Find Out What Diplomates Love About Engineering

Pascale Champagne: During my summers, I worked as a research assistant for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. From these early studies, I discovered a passion for the environment and wanted to be involved in a field where I could lead meaningful environmental projects. I decided to undertake a second undergraduate degree in Engineering with a specialization on the Environment and Water Resources at the University of Guelph (Guelph, Ontario). At the time the program was relatively small with approximately 40 students and I thrived in this type of environment.

While at the University of Guelph, I was also fortunate to work as a research assistant during the summers, which allowed me to grow as a researcher. Following my Engineering degree, I worked in Yellowknife (NWT) as an environmental engineer (Engineer-in-training) for almost 1 year working on a variety of municipal and environmental engineering projects. I truly enjoyed the experience, but missed the creative side of engineering research and decided to complete my Master's and doctoral degrees. I was fortunate to have been awarded prestigious NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships as the Masters and Doctoral levels to support my return to graduate school and to have had the opportunity to work with supervisors who allowed me to explore my creativity and autonomy in the development of my research projects.

No problem in engineering ever has only one solution. As such the solution is really limited by our creativity. The most creative solutions in the next decade are likely to come from those willing to step outside of their comfort zone and explore and experiment on the fringes of the traditional disciplinary science and engineering silos. The most exciting part about environmental engineering to me is that it is truly multidisciplinary provides us with the knowledge base and skill set to successfully operate on the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Embrace that challenge and you will make a difference.

Pal Hegedus: Civil engineering has been a tradition in my family for generations. I recall accompanying my father to construction sites when I was as young as 4 or 5. I've always had varied interests outside of engineering, but I never seriously considered any other path of study or profession.
Civil engineering continues to be a profession that is always in demand, and water resources is one of the most exciting, challenging and evolving fields. Water is one of our most basic needs and challenges, and there are always interesting problems to solve with getting water where it needs to be, and managing the issues of amount, timing and quality. Most naturally, water is often in the wrong place at the wrong time, and there is always a need to help manage this important resource.

Robert Houghtalen: I decided to pursue civil engineering when I was a senior in high school. In looking through college catalogs, the classes listed for civil engineering seemed so interesting.

Terry Howell: I got a deep appreciation for the fundamentals of basic mechanics, especially engines and hydraulic systems. Helping my father install irrigation, I learned some 'practical fluid fundamentals' like centrifugal pump suction lines can't have any air leaks (or they will not prime) and the power of pressure and how drainable pipe gaskets worked. I also learned that moving sprinkler pipe wasn't fun. I really learned some engineering from an aerospace engineer customer that brought in a broken part. He explained it failed in tension as the metal at the end had rough fragments and not in shear that would have smoother ends. Another engineer had a tractor that throw a rod and knocked a whole in the block. He just pulled the piston down and 'hay wired' the rod so the crank shaft cleared it and kept on raking hay with it. When I read through the Texas A&M; college catalog, the agricultural engineering major kind of stood out to my interests in farm machinery and irrigation.

Most fun class in school was besides PE or recess, I'd guess trigonometry in High School and fluids in college. I recall seeing movies (before the video era) of hydraulic jumps for open channel flow that clearly illustrated two solution flow depths for open channel flow.

Travis Hylton: I like the fact that engineering is becoming more performance based, rather than prescriptive. With Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification mandates, the charge is to reduce all water consumption, and it's up to the designer to innovate how that is done. With Low Impact Development mandates, fading are the days of six inch curbs and drainage inlets every 100 feet; now we are charged with finding ways to mimic predevelopment hydrology. Wastewater is moving towards reclamation and decentralized treatment, where people become better stewards of the resources available. The next generation of Water Resource Engineers will need to key in on all manner of innovative water management strategies.I got into Civil Engineering originally because in high school I helped with framing and roofing for my uncle, who would curse having to pay professional engineers to stamp plans he drew. The plan was for me to get a stamp to help him out, but I wasn't really drawn to structural engineering once I saw all the flowcharts.

