Senior Project Manager and Steam Train Fan

Tell us about your hobby.
For some reason I have always appreciated trains; specifically steam trains. I enjoy the sounds, the smell, the simplicity, the history, and perhaps a ride or too. You may find me out riding the trains at the Maricopa County Live Steamers throughout the year. I am in the process of building my own live steam train too.

What is your chosen discipline? Why do you love it?
My chosen discipline as a civil engineer is structural engineering. Similar to steam trains, structural engineering uses simple concepts to create complex systems. I love structure engineering because it has provided me with the essential knowledge and tools to design, evaluate and perfect critical connections and details toward developing creative and practical solutions.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
If I could go anywhere in the world it would most likely be up in a mountain somewhere sitting on a kayak in a lake and enjoying the serenity of the surroundings.

What’s one thing you are learning now, and why is it important?
I went to school for a very, very, very long time. Not intentionally, but that’s just how the cookie crumbled so I took full advantage of it and never regretted any minute of it. While I have gained the expertise in utilizing and evaluating specialized materials within my career in structural engineering, it is important to share the knowledge within the engineering community and with other professions we interact with on a daily basis. Education is a constant process and important for continued growth and evolution of the world we live in.