Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Assistant Transportation Researcher Madison Metsker-Galarza received the David L. Pugh Outstanding Master of Urban Planning Student Award during a ceremony April 6.
Metsker-Galarza, who works in TTI’s Mobility Analysis Program, was recognized during the annual Texas A&M University College of Architecture’s Landscape and Urban Planning Awards Banquet. She received her degree in environmental geoscience from Texas A&M and will graduate in December with a master’s degree in urban planning.
The Outstanding Student Award is named after David Pugh, the former head of Texas A&M’s Department of Urban Planning and coordinator of the University’s Master of Urban Planning (MUP) Program. Pugh passed away last December.
The award is given to “a graduating MUP student who exemplifies exceptional service and academic excellence.”
“I didn’t know Dr. Pugh, but he positively affected the careers and lives of the same mentors I look up to — which is a testament to the lives he touched,” Metsker-Galarza said. “The David L. Pugh Award recognizes outstanding students, and any recognition I receive is due to the mentors and the opportunities I’ve had during my time at TTI and Texas A&M. With their help I see how the real world and school mesh together — providing me with learning opportunities few get to experience. Working at TTI has allowed me to learn from people who are the best in the industry; applying that to my educational career is a special opportunity.”