So You Get to be An Engineer…!

Abstract

Ninth Annual Schnabel Engineering Lecture by Karen Durham-Aguilera, P.E., Director of Contingency Operations and Office of Homeland Security U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “So You Get to be an Engineer…!” Consider yourself fortunate if you GET TO be an engineer. It can be an exciting, challenging and rewarding career. A career as an engineer can take numerous very different paths. Engineering curriculum teaches us the foundational principles of engineering practice and critical analysis. The engineering profession is about applying this foundational knowledge, skills, and engineering principles to new situations so you can be a problem-solver and arrive at solutions. The 2014 Schnabel lecture will illustrate the myriad of choices and career paths taken by a practicing engineer and reflect on how the skills you are learning now are applied by one engineer in innovative ways and in a variety of situations, including mega-construction programs, program management and disaster Schnabel Engineering is pleased to bring you Ms. Karen Durham-Aguilera, P.E., as our ninth lecturer of this series. Ms. Durham-Aguilera has over 34 years of experience in the engineering profession. As she describes her career: "I get to do a lot of different things!”. Her career in private industry and largely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has taken her to numerous areas of the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She has worked as: a designer (geotechnical); in construction, from a field engineer to the lead program manager for multi-billion dollar construction programs; to leading reconstruction in Iraq, and in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; as a programs director for water resources infrastructure stretching across major river basins, balancing navigation, flood control, and environmental stewardship. For nearly the last four years, Ms. Durham-Aguilera has served as the emergency manager leading the federal engineer disaster response to major hurricanes, floods, and tornados. She has also delivered numerous public speaking, technical forums, and multimedia events especially on controversial projects. She demonstrates that "Yes, Engineers can talk!" Ms. Durham-Aguilera holds a BS (civil), and a MEng (civil/geotechnical), both from the University of Louisville, and is a registered Professional Engineer (Civil). We are honored that Ms. Durham-Aguilera joins our past lecturers Dr. Edward Cording, Dr. Donald Bruce, Mr. Jerry DiMaggio, Mr. Scot Litke, Mr. James Morrison, Mr. Douglas Boyer, Mr. Don Deere, and Dr. Ray Martin.