Carnegie Mellon University

Sofia Martinez

February 04, 2020

Martinez Awarded Fok Presidential Fellowship

PhD candidate Sofia Martinez has been awarded the Thomas and Maria Fok Presidential Fellowship. Martinez earned her Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the University of Portland in Oregon.

Martinez, co-advised by professors Sean Qian, Costa Samaras, and Scott Matthews and is focused on analyze changes which would result from America's public transportation transitioning to an autonomous, electric bus fleet.

“I am honored to receive the Thomas and Maria Fok Presidential Fellowship,” says Martinez. “The support from the CMU community has been inspirational.”

Through a generous gift from the Fok estate, the department was endowed with fellowship and scholarship funds to support CEE students. Thomas Fok was awarded a doctorate in 1956 in civil engineering from Carnegie Mellon University (then Carnegie Tech). In 1958, he accepted the position of Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Youngstown State University, where he taught until 1967. In 1967, Fok started his own business, forming a partnership in Mosure-Fok Consulting Engineers. In 1976, he served as chairman of his own business, Thomas Fok and Associates.