UA Engineering Student Wins ASME National Award

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Bianca Covington, a 2009 University of Alabama graduate in mechanical engineering, was recently awarded the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Charles T. Main Student Section Silver Award, which recognizes student leadership and service. 

Covington has served as the chair of UA’s chapter of ASME and helped pioneer UA’s Society of Automotive Engineers all-female Mini Baja team. She has also been involved with community initiatives, such as working with Habitat for Humanity and Science Olympiad. 

In addition to this honor, Covington was named a National Hispanic Merit Scholar, received the Will Byington Award for Student Involvement and Achievement and was an Alabama Space Grant recipient. She has worked as an engineering intern with Phifer Wire Products Inc. and B.A.E. Systems in Sealy, Texas. 

Covington, from Houston, Texas, served with the University Stewards Recruitment program as an ambassador for all Texas recruiting. She currently is employed at Samsung Austin Semiconductors in Austin, Texas. 

ASME’s Charles T. Main Student Section Award was established in 1919 to encourage student members to become active in public service. The award recognizes student members whose leadership and service qualities have contributed to the ASME program. 

ASME is a technical organization with 125,000 members. The organization develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the engineering and technology community. 

In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 2,700 students and over 100 faculty. In the last eight years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.