Mark E. Zappi Engineering Student Leadership Endowed Scholarship
Dr. Mark E. Zappi was born in Lafayette, Louisiana with his hometown being St. Martinville, LA. He attended St. Aloysius High School in Vicksburg, MS. He received his BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Louisiana and his MS and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Mississippi State University. Dr. Zappi started his career at the US Army Waterways Experiment Station located in Vicksburg, MS. From there, he served as a named professor of chemical engineering at Mississippi State University. Since, 2005, he is honored to serve as the Dean of Engineering at UL. Dr. Zappi is a registered professional engineer. He has three patents, published over 200 professional publications, and has received many awards for his professional accomplishments.
Dr. Zappi has spent his career researching methods to clean polluted sites and prevent the pollution of additional areas. He also is an international expert on the development and application of alternative energy and clean chemical production methods. These areas of expertise matches, well with his love of the outdoors - particularly the Louisiana swamps and marshes. Over his career, one of the biggest thrills that Dr. Zappi experienced is the mentoring of engineering students as they participated in his research projects. He also enjoyed teaching engineering students within the classroom using examples of real projects he experienced over this career. He has approached his interaction with students with the knowledge that serving a small part in the design of a person’s life is a true honor and huge responsibility.
However, as exciting and important as his career has been to Dr. Zappi, his biggest accomplishments in life has been his marriage to Ms. Melinda Madsen Zappi and serving as the proud father of his sons, Kyle and Alex. He also enjoys his time training his Labrador Retrievers to serve as a hunting buddy for him and his sons. Dr. Zappi is hopeful that the recipients of this scholarship will remember to love their time on earth as if they will die tomorrow and learn as if they will live forever.
Eligibility Requirements
- Must be the LES President
- Must have a minimum cumulative 2.8 GPA