," she says. "The phenomena of earthquakes has always been of interest to me, so it was an ideal match." Guglielmo notes that working with Stewart not only bettered her understanding of the research process, but also enabled her to "[learn] a lot about academia, which was helpful in deciding if I should go on to graduate school. " She will begin her graduate studies at UC Berkeley in the fall in structural engineering, mechanics, and materials. Guglielmo, who is from Marin County, welcomed the chance to return home. Although she was committed to the research project and her studies, Guglielmo also made time for outside activities such as the UCLA chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Chi Epsilon, the civil engineering honor society. As vice president of Chi Epsilon she coordinated the Engineers in Training exam program, recruiting faculty members to lecture on areas covered by the exam. She was also vice president of ASCE her senior year. "I am really glad that I became more involved with the organizations - it gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of people from industry and to meet students outside of class," notes Guglielmo. "The highlight of my time at UCLA, though," adds Guglielmo, "was my involvement in the Special Olympics. I saw my first event the day I moved into the dorms, and have learned so much from the organization and the people." She was a program director at the UCLA Special Olympics for three years, and helped organize yearly tournaments. The organization works with students and families from South Central Los Angeles in eight different sports, including basketball, tennis, and soccer. In addition to her selection as an Outstanding Senior, Guglielmo was named the civil and environmental engineering department's 2002-03 Outstanding Bachelor of Science Degree Recipient, as well as a Star Student by CE News. She was also selected to receive a 2003 Edward K. Rice Student Award - Outstanding Undergraduate Student.