The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) has funded a $25,000 grant to support undergraduate scholarship and research in the University of Houston’s supply chain and logistics technology program in 2025. This is UH’s first year participating in the IANA’s Joanne F. Casey Scholarship Program; University of Arkansas, University of Tennessee, and the University of North Texas are among the thirteen other institutions receiving similar IANA scholarship awards.
IANA has awarded over $6 million to support students enrolled in university programs focused on freight and intermodal transportation since 2007. The program “seeks to progress the education of the intermodal freight transportation industry’s next generation of leaders and managers by providing students with opportunities to attend Intermodal EXPO, take study trips to intermodal facilities across the U.S., participate in academic case competitions, interact with transportation executives and conduct intermodal freight research.”
At UH, the grant currently supports twelve students: Will Day, David Zacher, Christina Leen, Sarah Rezki, Fatima Ansari, Jessica DeBoe, Kevin Velazquez, Esther Oseni, Sayma Said El Hoderi, JoseMorales, Malak Alamar, and Nhi Yen Le.
DeBoe described herself as “honored and excited” to be named a 2025 IANA Fellow — a sentiment echoed widely across the rest of her cohort.
“I’m grateful to be among the first group of recipients for this scholarship at the University of Houston and excited to see many more follow in the years to come,” added Rezki.
“This award recognizes that UH SCLT is a power player in the supply chain, logistics, and transportation sector,” said program director and instructional associate professor Margaret Kidd.
“This scholarship means so much more than financial support,” agreed Ansari. “It’s an opportunity to dedicate myself to my studies, and this scholarship has taken me one step closer to contributing to a more efficient, sustainable, and resilient industry.”
Of the twelve named fellows, top awardees Will Day, David Zacher, and Christina Leen have also been selected to represent UH SCLT in the IANA Expo’s case competition taking place this fall in Long Beach, California.
“I’m honored to be named a 2025 IANA Fellow,” said Leen. “As a working adult balancing two full-time jobs and my studies, this scholarship is incredibly helpful. I’m excited to continue researching intermodal transportation, and I’m grateful that the University of Houston takes the time to recognize and support students like me.”
Zacher is “excited about the opportunity this fellowship provides.”
“This award supports my long-term goal of driving digital transformation in the industry, bridging the gap between technology and logistics to create smarter, more resilient supply chains,” he said.
“With IANA’s support, I aim to harness big data analytics and automation to help the freight industry reduce costs, boost transparency, and meet urgent sustainability goals,” added Day. “I see immense potential in applying AI, IoT, and robotic process automation to streamline logistics. The IANA Fellowship is my launchpad to drive that transformation.”