New scholarship supports students interested in transportation engineering
The new Scott Pedersen Memorial Scholarship in Transportation Engineering is the first-ever undergraduate scholarship in CEGE targeted at students with an interest in transportation engineering. It celebrates the memory and legacy of CEGE alumnus and transportation engineer Scott Pedersen through its support of the education and development of future leaders in civil and transportation engineering. The first scholarship award will be made for the academic year 2025-26.
Scott Pedersen was a highly-respected leader in the Twin Cities transportation engineering field. He worked with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) for 30-plus years. In the beginning, he worked at MnDOT during the day and took UMN civil engineering classes at night. Sadly, Pedersen passed away in July 2024 after a brief illness. His engineering legacy will live on.
Pedersen was known for strategic leadership that ensured complex road construction projects would be delivered on budget, on time, and with safety as the top consideration. His influence spans the Twin Cities with a variety of important projects including the rebuild of I-35W through south Minneapolis, an expansion of I-94 to four lanes between Hwy. 280 and downtown Minneapolis, extra lanes for I-494 from Plymouth to Maple Grove, a transformation of Highway 212 into a four-lane freeway in the southwest metro, and the new I-35W bridge over the Minnesota River that includes space for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Pedersen enjoyed building connections across Minnesota cities and counties, and was dedicated to public engagement and service to the community. In addition to his professional role as MnDOT’s director of program delivery, he served his local community as a member of the St. Michael City Council. Pedersen also enjoyed mentoring aspiring engineers.
The creation of this scholarship is being led by Pedersen's colleagues and friends and with proceeds of an annual golf tournament hosted by SRF. His colleagues and friends aim to grow the fund to $50,000 so the fund can be endowed, preserving Pedersen's legacy.
If you would like to remember Scott Pedersen, click here to help grow the scholarship.