TUCSON, ARIZ. (Dec. 1, 2020) – The Tucson office of engineering consulting firm Terracon presented a $6,000 check from its foundation to the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH).
The grants fund scholarships for students enrolled in environmental and occupational health, industrial hygiene and environmental health sciences graduate and Ph.D. programs.
The grant application was championed by Derek Koller, CIH, CHMM, the Terracon Tucson Office Manager. In November, four UA students were awarded a $1,500 scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year through a competitive process and selected on their academic merit.
Derek Koller
“I’m proud to be an employee-owner at a firm that gives us the means to advocates for institutions of higher learning with which we’re involved,” Koller said. “It is especially rewarding to able to give back to MEZCOPH where I received both my BS degree and Master of Public Health degree. This is the second grant we have been able to champion on the behalf of MEZCOPH and the third grant that has been award through the Terracon Foundation to the University since 2017 for a total of $21,000.”
Terracon’s Tucson Office has a longstanding relationship with UA. Regional Manager Brent M. Borchers, P.E., is a former adjunct professor for the College of Engineering and several employees from both the Phoenix and Tucson offices have presented on campus. Terracon employees also interact with the University through their involvement with the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society, and the American Society of Civil Engineering.
“This was very much a team effort,” Koller said. “In addition to university involvement from staff in both our Tucson and Phoenix offices, a successful grant application also requires a lot of help from university faculty. Dr. Stephanie Griffin, CIH, was instrumental in helping me put together the application. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when you have a support team like that.”
Terracon is an employee-owned consulting engineering firm with more than 4,000 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services from more than 140 offices with services available in all 50 states.
Terracon ranks 24th on the Engineering News-Record list of Top 500 Design Firms and is ranked No. 1 in Asbestos and Lead Abatement Design.
To learn more about Terracon visit terracon.com/offices/tucson/