Seventeen outstanding engineering students were awarded scholarships from the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) and its member firms this year, totaling $45,000. The students, all of whom attend New York State colleges and universities, received individual awards ranging from $2,500 to $5,000. The scholarship winners are selected based on a student's cumulative grade-point average, college activities, work experience and an essay on consulting engineering. Since the program began a decade ago, ACEC New York has awarded 148 high-achieving engineering students a collective sum of $400,500. Students in metropolitan-area colleges were honored at ACEC New York's membership luncheon at the Union League Club. Among those schools represented were CUNY, Columbia University, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, The Cooper Union, Hofstra University, and Manhattan College. Students attending upstate colleges will be recognized at the council's winter conference in Albany in January 2013. At the ACEC New York's annual Engineering Excellence Awards gala at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in March, the council awarded a $5,000 scholarship in NYSDOT's name to Benjamin Conable, a CUNY student in his third year of civil engineering studies. Conable, a member of the civil engineering honor society Chi Epsilon and the university's chapter of Engineers Without Borders, plans to use his design and engineering experience to work on civic infrastructure for the public benefit. Jay Simson, president of ACEC New York, said, "We're proud to be assisting such a highly talented and well-rounded group of upcoming engineers in reaching their professional goals." Following are the 2012 scholarship winners: $5,000 Award: * NYSDOT Scholarship: Benjamin Conable, The City University of New York, New York, N.Y. $2,500 Awards: * AECOM Scholarship: Yenebebhiwot Wolde, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester. * Dagher Engineering, PLLC Scholarship: Vincent Nasri, Columbia University, New York. * HAKS Engineers, Architects and Land Surveyors, P.C. Scholarship: Eric Steck, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester. * HDR Scholarship: David Oh, Columbia University, New York. * Hazen and Sawyer, P.C. Scholarship: Luis Arias, Columbia University, New York. * Jaros, Baum & Bolles Scholarship: Désirée Smith, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, Brooklyn. * Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, P.C. Scholarship in memory of Maria Isabel Ramirez (09-11-01): William Xia, The Cooper Union, New York. * Mid Hudson Region Scholarship: John Ceccolini, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy. * Parsons Brinckerhoff Scholarship: Alexander Rivas, Hofstra University, New York. * Pennoni Engineering and Surveying of New York, LLC Scholarship: Luigi Deguzman, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester. * STV Group Scholarship: Marissa Peragine, Manhattan College, Bronx. * Stantec Consulting Services Inc. Scholarship: Elizabeth Murray, Columbia University, New York. * Syska Hennessy Group, Inc. Scholarship: Andrew Rietz, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester. * Thornton Tomasetti Scholarship: Stephen Cole-Hatchard, Manhattan College, Bronx. * Weidlinger Associates, Inc. Scholarship: Elizabeth Schrandt, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, Bronx. * Western Region Scholarship: Eric Culver, University of Buffalo, Buffalo.