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Through the WCAPT Student/Emerging Professional Scholarship Fund, we provide financial support to current students and recent graduates in historic preservation or related fields in architecture, engineering, conservation, materials science, documentation, etc. to specifically help with expenses towards attending the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI) annual conference, or other WCAPT or APTI sponsored events. WCAPT awards two scholarships each year (one for a student applicant and one for an emerging professional applicant) pending availability of funding and number of applicants.
Scholarship award recipients are expected to provide a summary narrative of the event they attended to which the scholarship was applied within one month of attendance. The approximately one-page narrative should include the date, location, the personal event experience, and how the event impacted them within the profession. The narrative will be posted on the WCAPT website Scholarship Awards page. Eligibility Students: Students enrolled or recently graduated within six months from a full-time program at the time of scholarship application, studying historic preservation or related technical fields in architecture, engineering, conservation, materials science, documentation, etc. at a community college or university in California, Arizona, or Nevada, and with an intended professional career in this area of study. Emerging Professionals: New professionals at the time of scholarship application, in historic preservation or related technical fields in architecture, engineering, conservation, materials science, documentation, etc. with up to four years of professional experience in California, Arizona, or Nevada. Applicants must be current WCAPT members at the time of application (Note: Student membership is free). Award recipients must be able to attend one APTI or WCAPT event within 12 months of the award. Past recipients cannot be awarded for two consecutive years in either category. Applications Submit a statement including the following:
Email applications or questions to WCAPT at info@wcapt.org. Please include “scholarship award” in the subject line. Submit applications as a Microsoft Word or PDF file and include the applicant’s name in the filename. Selection The WCAPT Student/Emerging Professional Scholarship Committee will review all eligible applications and select Scholarship Award recipients based on the information provided in the applications as follows:
Application deadline is July 15, 2025 at 5:00 PM PST. | 2024 Student Scholar - Sam Malnati
As a graduate student in my last semester of Heritage Conservation studies at USC, the opportunity to attend the joint APTI/ National Trust for Canada conference in Montreal allowed me to expand my knowledge of the field, connect with other students, and hear about exciting projects happening around the world. The variety of session topics ranging from materials conservation, innovative technologies, to cultural studies helped broaden my understanding of what preservation can mean for the diverse architecture and communities of sites across the United States and Canada. The opportunity to attend this conference in person helped me both form and strengthen connections with people in the field doing work that serves as an inspiration for my own budding career. While my personal expertise focuses mainly on documentation and LiDAR modelling, the conference highlighted ways that these technologies could be integrated in other types of projects to creative ends. I particularly enjoyed the Keynote address by Dr. Lindsay Cook about Notre Dame’s restoration based on Andrew Tallon’s pointcloud, which emphasized the importance of recognizing, documenting, and preserving sites of similarly esteemed cultural value within our own communities. 2024 Student Scholar - Zoe MacMillan
NOTE: 2024 Scholarship Awards had no Emerging Professional entries. Two Student Scholarships have been awarded. |
Student scholarship applications for the November 2024 APTI conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada can be found at www.apti.org/scholarships. Students from across the world have played an important role in APT conferences since the 1986 inception of the Student Scholarships Program. Their student presentations have become of great interest to Conference participants. Through the Student Scholarships Program, students from all areas of study in the field of historic preservation/conservation submit abstracts that illustrate research or a project that they have developed to address an aspect of preservation/conservation technology. Scholarship recipient selection is based on the quality of a submitted abstract; how well the concepts demonstrate excellence in the student’s area of study; a personal statement; and the appropriateness of the subject to the conference theme |
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Board Members Kimberly Butt and Ariana Makau presenting to UC BERKELEY AIAS on preservation and WCAPT. 11/16/2023
| 2023 Student Scholar - Katelyn Lowry
I had the pleasure of attending The Future of Tech. Conference in Seattle hosted by APT as a Student Scholar. During my time here I got to observe student competitions, interact with exhibitors, connect with industry professionals and, most impactful to me, attend presentation sessions. These presentations gave me valuable insight into the field that I hope to enter. I observed industry professionals speak with great passion about the projects they were working on or had completed. I loved getting to hear the narrative of the history of these projects as well as the steps that were taken to preserve their historic fabric while addressing the need for renovation, seismic upgrades, or façade rehabilitation. I was inspired to explore new technologies such as point cloud modeling and AI after listening to presentations on how they were already being integrated into the workplace. I especially enjoyed getting to hear from the Ph.D. students and the research they were conducting. These presentations made me so incredibly excited to continue my education and hopeful of the caliber of projects I could take part in later in my career. 2023 Emerging Professional Scholar - Charlotte Matthai
I attended the APT Future of Tech Conference this October with a little over a year of professional experience in architecture. By the time of the event, I felt as though I had grasped command of certain skills, but I did not have a complete picture of the breadth of design fields and how they come together. The APT Conference helped me conceive of design and preservation as a greater puzzle. I attended the conference intending to grow my knowledge of sustainable solutions for historic buildings, but I learned so much beyond that. For instance, I found myself particularly riveted by presentation sessions concerning conservation. While this is not my area of expertise, it makes me aware of strategies to integrate into my practice. I was also intrigued by the technical solutions for disaster resilience and sustainability scenarios. These are skills I can bring back into my day-to-day work in order to understand projects from a more holistic perspective. Beyond presentation sessions, I was able to make connections with some really inspirational people who showed me different approaches to practice and methods of maintaining values in a fast-paced world. I am very grateful for this opportunity and am excited to continue my involvement with APT
Emerging Professional Narrative 2022 Detroit APT Conference By Amber Sutherland
During my undergrad education at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and my graduate education at UCLA, I most enjoyed the ability to attend lectures on a wide variety of topics, ask numerous questions, and participate in the process of learning. While I have the benefit of getting to ask a lot of questions through my new structural engineering job at Silman, nothing quite compares to sitting amongst peers, learning together. What I experienced at the 2022 Detroit Association for Preservation Technology (APT) Conference, exceeded any expectations I had of similarity to a college classroom environment. Not only was I surrounded by peers, but by experts in the preservation industry. There was a wealth of knowledge in every connection made, and warmth in responses to every question asked. In addition to getting to connect with people who work in the preservation field, I also got to attend a wide variety of topics presented at this year’s conference that could only be offered to those working in a specialized field. Since I am new to the industry, topics such as anchorage to historic terra cotta tile and block systems, working with draped-mesh cinderconcrete slab systems and using wind models to help preserve historic monuments were intriguing and exposed me to the various archaic systems I may encounter on future projects. Working in California, I also enjoyed learning about numerous rehabilitation projects in marine environments and how our environment and location near the coast impacts the preservation challenges we face. Now that I’m back in California, it has been exciting to share and apply the knowledge I’ve gained. Needless to say, it was a privilege to be able to attend this conference, to learn, to ask questions, and to meet the talented and knowledgeable people in my chosen industry. |
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ANNUAL GOAL $3000 Our Scholarship Awards are made possible by the Member and Corporate patronage. Please consider supporting the next generation of Western Chapter preservationists with a tax-deductible donation towards the WCAPT Scholarship Fund. Donations to the fund are specifically earmarked for scholarship awards and are not applied for any other purpose. Each donation generates an email thanking you for your donation to the WCAPT Scholarship Fund and indicating your donation amount for your records. To make a donation, please visit Scholarship Donation. |
