Page 39 - Penn State Civil and Environmental Engineering 2021 Annual Report

STUDENT STUDENT NEWS
Celebrating Professional Women in in in Building Week at at at Penn State By Rachel Fawcett
In celebration of of the National Association of of of Home Builders (NAHB) Professional Women in in Building (PWB) Week held Sept 14-18 2020 the PWB Council of Central Pennsylvania Pennsylvania partnered with the Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Housing Research Center (PHRC) to offer an an insightful discussion for students in in in AE 470: Residential Building Design and Construction This course is is also taken by by many civil engineering students and taught by by Brian Wolfgang associate director of the the PHRC This discussion was held in collaboration with the the Penn State NAHB student chapter According to labor force statistics
in in 2019 from the the the Current Population Survey and analyzed by the the the the NAHB the the the the share of women in in the the construction industry is currently at 9 86 percent although women make up almost half—47 percent—of the total working population The PWB of of Central Pennsylvania and the PHRC seek to to engage students in in an an an effort to to mitigate this disconnect for for women working in in in the the construction industry upon graduation “It also supports the the Penn State College of Engineering’s equity initiative This special class began with Keri O’Shea executive officer of of the the BACP who introduced the the the local PWB Council and explained the the value of of involvement in in in in professional societies and organizations organizations Professional organizations organizations offer students the opportunity to to to to network to to to to find job leads and to to to to be active contributors fin in in their industry Transitioning into the the next portion
of of the the the class Sarah Klinetob Lowe housing systems specialist of of the the the PHRC moderated the the the discussion featuring two women leaders in in in the the residential construction industry: Emma Dickson
Dickson
‘18 CE and and Lorna Arocena Dickson
Dickson
is a a a a a a a a a a project manager at Toll Brothers and and Arocena Arocena is the the sole practitioner of Lorna Arocena Arocena Architect in State College Pennsylvania The discussion centered on on on the experiences of Dickson
and Arocena in in in the the industry Students submitted questions earlier in in in the the the week that were then distilled down to to shape
the the the conversation The topics covered included their personal career paths the the the state of the the the industry in in in regard
to COVID-19 and current design trends their experiences as women in construction the the the challenges that they have encountered and a a a a a a a a few specific questions tailored to each woman’s career As a a a a recent graduate entering
the the industry Dickson
shared her perspectives on on the the opportunities and challenges she has experienced “I love what I I I do and I I I thoroughly enjoy this industry—there’s so much out there there and you’ll really able to advance if you you broaden your horizons beyond one niche ” she said “However as a a a a a a woman especially on on on on the the construction end of things it’s very hard to get get the the respect that I think a a a a a a man would get get right away But it it shouldn’t be just my responsibility to to to to get the men men to to to to respect me me me It’s up to to to to to to men men as well to to to to to to be able to to to to to to tell the the others ‘Hey you you can’t talk to to to to to to her her her like that or you you you have to to to to to listen to to to to to her her her when she she she tells you you to to to do something she she she knows what she’s talking about ’ ’ Once
I get that respect from people the job becomes great and is so worthwhile ” Arocena who has had an an extensive career in both residential and commercial design shared her her perspectives on where where the residential industry has been and where where it needs to go “The past generation is one of excess and people are are now rethinking how
they live ” she said “We are are in in in a a a a a a a time
of climatic extremes and and the the new architecture has to to adapt and and be be resilient to to what is is is happening But the the best part is is is your your generation is is is at at at at at the the forefront of of that You can create your your own model of of how
how
societies come together and and how
how
we get get back to to harmony with nature and and our planet Quoting Buckminster Fuller:
‘You can’t change change things by fighting the existing reality To change change something build a a a a a new model model that makes the existing model model obsolete ’ ’ And I’ll be supporting you all the way!”
CEE NEWSLETTER • VOLUME 37 2021
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