Celebrating Professional Engineers Day

Question: What inspired you to become an engineer?

John Amatetti: I actually wanted to be a geologist. But no Virginia state schools offered that major and a ROTC option. So, I chose Civil Engineering as the closest similar major – it included Soil Mechanics courses –and the rest is history [John is a Founding Principal of VIKA].

Jeff Peterson: I was inspired to be a professional drummer …. but quickly realized that was a pipe dream. My passion for solving problems led me into engineering and once I saw the impact of what I was doing, I was inspired to continue. I love walking by a completed project and knowing I was a part of it. And I am still drumming!

Mike Benton: In high school I liked math and problem solving.  We also had an AutoCAD lab at our disposal, and I really enjoyed using CAD as a drafting tool.  I also was able to get a high school internship with a civil engineering firm, which gave me the final push to pursue a career in civil engineering.

Chris Champagne: I always loved maps and plans.  My father was a Title attorney, and he was always involved in commercial real estate, so I heard about the projects.  He was in the Navy and always wanted me to be a Seabee (the construction force of the Navy).

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What do you enjoy most about being an engineer?

CC: Solving a puzzle, but also the puzzle changes every day.

JP: Solving problems every day. I love working together with engineers to come up with a solution.

JA: The sense of a lasting accomplishment

What’s your favorite engineering marvel?

MB: The Hoover Dam

JA: The Brooklyn Bridge

CC: Definitely a cable stay bridge…probably the Millau Viaduct. Although I also love the one in Boston right next to the TD Garden [Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge].

JP: Anything and everything NASA and what the private space entities accomplish.  Every engineer should read at least one book written by Richard P. Feynman – he’s the person who figured out why the Challenger shuttle had a catastrophic failure.

What’s something important about civil engineering that the public might overlook?

JA: The importance of quality infrastructure to support any successful civilization.

JP: Civil engineers make it possible for you to flush a toilet (sanitary sewer), wash your hands (domestic water), park your car and walk without tripping (layout and grading), make the rain go away (stormwater), and clean and slow down the rain (stormwater management). 

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