Mississippi A&WMA Scholarships
In 2025, the Mississippi Chapter of A&WMA established the Krystal Rudolph Memorial Scholarship to assist graduate students pursuing a course of study and research leading to a career related to air or water quality, waste management, pollution prevention, environmental policy/compliance/law, or sustainability. The applicant's goals should be directed toward achievement of A&WMA's purpose as stated in the Bylaws quoted below:
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"The purpose of the Association is to promote better understanding of problems in the fields of air pollution and hazardous waste management within the geographic area of the Section and to provide a means for exchanging information directed toward solving those problems."
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For the 2025-2026 academic year, the Mississippi Chapter will present one $1,500 scholarship award. Applications are due Friday, May 2, 2025. The Mississippi Chapter’s Student Scholarship Awards Committee will review all applications received and will decide scholarship winners by May 31, 2025. Mississippi Chapter Scholarship applicants will automatically be added to the pool of applicants for the Southern Section scholarship award. More information on this award is available at https://www.ss-awma.org/scholarships1.html.
Scholarship Qualifications and Guidelines
- Applicants must be pursuing a graduate-level course of study and research leading to a career related to air or water quality, waste management, pollution prevention, environmental policy/compliance/law, or sustainability. Applicants must also be attending a full-time graduate school program at a Mississippi university for the academic year.
- Applicants are encouraged to be members of the A&WMA, though membership is not required to apply.
- Awards will be made on the basis of academic record and career goals, without consideration of sex, race, national origin, age, or physical disability.
- Scholarship recipients are encouraged to attend the Southern Section Annual Meeting. The Southern Section Annual Meeting and Technical Conference will be at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi on August 27-29, 2025. Registration fees for the Southern Section Annual Meeting will be waived for scholarship recipients, and limited travel reimbursement may be available. Scholarship recipients will also be awarded a complimentary one-year student level membership to the international Air & Waste Management Association.
- Complete the application form online or submit the form and required attachments to [email protected].
Should you have any questions, please contact Carla Brown at 601-529-2312 or via email at [email protected].
About Krystal Rudolph
Krystal Rudolph was a native of Philadelphia, Mississippi. She graduated from Mississippi State University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and began her career at CF Industries Nitrogen (formerly Mississippi Chemical) in Yazoo City. In 2000, she joined the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), where she served the people of Mississippi for 23 years until her untimely passing in November 2023. She was both a licensed Professional Engineer and Board Certified Environmental Engineer.
At MDEQ and within the environmental community, Krystal was known for her well-rounded understanding of air, waste, and water issues, but particularly for her extensive expertise and fondness of air permitting. Her MDEQ career was spent in the Air Division and Permits Division, where she ascended to the position of Environmental Permits Division Chief, guiding economic development projects through the multi-media permitting process and protecting air and water quality through her superior understanding and application of the regulations.
Krystal was always willing to support and participate in the many workshops MDEQ co-sponsored with the Mississippi Chapter of A&WMA. She left behind many friends at both the MDEQ and A&WMA, including her husband Danny Beasley and daughter-in-law Sara Beasley, both long-time MDEQ employees. Thus, the Mississippi Chapter of A&WMA is humbled to honor Krystal by dedicating our annual scholarship to her memory.
At MDEQ and within the environmental community, Krystal was known for her well-rounded understanding of air, waste, and water issues, but particularly for her extensive expertise and fondness of air permitting. Her MDEQ career was spent in the Air Division and Permits Division, where she ascended to the position of Environmental Permits Division Chief, guiding economic development projects through the multi-media permitting process and protecting air and water quality through her superior understanding and application of the regulations.
Krystal was always willing to support and participate in the many workshops MDEQ co-sponsored with the Mississippi Chapter of A&WMA. She left behind many friends at both the MDEQ and A&WMA, including her husband Danny Beasley and daughter-in-law Sara Beasley, both long-time MDEQ employees. Thus, the Mississippi Chapter of A&WMA is humbled to honor Krystal by dedicating our annual scholarship to her memory.