Scholarships
Kim de Rubertis Student Scholarship Awards
Applications for the 2025 Kim de Rubertis Student Scholarship Awards will open in August 2025.
To foster career paths for young professionals, the USSD Scholarship Award program looks to award undergraduate and graduate students in the field of dams, levees, and water resources; and provide opportunities in professional organizations.
The scholarship award is given annually to students whose academic program and plans have the potential to develop practical solutions to design and construction challenges related to dams, levees and other water resources.
The following information reflects updates and changes that have been made for this program.

2025 Scholarships Recipients
Scholarships ranging from $4,000-$10,000 were presented during the 2025 USSD Annual Conference and Exhibition in Kansas City, MO.

Deepika Ghorasaini - 1st Place
Utah State University
“Backward Erosion Piping: Evaluating Multiple Loading Effects and Head Loss Variability through Laboratory Experiments and Three-Dimensional Modeling”

Brock Huner - 2nd Place
Auburn University
"Modeling Dam Overtopping: Remediation Using Biopolymer Mixed Soil"

Lili Rahimikhameneh - 3rd Place
Auburn University
"Modeling Progression of Concentrated Leak Erosion in Dams and Levees"

Daniel M. Muschett - 4th Place
Purdue University
"Three-Dimensional Seismic Stability of Earth Dams and Application to the Gatun Dam of the Panama Canal"
Previous Recipients
Scholarships Sponsored By
