College of Engineering Alum Receives National Honor

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Rachel Stender, a 1997 graduate of the civil engineering department of the University of Arkansas College of Engineering, was selected as one of the "New Faces in Engineering" during National Engineers Week. She was one of 12 young engineers nationwide to receive the honor. A total of 56 young engineers were nominated.

Stender is a project engineer for the Port of Corpus Christi Authority and is responsible for the design, construction and management of capital and maintenance projects throughout the port. She is the first registered female engineer in the 77-year history of the port, where she currently manages the construction of a new water taxi landing. The landing is a $1.9 million project intended to encourage alternate transportation in the arts and museum district of the city. Among the numerous other port projects she manages are the demolition of one million square feet of timber warehouses for the future construction of a minor league baseball stadium, dock upgrades and marine rehabilitation.

"I am extremely proud to be a graduate of the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas," said Stender. "I’ve always felt the U of A is the best-kept college secret in the U.S., with great professors, a beautiful campus, state-of-the-art research facilities, excellent faculty-to-student ratios. My coursework and classes gave me the tools of knowledge I needed as I began my professional experience. After graduating, I was prepared to be a valuable engineering asset early in my career."

Stender recently completed reserve duty in the U.S. Air Force as a civil engineering officer with the 307^th Red Horse Unit, a mobile, rapid-response construction unit, and currently serves as an adjunct professor at DelMar Community College.

The New Faces of Engineering program highlights the work of young engineers and the resulting impact on society. Young engineers two to five years out of school are the focus of this program. The 2004 New Faces were chosen from nominations submitted through engineering societies by corporations, academia and engineering professionals and were honored by a full-page advertisement in USA Today. For more information, visit http://www.eweek.org/.