Wayne Klotz: My interests in school were math, science, music, and sports. I was unable to compete at a high level in sports, so that one dropped quickly. My father is a civil engineer, so I was around civil engineers and their projects for my whole childhood. I was in the band and enjoyed all aspects of music. Somewhere along the way in high school, I decided to pursue engineering as a career. I have never regretted that choice.

My initial selection of discipline was mechanical engineering. I think that was my way of going my own way instead of copying my father. After my first year of college, I ran as fast as I could to the CE Department. As I approached graduation with my BS, I briefly considered going to law school to become an environmental attorney. Fortunately, I came to my senses before enrolling. I went to engineering graduate school instead - a decision which continues to benefit me today.

I think that the state of Civil Engineering is strong. We represent a profession that literally makes the world a better place. Civil engineers improve the quality of life for people they never meet. Young people who want to help others are coming to civil engineering and our enrollments are up. While helping people, we do our work to the highest standards. We are members of an honorable profession.

The biggest challenge that I see on the horizon is the continued degradation of our infrastructure. We have seen spending on our basic systems decline over the last 30 or 40 years. Systems are being used far past their useful lives, and the demands far exceed the original design parameters. To date, we have been unable to convince elected officials at any level of government of the consequences of this degradation. We are compromising our safety, our economy, our environment, and our quality of life. Yet, infrastructure continues to get second class status when spending priorities are made. We must get more civil engineers involved in establishing public policy, or we will pay a long-term price in all areas of our lives.

Sandra Knight: I had absolutely no idea that I wanted to be or would be an engineer. I majored in math and home economics in high school. I applied to several liberal arts colleges, but landed at Memphis State University because of affordability. And this is the real story about how I entered engineering (short version). I went to sign up for freshman English the summer before my freshman year (to get it out of the way) in 1975. The lines were long and hot (we used to register in the old un-air conditioned field house). After several failed attempts to get into certain freshman English classes, I defaulted to the Engineering Computer Programming 1001 registration table. There was no line. At any rate, that put me in the engineering building for the summer, and well, the rest is history. I still contend that my experiences learned while sewing clothes were good preparation for the design and construction of engineering projects.

My advice to future generations of engineers is- Stay with it. It is not an easy curriculum, but the reward is an opportunity to make lasting contributions to society.

Dick Lanyon: Six decades ago, I would sit at my desk in my bedroom and work on my eighth grade homework in my parent's North Side Chicago home. In December, with darkness arriving in the afternoon and the trees void of leaves, my view was of the MWRD's North Branch Pumping Station, its lighted sign on the south wall and the Lawrence Avenue Bridge street lights reflecting off the North Branch of the Chicago River gently flowing by.

My thoughts never wandered to one day having command of the operations of a remarkable public agency, far-reaching and critical to every home and business, that was represented in the view from my bedroom window. Now, after nearly 48 years of service, I think back on days in my youth using the river bank for a playground; walking over the Wilson Avenue Bridge daily to and from Waters Elementary School; attending Lane Tech High School, also along the North Branch on Addison Street; attending the University of Illinois Navy Pier campus ("Harvard on the Rocks") on Lake Michigan; finishing college at UI Urbana campus, working in the Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory on the Lockport Powerhouse sluice gate model calibration project sponsored by the MWRD; and my first job at the Harza Engineering Company (now MWH Americas) and being assigned to the Lake Michigan Diversion litigation project. All these events and more connected me to the critical needs for water resource management in the magnificent metropolitan Chicago urban environment.

The last experience at Harza opened my eyes to the opportunities at the MWRD; that its infrastructure and operations were one of the Seven Modern Wonders of Engineering with a vital mission of environmental protection. I switched jobs, never envisioning what my future would be. After nearly 48 years of service, I look back on a rewarding career, making contributions to outstanding engineering projects, witnessing management innovations, transitioning from paper to electronic communications, implementing automated control systems for more efficient use of resources and realizing progress in a number of human resource and management initiatives.

