New Women in Stone Scholarship and Award Opportunities

Words: Dan KamysJuly 15, 2016 — Women in Stone has unveiled two new opportunities to recruit, retain and advance women in the stone industry.

Pioneer Award

The Women in Stone Pioneer Award will recognize an advocate within the stone industry for their role in recruiting, retaining, and advancing women. The winner’s performance in promoting women should be exemplary, honorable, and inspirational. According to Women in Stone co-chair Allyson Humphries (M S International), “The Pioneer Award recognizes an individual who has ventured into the unknown to educate and empower women in our industry.” Co-chair Kim Dumais (Miller Druck Specialty Contracting) agreed: “There are many individuals within our industry who go above and beyond to educate and elevate women. This award has been established to acknowledge those individuals and recognize them publicly for their efforts.”

Empowerment Scholarship

The Women in Stone Empowerment Scholarship will provide an MIA+BSI member with an all-expense paid trip to a 2017 industry event (TISE, Coverings, or an MIA+BSI study tour). The winner will also be able to shadow industry professionals during the event, in order to gain a better understanding of different sectors of the industry. Applicants should be a first-time attendee of the chosen event, and should have 2–5 years of stone industry experience. According to Humphries, “The scholarship is the perfect vehicle for the woman who needs a kick-start to her career and wants to learn more about our industry.”

How to Apply

Nominations for the Pioneer Award and applications for the Empowerment Scholarship are due by Friday, September 9, 2016. To download forms, visit www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/womeninstone.
From Bikes to Buildings: Part 2
September 2025

As rainscreen wall designs become increasingly prevalent in today’s construction environment, there have been questions regarding their design. How wide should the capillary break be? How do we create this capillary break? Can the same methods be used i

Keith Lolley
Technical Talks
Read More
Vibing Masonry #8: CMU’s Durability and Maintenance Value
September 2025

Heading to Spokane, WA, I found myself riding the airport tram at O’Hare in Chicago. Looking out the window at a part of the 26-year-old International Terminal 5, I spotted a painted structural steel beam in front of a concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall. Th

Steve Blye
Technical Talks
Read More
Keeping it Clean: Lifecycle Maintenance for Manufactured Stone Veneer
September 2025

One of the many benefits of manufactured stone veneer is that it’s a robust, durable product that requires little maintenance over the course of its life span. In fact, its irregularity in shape and color helps hide minor dirt and dust. But like any build

Jeff Tew
Technical Talks
Read More
MCAA's Wall Evaluator: The Future of Masonry Training and Assessment
September 2025

MCAA Wall Evaluator, Masonry Training, Masonry Assessment, 3D Scanner, AR Glasses, Digital Twin, Digital Mesh, Point Cloud, Infrared VCSEL, Vocational Technology, EdTech, Standardized Assessment, Objective Evaluation, Data-Driven Feedback, Portable Traini

Dan Kamys Jason Blake Jeff Buczkiewicz Jordan Van Leeuwen
Read More