Georgia Southern Grad Student Recognized By American Society Of Civil Engineers

March: Women In History
Mariah Peart
Mariah Peart

Georgia Southern civil engineering graduate student Mariah Peart has been selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as one of 10 New Faces Of Civil Engineering for 2019 — Professional Edition. Engineering professor Gustavo Maldonado, Ph.D., said it’s the first time a Georgia Southern student has received this recognition.

“Mariah is one of the best students in the Civil Engineering program,” said Maldonado, who along with Marcel Maghiar, Ph.D., and Celine Manoosingh, Ph.D., is one of Peart’s advisers for her thesis. “More than three years ago, Mariah joined our Build Environment and Modeling laboratory as an undergraduate student and quickly learned the operation of all our laser scanning and measuring devices.”

Peart has worked on a variety of projects since becoming a master’s student. She has used 3D laser scanning and close-range photogrammetry, to assist Statesboro city engineers redesign intersections, resulting in better traffic flow and fewer accidents. She also created 3D models of historic barns near Statesboro that will serve as virtual preservation for the Bulloch County Historical Society to document the history of the local area.

“My passion to serve the community assisted in attaining this recognition,” Peart said. “My family is the reason why I have such a dedication to serve others through the skills I have learned over the years. These skills were built through passionate professors of the civil engineering and construction department. These professors not only teach the required material but show the students how their engineering skills can positively contribute to the community around them.”

ASCE’s New Faces of Civil Engineering recognition program highlights the next generation of civil engineering leaders. Every year, 10 honorees are selected from two divisions: collegiate and professional.

“It was soon evident that Mariah is a very intelligent, responsible, respectful and hard working individual,” Maldonado said. “Certainly, the combination of those attributes is a recipe for success. Fortunately, Mariah received financial support from the College of Engineering and Computing to pursue her graduate degree with us. I’m very glad Mariah earned this well-deserved recognition.”

Steven McCutcheon, Ph.D., a retired senior environmental engineer with 37 years of experience with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Geological Survey, said Peart has made him proud to be a civil engineer.

“I am overjoyed that you have become an Associate Member of ASCE, given your professional leadership potential,” Mc- Cutcheon said in a letter to Peart. “This award is also a real credit to the civil engineering program at Georgia Southern. I suspect it may influence the next accreditation of the civil engineering program, recruitment of faculty and attracting great students.”

Other members of the 10 New Faces Of Civil Engineering include an engineering professor in the Dominican Republic and a young Ph.D. who helped expose the ongoing lead pollution in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.

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