Charlotte Maddox: I actually chose this profession while I was in high school and at that time, I still didn't even know what an engineer did. I loved math and science and had a good friend who was going to be an engineer. I knew they used math and science and figured it was a good start to doing a job with the things that I loved. I absolutely fell in love with the profession during college and have been very happy with my decision ever since. Most fun class while in school was Material design class. We spent the entire semester playing with concrete mix designs, breaking apart various wooden structures, building geotechnical walls and doing anything else we could to get dirty....how could you not love that?

Daniel Medina: My brother and I both became civil engineers, partly because of our father's conviction that it was a solid profession. Time has proven him right again and again. Frankly, I had only a limited understanding of what I was getting myself into. Once in college, it was still foggy as I navigated basic mathematics, physics, and chemistry courses. But I enjoyed them, even though a great deal of the material had little to do with civil engineering, to the point that I thought I could double major in math.

My non engineering courses in history and social sciences (as well as healthy socializing) kept me in good balance. I began to "feel the love" as I started statics, fluid mechanics, and solid mechanics, and for a while I thought I'd be a structural engineer. But I totally became enthralled with water resources when I took hydrology. I thought it was hilarious that I had such rigorous mathematics training and here was a subject where in many of the equations the units didn't make any sense! At this stage in my studies, I realized the impact that civil engineers have in the welfare of people and the environment. A comment from one of my professor's sticks with me even today to remind me of the enormous responsibility we have with the public. He said: "In your work, always remember that, unlike doctors, we engineers cannot bury our mistakes."

John Nicklow: As with every young boy, I loved Superman, whether it was in the comics, television shows, or movies. When I learned at an early age that I could not be Superman, I decided I would build a 'Superman' and that being an engineer would help me in that pursuit. As I matured, the Superman dream faded, but I continued to enjoy building, hands-on activities, and understanding how and why things worked. Engineering seemed to be a natural fit. It wasn't until my high-school years that I learned about the differences in engineering disciplines. My love of nature and the outdoors influenced me to choose civil and environmental engineering. Ultimately, the courses I took during College, especially fluid mechanics and open channel hydraulics, helped reinforce my decision. My passion for civil and environmental engineering continues to grow today.

I see multiple challenges (in engineering). One is sustaining our massive and rapidly aging infrastructure under limited financial resources. Another is sustainability; designing and building in a way that preserves our environment for future generations. The latter will become more difficult as we encounter new pollutants from advances in digital technology and nanotechnology. The next generation of civil engineers are faced with significant challenges, but also significant opportunities.

I would tell them (future generations) that there are few professions that allow you to simultaneously use your imagination and creativity, your analytical skills (the same ones that you often use in puzzles and video games), and your inquisitive nature, all the while gaining public respect and financial security. The civil engineering profession does exactly this. Likewise, I would convey my own story: I personally have never viewed my job as work; rather, I'm simply lucky enough to be paid for doing something I love to do.

Molly O'Toole: My father is a civil engineer and spent his career with the Michigan Department of Transportation. He spent his early career in bridge design and construction offices, but by the time I inquired about his job - and asked what he did - he was in the Maintenance Division and he answered, 'well, I answer a lot of mail these days.' It sounded very boring to me (I think I caught him on a bad day). The summer after graduating from high school he shipped me off to a woman in engineering camp at Michigan Tech University (his alma mater). While I went under duress, I had a great time. I wish I had this introduction to engineering half way through high school. After the camp, I opted to study chemical engineering at Michigan State, but in my mid-sophomore year I switched to civil engineering. The public service aspect civil engineering was appealing. And I need to thank my father for the constant, gentle nudging that civil engineering was the place for me. And he did many notable things in his career besides answering the mail!

In college, I did an internship with a Michigan highway department, and I also worked for Dr. Mackenzie Davis at MSU who specialized in wastewater treatment. Through those processes of elimination I opted for a job doing watershed modeling with the Illinois Office of Water Resources as my first job after college.

