(IDOT)
Every year in February the Illinois Department of Transportation participates in Engineers Week. Founded in 1951, this week is an opportunity for us to show how IDOT engineers make Illinois the transportation hub of North America. It also helps encourage a new generation of engineers to join this critical field and to promote a diverse engineering workforce.
This year we are highlighting IDOT engineers, including Secretary Omer Osman, who give insights on their career in this field.
Illinois Secretary of Transportation Omer Osman
“The leap in technology has been dramatic. Sometimes we can have difficulty adapting to it, but I like to see how the new generation is embracing it. We are moving in a new direction and that’s good for us as a profession.
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Kenneth Banga, Design Squad Leader
“There is plenty of room to grow at IDOT. I understand that many young aspiring engineers may not consider IDOT as their first career destination, but I would argue that starting a career at IDOT is a great starting point to gain the knowledge and experience needed to be successful moving forward.”
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Hans W. Knoepfel, Civil Engineer
“The reason I chose transportation is due to the creativeness and problem solving that comes with understanding issues like crash prevention, gridlocks and needed improvements.”
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Steve Travia, Chief Engineer
“What we do is critical to the safety, mobility and economy of the state and the nation. Every day I see our staff dedicate themselves and their careers to this public service for the communities where we all work and live. I think everyone should know about that dedication and its impact.”
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Nathan Cox, Civil Engineer
“In school, I enjoyed math and science and wanted to do something in a STEM field. My dad worked at IDOT, so I knew it was a great place to work with a good work-life balance. Also, I wanted to work on projects that were important to the public and feel like I was making a difference.”
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Andrew Niemerg, Civil Engineer
“I find that the most effective creativity often comes after lots of practice mastering the basics. Being very new to IDOT and civil engineering, the most creative techniques I use now involve finding knowledgeable and experienced people to point me in the right direction.”
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Aileen Tate, Civil Engineer
“In 1993, I was the first African American female to graduate from SIU-C with a B.S. in civil engineering. At that time, there were very few women in engineering. I see more women entering the engineering field in the next five, 10, 20 years, increasing its diversity.”
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Najlaa Awad, Squad Leader
“Engineering, especially transportation engineering, is developing now like never before, especially with transitioning to 3D modeling. Transportation engineering will be on a whole new level in the next few years.”
Christian Elia, Civil Engineer
“I was referred to IDOT by one of my current colleagues, who I thank to this day as I now am able to be a part of an agency that strives to continuously impact the public positively.”
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