UALR junior Sarah E. Brown of North Little Rock has been named one of the top 50 female college leaders in the nation by Kiewit, a major U.S. corporation.

Brown will attend the Women’s Construction Leadership Seminar in Omaha, Neb., later this fall. Her travel expenses and the two-day seminar are entirely supported by Kiewit, among the largest engineering and construction companies in the world.

Brown is a student in UALR’s new civil and construction engineering program, the only one of its kind in the U.S., which prepares students to become licensed professional engineers and certified professional constructors.

All students must complete at least 800 hours of design or construction-related work experience to graduate, according to Dr. Nickolas S. Jovanovic, associate professor in the department of construction management and civil and construction engineering.

“Students of this program will be prepared to design and build the infrastructure that powers our world, transports people and goods, and helps grow the global economy,” said Jovanovic.

Brown is president of the UALR Civil and Construction Engineering Student Organization, which has applied for recognition as an official student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

For the past two years, the student organization has participated in the National Student Steel Bridge Competition. Brown was also a member of UALR’s Commercial Building Team, which competed in the Associated Schools of Construction student competition in Dallas last February.

As a UALR Donaghey Scholar, Brown is a member of the university’s top honors program. For the past two summers, she has also completed professional internships with McCarthy Building Companies Inc. of Texas.

“It is a great honor to be recognized by a leading construction corporation,” Brown said. “I am excited for the opportunity to represent UALR at the upcoming seminar and happy about meeting other female leaders in the industry.”

Jovanovic added, “I am very proud of Sarah. She competed successfully with students from all across the U.S. for this well-deserved honor.”