MECA SCHOLARSHIP
The MECA Scholarship
The MECA Scholarship was established by the Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) in 2007. MECA wishes to award this $1,000 scholarship to an individual who wants to pursue an engineering or science degree with an emphasis on erosion and sediment control or stormwater management.
๐ข๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑย ๐๐ฟ๐๐ป ๐๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ-๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟโ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ
Olivia is a junior at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities majoring in Civil Engineering and GIS. She has experience working with municipal stormwater on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus and she was a member of the UMD student group EcoReps. In her scholarship essay, Olivia stated that she has learned the importanceย of stormwater system managementย in a delicate ecosystem and has observed many times what happens when stormwater control measures fail. She looks forward to designing sustainable stormwater infrastructure in the future to help minimize erosion events from taking place.
Eryn is an honors undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Hydrology and a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Earth Sciences (Environmental Geology) at Saint Cloud State University. This past summer she had a Stormwater Engineering and Erosion Control internship with the City of Burnsville, she is theย founder and President of the Earth and Environmental Alliance at St. Cloud State, and volunteers as a Water Monitor with the MPCA. Eryn expects to complete her degrees in the Spring of 2026 and her professional goal is to make a meaningful impact in the stormwater management and floodplain sciences.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ข๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ต ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ!
Scholarship application
To apply, please download the application form and send it to the MECA office by November 1, 2024.
MECA Scholarship Recipients
2025
Eryn Bloom, St. Cloud State University | Hydrology and Earth Sciences
Olivia May, University of Minnesota Twin Cities | Civil Engineering and GIS
2024
Kendra Sommerfeld, Colorado State University |ย Natural Resource Management and Conservation Communications
2023
Limeimei Xu, University of MN-Twin Cities | Water Resources
2022
Cindy Wuddah, Minnesota State University, Mankato | Construction Management
2021
Leanna Markovics, University of MN-Twin Cities in the College of Science and Engineering | Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering
2020
Jaquelin Shimota, University of MN-Twin Cities in the College of Science and Engineering | Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering
2019
Jack Distel, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Water Resource Scienceย
2018
Vinicus Taguchi, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | CivilEngineering-Water Resources
Laura Kivisto, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Environmental
2017
Austin Cavallin, University of Minnesota, Duluth | Geology
2016
Libby Mills, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Animal Science-Dairy Products
2015
Cody Ritt, North Dakota State University (NDSU) | Civil & Environmental Engineering
2014
Jennifer Soltys, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Ecological Engineering
2013
Emma Volbrecht,ย
2012
Taylor Hoffman, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering
2011
Scott Mitchell, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities |Environmental Science Policy and Management
2010
Heather Herrig, University of Minnesota, Crookston | Natural Resource Management & Communications
2009
Catherine Bach, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Environmental Sciences | Policy & Management
2008
Micah Meyer, University of Minnesota, Crookston | Natural Resources
In Memory of Charlie
By Rick Kruger and Dan Larsen
Remember the date. July 12, 2006. Maybe not a 9/11 or a December 7, but a significant date within our industry. For 7/12 is the date we lost a friend, Charlie Parnell, founder of Partek Supply. Our subset of population in the Upper Midwest has several notable leaders-Charlie was one of them.
Although, in Charlie’s case, “notable” would be an understatement. His laugh and smile were infectious and engaging. The combination of the two was powerful and very effective on all he communicated with. Contractors and engineers a-like had no defense for this one-two punch. To me, Charlie was a “what if” guy. While most of us accept the norm as being pretty darn good, Charlie would ask “What if?” “What does the customer want that is different, yet better?” “What can I do over here that will save him time and money over there?” There was no scenario Charlie would not give his best effort to find a more logical solution, and he often did.
He thought, he challenged, he succeeded. Charlie knew what the true meaning of “Thinking outside the Box” was.
But, the bacterial infection was too much, even for a man as strong as Charlie. Our industry has lost a great one, but his legacy will live on.
Remember the date. Remember Charlie.