What has your life been like since graduating from the University of Pittsburgh?
As a civil engineering graduate (ENGR ’00, ’02), I began my career at the Osborn Engineering Company in Cleveland, Ohio, as a structural engineer. In 2004, I began traveling from Cleveland to the University of Pittsburgh on Fridays to teach CEE109, Computer Methods for Civil Engineers, to sophomore civil engineering students. I took this class as an undergrad at Pitt. I find it very rewarding being able to help students at my university with the very same goals. Since graduating I have earned both the Professional Engineer (PE) and Structural Engineer (SE) license.
This past year, I dedicated most of my time to the design of the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field bleacher expansion as the project’s lead structural engineer. I had a unique participation in that I started developing the design with the architect from HOK, Kansas City, Missouri, from the very beginning stages and later saw the whole structure constructed as the full time resident engineer while I lived in Chicago for six months. Meshing the new cantilevered, steel structure with the existing bleachers was very challenging, but it’s very exciting to see a home run hit over the bleachers on the Sportscenter highlights.
What are you doing now?
Today, I am married to my beautiful wife, Kimberly, a graduate of Chatham College, and we are in the process of relocating to Raleigh, North Carolina, in search of new opportunities. We are eager to start our new lives in the South, and I continue to teach at Pitt on Friday afternoons. As football season ticket holders and a Pitt Band alumnus, we rarely miss a home game at Heinz Field, even after our move.