Elizabeth Perez: There are a number of engineers in my dad's family so I grew up knowing that engineering is a worthwhile and honorable profession. The path was tough for me. I fell behind in math due to an early childhood illness and, as a result, had an aversion to math that was difficult to overcome. I really didn't catch up in math until high school. I decided to become an environmental engineer during my freshman year at UF-it seemed like a green profession and one that would also challenge me.

Jerry Rogers: Since I was pretty good at high school science and mathematics, I knew I wanted to follow my brother in civil engineering.

Young civil engineers should become active student members of ASCE and join institutes and committees at the Branch, Section and National levels. Continue your life-long learning through ASCE conferences and meetings.

I have seen civil engineering students and young engineers get interested and seek more knowledge in the history and heritage of civil engineering. With so many websites and good engineering history publications, these young future leaders already know so much more of the civil engineering profession than I did at a comparable age.

With advances in computers, communications, and materials, civil engineering is growing very rapidly with unlimited opportunities in building future societies and re-building our aging infrastructure.

Steve Rose: My most fun class while in school was Field School! Studying my first degree in geological engineering included a substantial emphasis in evaluating terrain features, glacial landforms, depositional environments and structural metamorphosis of bedrock formations. It was always here that classroom instruction and theories truly came to life - and (as students) we discovered how messy field data sometimes really are, how important it is to collect field measurements accurately.

From my perspective, civil engineering today is a very exciting field of work, while at the same time being a profession with a number of unprecedented challenges. We are witnessing much of our infrastructure across North America that is nearing the end of its useful lifespan. This is an opportunity for growth and renewal, but also a time of new pressures on practicing engineers. Competition for public funds seems to be greater now than I recall from my early career. This is especially true at the municipal and State/Provincial level where infrastructure and lands custodians are also responsible for delivering social programs on behalf of constituents. These multiple competing priorities often require additional insight and public involvement by engineers to ensure that the infrastructure upon which our social systems rely is adequately designed, built, and maintained. It is no longer 'good enough' to be a 'good engineer' as engineers we also need to be 'good (i.e. publically engaged) citizens'.

My advice to students and young engineers is to find that area- that area of engineering that truly interests you. Look for early career opportunities to hone your craft - this will pay much greater dividends over time when compared to simply finding the highest paying job offer early in your career. Find an engineering mentor who is willing to spend time with you to share his or her knowledge of the profession. And look for opportunities to become involved with technical societies such as ASCE. Doing so will greatly enhance your professional satisfaction in your early career years.

Vijay Singh: When I was growing up, my parents made the decision as to what I should study. This is the way it was for all students in India. Even now this is pretty much the case, especially in rural India. Partly the reason was that most of us did not know what we wanted to study and what the options were. Our knowledge base was primarily what we developed in school which was pretty limited and the teachers themselves had limited knowledge of the outside world. The other reason, of course, is the social structure in India in which parents or elders make decisions and others follow without questioning. Those days the brightest students used to go to engineering. In my case, my parents wanted me to become an engineer and this is how I went to study engineering. Of course, I have never regretted becoming an engineer.

Steve Starrett: I studied the different engineering disciplines and civil engineering was a great match for me. I grew up in a family lumberyard so I really enjoyed the structural aspects, I enjoyed geology so the geotechnical part was interesting, and I learned my real interest in water and the environment were a major component of civil engineering. Shelli was a math major and was thinking about engineering also. So, we decided to get married and transfer to Missouri University of Science & Technology (Rolla, MO) when I was 19. I selected civil engineering and she selected electrical engineering. Rolla was great for us both.

Jim Su: Since I was a child, I enjoyed building and dissembling things, and knowing how things worked. I was also good in math and science courses in high school. So, I was pretty certain that I wanted to study engineering in college. One reason I chose environmental engineering is because it was a pretty new subject in China and it sounds like something green, fresh, and challenging. I have been very happy with my decision ever since.

Civil engineering is a challenging but rewarding subject. It is challenging because your design must provide more than just theoretical solutions; you need to consider how your design will affect both people and the environment, which vary from project to project. Yet, after conquering all these challenges, it is rewarding when your design becomes a real working structure. This is the beauty of civil engineering.

