CEE Selects Jake Kline as the inaugural John F. Oyler Fellow

PITTSBURGH (June 3, 2020) … Jake Kline, a University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University undergraduate student, was selected as the first recipient of the John F. Oyler Fellowship. 

The award, administered by Pitt’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will provide full tuition support to a student who is in good academic standing and specializing in structures or solids. Preference is given to a student who is participating in the Engineering Accelerated Graduate (EAGr) program and/or for master’s recruitment purposes. 

Kline, an upcoming alumnus of the Binary Engineering Program, will receive a dual bachelor’s degree in physics and civil engineering at the end of the summer. His interests lie in structural health monitoring and structural rehabilitation of older buildings.

“My time in undergraduate civil engineering has helped me discover the variety of possibilities and applications if I further my education at Pitt,” he said, “and I look forward to expanding my knowledge of structural engineering.” 

Kline will participate in the EAGr program which provides qualified students with the opportunity to earn a bachelor of science (BS) and a master of science (MS) degree in five years.

“Once I complete my academic commitments, I plan to pursue a career with Engineers Without Borders, as I firmly believe the principal duty of an engineer is to make the world a better place,” he said. 

The John F. Oyler Fellowship was generously funded by a gift from the John Francis Oyler and Nancy Lee Victoria Fleck Oyler Foundation to recognize Dr. Oyler’s long standing connection to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

About John F. Oyler

Dr. Oyler was a professor in the Swanson School for 25 years before retiring in 2018. He began his teaching career after 40 years in industry, where he worked for Dravo Corporation, Daxus Corporation, and his own consulting firm, Oyler Consulting Services. During his time at Pitt, he taught Statics, Mechanics of Materials, Materials of Construction, and Senior Design Projects. He hopes that this fellowship will help jumpstart students’ careers in the field in which he dedicated more than 65 years of service.