The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Florida International University (FIU) is proud to recognize the outstanding achievements of its transportation engineering students at the 2025 ITE International Annual Meeting in Orlando, as well as recent honors from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). These recognitions reflect our students’ academic excellence, leadership, and continued advancement in their professional journeys.
Highlights of the Awards
Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
- FLPRITE Best Student Chapter Award – FIU ITE Student Chapter (Florida–Puerto Rico District)
- Bill McGrath Scholarship – 3rd Place: Enock Mwambeleko
- 3MT Pitch Competition – 2nd Place: Amy Aida; 3rd Place (tie): Enock Mwambeleko and Yasmine Al Moghrabi
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
- ASCE (International) – Jack E. Leisch Award – Hellen Shita
- ASCE Florida Section – Best Graduate Student – Hellen Shita
- ASCE Miami-Dade Branch – Best Graduate Student – Hellen Shita
These awards underscore FIU’s commitment to preparing practice-ready engineers and advancing transportation safety, mobility, and infrastructure resilience. 
About the Students
Amy Aida
Amy is pursuing a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a concentration in transportation engineering. Her research focuses on enhancing safety and mobility at highway–rail grade crossings through the application of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and other emerging technology solutions. Her broader interests include transportation safety, statistical modeling, artificial intelligence (AI), and traffic simulation. Outside of engineering, she enjoys creating art, watching movies, and exploring new places and experiences.
Enock Mwambeleko
Enock is a Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering at Florida International University, specializing in transportation engineering. He obtained his Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of North Florida in 2022. His research interests include traffic operations, traffic safety, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), shared mobility systems, and statistical modeling. He has led research projects focused on managed lane safety and the safety of micromobility users.
Hellen Shita
Hellen Shita, RSP1, is a Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering at Florida International University. Her dissertation focuses on crash frequency and injury severity in freeway work zones across Florida. She leads multiple transportation safety projects, including evaluating Smart Work Zones in Florida and improving driver compliance in South Dakota. Hellen is also a panel member for an ongoing National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) project.
Yasmine Al Moghrabi
Yasmine Al Moghrabi is a Ph.D. Candidate in Transportation Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Mohammed Hadi, and a young road safety and sustainable mobility advocate. Her research focuses on transportation operations and safety, data analytics, and simulation modeling.
About the FIU ITE Student Chapter
The FIU ITE Student Chapter continues to set the standard for excellence in transportation education and leadership. Through hands-on learning, professional networking, and community engagement, the chapter empowers students to transform classroom knowledge into real-world transportation solutions. This year, the chapter was honored with the FLPRITE Best Student Chapter Award, recognizing its outstanding commitment to professional development, service, and advancing the future of the transportation engineering profession.