What I Do I am a civil engineer in terminal engineering services. I create projects for maintenance and creation of airport traffic control towers (ATCTs) for the FAA.
School Days I went to community college for 2 years at Metropolitan Community College of Kansas City. Then, I attended Missouri University of Science and Technology for 2.5 years. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering.
My Day At Work I work on creating plans, estimates, and specifications for new projects. I also work on negotiations and contract administration for projects currently under construction.
Proud Moments I began my career working in materials at the state department of transportation (MoDOT). I greatly enjoyed the commitment to manufacturing high-quality materials. I then moved over to design. I worked hard for a long time, creating a design-build project for a corridor re-design on i70. It was one of 3 highway corridors that claim to be the oldest in the country. It was hard work to reach a consensus among the stakeholders, traveling public, and technical experts. (Without this work, the project could have been completely cancelled.) I think we arrived at a project and design that people are excited about.
Challenges Some of the trickiest challenges in engineering for me have been related to communication and coordination. It seems like we can always be improving in these areas.
Dreams and Goals I would like to lead a new tower project, possibly even a few. I would like to set up a QC/QA program within the FAA so that we have tools to verify quality.
Inspiration My mom has been a great inspiration to me. I also get a lot of inspiration from my coworkers.
Want to be an Engineer? It is hard work. I think it is worth it. It is enjoyable and comes with a lot of powerful skills.
Hobbies In college, I was a radio DJ for the local college station KMNR 89.7FM Rolla, MO. I still dabble in local public free-format radio, (KKFI 90.1 FM Kansas City, MO). I like to read books. I'm nearly finished with the Castle by Franz Kafka, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, and the Inferno by Dante. In the past, I have been active practicing ashtanga yoga, and volunteering to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.