Alum Profiles

Current vocation:
Civil Engineer, Berkshire Design Group

What were you doing before you applied to the Conway School?
Civil engineer – I was working for a company in New York’s Hudson valley on site plans, stormwater modeling and drainage studies, and municipal work.

What brought you to Conway?
An interest in being a greener civil engineer. I hoped Conway would give me the tools to move in that direction.

Imagine we just met, and recognized we had common interests. How would you describe Conway to me?
A year of intense discovery of the world of landscape design and planning. Meeting and working with talented interesting people – and working on three real projects!

What are you doing right now, and what do you love about it?
I just started working at a small company with landscape architects, civil engineers and surveyors. I like the mix of professions and the work. It is a much more interesting place than a straight civil firm.

List one or more books that you find influential in the field of ecological design and/or planning.
Claudia West’s Planting in a Post-Wild World. I have heard Claudia speak on planting stormwater facilities and wished the audience had been filled with civil engineers!

What is your favorite tool? E.g., a type of gardening tool, digital tool, etc.
I loved learning InDesign and ArcGIS at Conway. These days it is Civil 3D.

How do you think ecological design and planning can help make positive change?
Many civil engineering projects would be enhanced by ecological design. For example, most above-ground stormwater facilities are a missed opportunity for environmental benefit because of the disconnect between the civil engineering field and ecological design. Acres of detention ponds and stormwater filters are under-utilized ecosystems. Writing reasonable and smart ecological requirements into codes regarding stormwater facilities would be a positive change both environmentally and visually.