Contact: Maridith Geuder
A Gulf Coast engineering major at Mississippi State University is one of three receiving recognition in a national competition that drew more than 100 entries.
Jennifer Dagnall, a senior chemical engineering major from Bay St. Louis, has been awarded a $1,500 scholarship by the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management.
The honor was presented by John H. Frick, chairman of the institute's board of directors, at the organization's recent annual meeting in Atlantic City. The institute is a professional organization based in Rockville, Md.
Dagnall's entry also earned a $1,000 prize for Mississippi State. The competition was based on original work done by students.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Dagnall and a 1991 Our Lady Academy graduate, she plans a career in chemical engineering after receiving a bachelor's degree in May.
Her winning paper focused on an environmental reclamation technique known as bioremediation. Earlier this year, she also took first place in another national competition sponsored by the Monsanto Corp.
While attending Mississippi State, Dagnall has participated in the cooperative education program, alternating semesters between school and work experiences in her field of study. During five semesters in the program, she worked in process engineering at the Georgia-Pacific Paper Operations in Crossett, Ark.
She currently is a student research assistant in the chemical engineering department on campus. She has served as vice president for the student chapters of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and of the Power Engineering Society.
She also is a member of the Engineering Student Council and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.