Berrin Tansel: I decided to study environmental engineering when I was a senior in college. It was a new area of engineering at the time. Fulbright offered a scholarship and I applied for it.

One of the most fun projects I worked on was to organize a one-day forum on water issues. I asked the students in one of my classes to help me organize the event. Within one week, they found sponsors for food and location. We had speakers which included a commissioner, a president of an engineering company, a representative from the regulatory agency and two AAWRE Diplomates.

Phil Turnipseed: Statics was absolutely what hooked me on civil engineering. The study of objects at rest was fascinating. One of my sons became interested in Civil Engineering and is currently the TA for all Statics classes at his ABET Engineering School.

Engineering is about decision-making from an informed, quantifiable, and knowledgeable position. Without civil engineers, the world would not have roads, buildings, vertical and horizontal control, bridges, water supply, hydropower, quality and potable water, and the list goes on almost ad finitum.

The American engineering (and Global) world needs bright, honest, and ethical professional engineers now more than any other age in modern history. Our new challenge to overcome is that of energy dependence, and the civil engineering community can help formulate, solve, design, build, and sustain new environmentally sound infrastructure that will help reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources and sustain the greatest country on earth.

Robert Van Antwerp, Jr. : My father was a mechanical engineer and I just naturally wanted to follow in his footsteps. I studied engineering at West Point and was later selected to return on the faculty and teach Mechanical Engineering. They gave me the choice of schools and I chose Michigan - GO BLUE! I started my MBA while at Michigan and finished at Long Island University. I felt that the MBA complemented the engineering degree. Thought I might start my own business someday, like my dad. Little did I know my "business" would be all in the Army...

One of the big challenges we are attacking is building engineer competency for the challenges of tomorrow. For example: We know we are going to rehab many of our locks and dams and need the expertise.

Our colleges and universities are not graduating enough engineers and scientists so we are getting into the middle schools and high schools to excite students about engineering.

Rick Van Bruggen: I was always good in math and science, so some sort of engineering was almost a given. My first shot at a field of study was actually bio-engineering; I wanted to design human prosthetics. That lasted a few weeks, until I realized I wasn't going to make it in bio-chemistry class (no more Latin flashcards). I stayed in general engineering classes until I was a sophomore, at which time I decided I wanted to go into some field of environmental engineering. I was a backpacker and I had a love for rivers and lakes, so water systems engineering became my major. The fact that water resources engineering is a sub-field of civil engineering was purely incidental.

Jennifer Walker: When I was a kid, I loved things related to stormwater. I constantly played in the ditches after it rained and also figured out how to solve our basement flooding by building a swale.

Initially, I planned to study environmental science as I was interested in water, biological sciences, and the environment. At the time though, my mother who is now a college level Biology instructor introduced me to a friend who was pursuing Civil Engineering and helped steer me in that direction.

Jessica Watts: I did not begin college knowing that I wanted to be a civil engineer. My interest in engineering was certainly sparked by my Dad, a professor of chemical engineering, but was cemented during my time at Space Academy, in Huntsville, Alabama, during high school. I entered college as a mechanical engineering major with the intention of continuing into graduate school and working for NASA. But, during a vacation my sophomore year I began thinking about the ramifications of choosing such a demanding career. What it would mean to a family I might have. I also realized that although I loved the space program, I was not enthralled with mechanical engineering as a whole. I began to think about which engineering I did like - as a whole - and not just one part of it. I realized that I would probably be happy doing any type of work as a civil engineer - I liked it all. This is somewhat apparent in the course my career has taken. I am a diplomate, water resources engineer, but I have also had significant experience in transportation design, site development, land development, as well as water and sewer system design.

Get involved outside of work and school. Join a group that you enjoy interacting with both socially and intellectually. It does not need to be a standard group, such as ASCE or NSPE. Join an organization where engineering may be fringe. It will expand your perspective. You will hear about new and different methods of attacking problems or maybe you will just meet people. But, people are the strongest resource in engineering.