Laura Aibel is an engineer for the City of Concord and participated in engineer week at the Christa McAuliffe School. So we decided to ask her some questions.
What kind of fun things do you get to do as an engineer for the city?
I get to learn about building projects before they become public. I’m kind of nosy, so it works for me.
What made you want to be a part of engineer week?
People think engineers are really boring people who wear pocket protectors and have their glasses taped together. We’re not boring, just usually quiet. I love playing with water and dirt and wanted to show kids how fun it can be. My first job was in construction materials testing. How many people can say they got paid for making mud pies?
When you were a kid did you always dream of being an engineer?
I think so, but I didn’t know playing with soil and water was called engineering. My dad was a mechanical engineer, so it comes sort of naturally. Of course, I was a bit disappointed when I first discovered I would be wearing a hard hat instead of the cool striped hats you see railroad engineers wearing.
Do you have a cool lab where you get to do a lot of crazy experiments?
No, but I have worked in some. Imagine getting to toss around discs of asphalt while we’re trying to get them to cool? Or have a huge machine that breaks cylinders of concrete?
Do you wish you did (have a cool lab, we mean)?
Absolutely!
What’s the most technical project you’ve ever done?
This isn’t the most technical, but it was a neat project. I was working in Rhode Island for the Economic Development Corporation, a quasi governmental agency. At the time, the New England Patriots were talking about leaving Foxboro and building a new stadium somewhere else. The Krafts approached the governor about locating in Providence. I worked with their design team (architects, engineers, planners) to evaluate the impact a stadium in downtown Providence would have on the surrounding neighborhood. Obviously, they stayed in Foxboro.
What is your favorite project/proudest career achievement?
Nothing really jumps out. After 30 years, I have done a lot of projects. What makes me proud is when a resident or client (when I used to work in the private sector) thanks me for helping them. Kind of corny, but that’s how it is. Civil engineering is an invisible discipline. If I’ve done my job right, people should be unaware that anything has happened. For example, I used to design gas stations. I designed the grading on a site that was considered within acceptable limits. However, the tank trucks couldn’t deliver to the site in the winter, because when ice would form in the winter the trucks would slide a little. If the site had been less steep, the drivers wouldn’t have even thought about it.
What would be your dream project to work on?
A number of years ago, the roads and bridges in Acadia National Park in Maine were being restored. I would have killed to work on that project. It just seemed so cool!
Is the existence of your profession the reason we all had to learn calculus in high school?
ABSOLUTELY!!!
If you weren’t in engineering, what would you be doing?
Training service dogs.
Guilty Pleasure?
I love to take my dog with me on site visits during work. The contractors love to see dogs onsite too.
Hidden Talent?
I design and knit babies’ clothing.
