In recognition of National Engineers Week (EWeek) February 20-28, CMA will be highlighting some of our women engineers throughout the week!

Daniela Martinat, P.E. is an associate engineer in our West Palm Beach office. With five years of experience, Daniela graduated from FAU with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. We asked Daniela to share some information about why she became an engineer.

Why I chose civil engineering: I chose engineering because I have always loved math. I loved the idea of pursuing a career that required constant learning and wasn’t a typical female job. I was inspired by my uncle and father who are also engineers and admire their very practical and analytical way of problem solving.

Fun fact: My husband is also an engineer who proposed on Pi Day (3/14). https://www.nspe.org/

In recognition of National Engineers Week (EWeek) February 20-28, CMA will be highlighting some of our women engineers throughout the week!

Thy Duong, E.I. is an electrical engineer in our Jacksonville office. Thy has been with the CMA family for nearly three years. We asked Thy to share some information about why she became an engineer.

Why I chose civil engineering: I am from Vietnam and have been in America for over six years. I earned my first bachelor’s degree of business administration in marketing in Vietnam, then I moved to the U.S and graduated summa cum laude from UNF with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a minor degree in mathematics in 2020.

When I was in high school, I exceled in science and math classes. I think I inherited these traits from my dad who was a physics and math teacher. After finishing high school, I had to decide what career to pursue. My dad and others advised me not to choose any major relating to engineering because it is a male-related field, which means it would be impossible for me to find a job as a female engineer. There is a fact that in Vietnam they usually require only men for engineering positions, so I gave up and chose a different major. I chose business, which was supposed to be more suitable for a girl. However, when I had a chance to move to America and attend school again, I decided to pursue what I gave up before because I believe that in America, women have the same opportunities as men to obtain jobs or be promoted. I believe it was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life because I am doing what I like and what I am good at – engineering.

Fun facts: The first picture was taken when I graduated from UNF. Due to the pandemic, I had a virtual graduation ceremony instead of an in-person ceremony, but nothing was able to prevent me from celebrating my four-year effort. In my cap and gown, I went to school with a mask on and took pictures so that I would never forget what had been going on that year. The printed circuit board was supposed to be installed in our senior design project but we have not gotten a chance to come back to the lab to place it

The second picture was taken when I attended the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) Energy Connections Conference & Trade Show in Orlando with my CMA staff members in November 2021. https://www.nspe.org/

In recognition of National Engineers Week (EWeek) February 20-28, CMA will be highlighting some of our women engineers throughout the week!

Madeline Batey, E.I. is an associate engineer in our Orlando office with two years of experience. Madeline graduated from UCF with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. We asked Madeline to share some information about why she became an engineer.

Why I chose civil engineering: I decided to go into the engineering field because I wanted to help shape my community and the world around me. I also enjoy being able to apply my engineering knowledge and give back to the community.

Fun fact: Recently, I had the opportunity to volunteer with the Florida Trail Association. I hope to inspire others to give back and show how awesome engineering can be!  https://www.nspe.org/

In recognition of National Engineers Week (EWeek) February 20-28, CMA will be highlighting some of our women engineers throughout the week!

Jennifer (Jen) Smith, P.E. is a senior engineer with CMA and works out of our Fort Lauderdale office. Jen started her career at CMA in 2005 as an intern and now has nearly 16 years of experience in civil engineering. We asked Jen to share some information about why she became an engineer.

Why I chose civil engineering: I was introduced to civil engineering in high school after the 9/11 tragedy. Our senior engineering class decided to build a memorial on campus. We designed and built a pentagon shaped seating area, and two towers with a flag pole. This memorial still stands today (photo below)! It was an honor to be involved in the creation of a historic landmark for our school and this project taught me the fundamentals of civil engineering.

Fun facts: I joined ASCE in college and was asked to row in the concrete canoe event because our university (FAU) didn’t have enough girls to participate in the conference. I continued to be involved with the society, serving as president of the student chapter, president twice at the branch level and currently serving as vice president of the Florida Section.

I especially love giving back to the community. Below is a photo of me speaking at a local high school STEM event. One student was so interested in civil engineering that she proceeded to study it then reached out to me a year later and became an intern in our Fort Lauderdale office.

I hope to continue inspiring others, including my daughters, to the beauty of civil engineering. https://www.nspe.org/

On February 12, CMA staff members David Cowan (and Beth Cowan and family), Suzanne Dombrowski (and Elizabeth Dombrowski), Amanda Foor, Nickolas Musick and Brent Whitfield (and Nora Whitfield) volunteered their time by picking bell peppers with representatives from Cros Ministries Gleaning. The event took place at a field in Delray Beach donated by Bedner Farms.  The gleaned food is then distributed to various food banks throughout Palm Beach and Martin Counties.  Gleaning is a produce recovery program partnering with local famers to recover food that would otherwise go to waste. Cros Ministries Gleaning programs include seven community food pantries, six pantries that are located in community partner buildings and one mobile “pop-up” pantry distributing food in six different locations. https://www.crosministries.org/gleaning

Happy Valentine’s Day from CMA!

On February 3, CMA staff members Brad Wilson, Alex Farfan, James Carr, Adam Stone, Freeman Bass, Frankie Wilson, Thy Duong and Thy’s husband participated in the Northeast Florida Chapter of the Florida Engineering Society’s 8th Annual Race for Relevance at the Autobahn Indoor Speedway! The Race for Relevance is a fundraising event created to help support the future of the engineering profession by encouraging our youth to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). All the funds raised from the event go towards the Chapter’s scholarship fund.

CMA staff members Jose L. Acosta, P.E., F.ASCE, Executive Vice President, Mike Bell, P.E., Principal Engineer and Brad Wilson, P.E., Office Leader/Principal Engineer/Highway Dept. Lead attended the 8^th Annual Northeast Florida Construction Career Days Clay Shoot on January 27 at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports.  CMA served as a silver sponsor for the event that also includes a career fair on March 1-3. The program is designed to introduce high school students to the wide range of career opportunities available to them in the construction industry in a hands-on environment. For more information, please visit https://www.nflccd.com/Default.aspx

Principal Engineer- Fort Lauderdale Office Leader Safiya Brea, P.E., LEED AP and Executive Vice President Jose L. Acosta, P.E., F.ASCE attended the Leadership Florida Gold Coast Member and Recruiting Reception on January 20 at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale. Gold Coast members and interested applicants for Leadership Florida’s upcoming Cornerstone, Connect & Education Programs were among the attendees. https://www.leadershipflorida.org/

CMA Senior Landscape Architect Tanya McCormick, PLA, AICP attended LPBC (Leadership Palm Beach County) Focus Class of 2022.  The three-day course concluded January 25 and was held at multiple locations throughout the County.  Photos include fellow Focus class participants as well as speakers. The course was centered around leadership and the people and systems in Palm Beach County.  It was a great networking event and participants got to take part in various speaker panels.  Tanya’s favorite panels and speakers were the History of Palm Beach County by Harvey Oyer, Public Safety and Law Enforcement by Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and the Agriculture panel by multiple farmers from the Glades community. https://www.leadershippbc.org/focus