Montana Technological University civil engineering student Avery Londo receives 2023-2024 American Concrete Institute (ACI) Fellowship

Avery Londo, a junior from Columbus, Ohio, won the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Foundation Concrete Practitioner Fellowship for her strong interpersonal skills and grasp of concrete technical knowledge. She will receive a $10,000 educational stipend, paid travel expenses and attendance fees to two ACI conventions, and assistance finding an industry mentor. The two conventions include Boston, MA, in Fall 2023 and New Orleans, LA, in Spring 2024.

This year, ACI Fellowship finalists were required to make a five-minute video answering committee questions before attending and interviewing in person at the convention. This is the first ACI Fellowship award for Montana Tech.

“I am very honored to receive the ACI Practitioner Fellowship,” says Londo. “Concrete is such a powerful material with so many capabilities, and I am excited for my future working with this material as a structural engineer!”

Avery has worked under the mentorship of Dr. Bret Robertson, assistant professor and lab director of Civil Engineering. She has performed research on cement mortar mixtures that utilized cow dung ash as a sustainable solution. Avery has also been active in the ASCE student club as an officer and a concrete canoe team captain. Avery also founded the ACI student chapter at Montana Tech in 2023.

 “I am so proud of Avery for her outstanding achievements at Montana Tech,” Dr. Robertson said.“She has far exceeded every challenge I have thrown her way for three years. This opportunity will provide her with valuable mentors and contacts for her career as a structural engineer.”

 “I’d like to thank my mentor, Bret Robertson, and my peers,” Londo said. “Without their support, I would not be where I am today.”

This summer, Avery will work for Nucor Building Systems in Terrell, TX as a structural design intern. This is her second internship with the company, and this summer, she will continue learning the steel building design process. Avery is also traveling to Austria this summer for a Montana Tech study abroad trip where she will learn about engineering project management. In the future, Avery hopes to combine her steel and concrete material knowledge as a design engineer at a structural engineering firm.