Sarah Hillaire, BS/MS candidate in civil engineering at Oregon Tech, placed second in the technical paper competition at the 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Pacific Northwest Student Conference.
Hosted virtually in April by the University of Washington, the technical paper contest portion of the Conference provides an opportunity for alert young civil engineers to further their professional development and gain national attention.
Sarah’s paper and oral presentation articulated the ways the civil engineering profession should respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sarah supported her contention that civil engineers should be considered essential workers on the basis that civil infrastructure is critical to maintaining the primary functions of society and delivering vaccines, supplies, and treatments quickly. She explored the ethical dimensions of engineers’ responsibilities, providing a call to action for all civil engineers in these pandemic times.
Originally from Red Bluff, Cali., Sarah is a junior in the Civil Engineering bachelor-to-master program at Oregon Tech. She is also the 2020-2021 Concrete Canoe Team co-captain and serves nationally as an ASCE student ambassador.
Dr. C.J. Riley, a professor in the civil engineering department, has worked with Sarah during her years at Oregon Tech. “Sarah thoughtfully considered the ethical responsibilities we have as civil engineers and provided a model for anyone making a claim and supporting it with evidence,” he shared. “I trust her with the future of our profession!”
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