Alumni Testimonials

Q: “Tell us about yourself, Matthew.”
A: "I live in Delaware, Ohio with my wife Ashley and my 22 month old daughter Aria. We have two dogs, a border collie and a bassett hound mix, and a one cat that keeps our dogs busy. I serve as a member of the board of directors for the Humane Society of Delaware County and I’ve participated on and off for the last several years in dog agility with my border collie. Outside of the office I am actively involved in the Central Ohio chapter of ASCE, serving as the Vice President of the younger member group in 2014, and a member of the Water Management Association of Ohio. I actively volunteer at engineering related events including the STEM EXPO produced by the Central Ohio ASCE Younger Member Group and the annual NAWIC block kids event, a Lego builder event held at a local elementary school."

Q: “What is your current employer, your title, and describe your professional life.”
A: “I am currently employed with S&ME, Inc. as a Project Engineer. I began my career in 2011 as a staff engineer with BBC&M Engineering, Inc. as a recent graduate from the University of Toledo. Around 2012 BBCM was purchased by S&ME, Inc. where I have worked ever since. I passed my Fundamentals of Engineering exam to become an EI while still employed with BBC&M and then recently passed my Professional Engineering exam to become a PE in 2015. My project management responsibility includes presentations at pre-bid and pre-construction meetings, preparation of final design and certification reports for many large dams across the state of Ohio, and preparation of construction plans, specifications, and quantity estimates for public and privately owned dams and landfills in Ohio and Kentucky. My technical responsibilities include a broad range of hydrologic and hydraulic analyses and storm water control best practices. "

Q: “What was your motivation for pursuing your degree?”
A: "I wanted to pursue my master’s degree in Civil Engineering to have exposure to some of the more advanced concepts in soil engineering that are not typically covered in undergraduate programs. More specifically, I wanted to pursue a degree with a focus in Geotechnical engineering to provide me with a greater knowledge base and theoretical background to use in my professional career. The Civil team that I work on at S&ME, Inc. works on many challenging reservoir, dams, landfill, and other large earthwork projects that require knowledge of soils, slope stability, ground modification, and settlement among other concepts. The majority of my professional career has been working on hydrologic and hydraulic designs for these projects, but I wanted to have a greater understanding of the soil engineering concepts as a basis for me to continue to develop in my career."

Q: “Why did you choose Norwich?”
A: "I chose Norwich after a long research process. I currently live in Central Ohio and my preference for my master’s degree was a focus on Geotechnical Engineering. Since my primary work responsibilities had me focusing on water resource related projects in hydrologic and hydraulic engineering I also considered an online degree in Water Resource engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. After comparing the cost of tuition, the coursework timeline, course offerings, and the faculty at each university I ultimately decided that Norwich University had everything I needed. The residency week and on-site civil engineering lab probably tipped the scales more than anything else."

Q: “Please describe any memorable experiences with faculty or staff members.”
A: "There were three students in my cohort that I became good friends with and were people that I could collaborate with on assignments and group projects. I really enjoyed getting to know these individuals who lived on opposite ends of the country and in some cases in different types of work."

Q: “Any examples of putting your Norwich education to work immediately at your job?”
A: "One example of coursework that translated into my professional job was our understanding of the preparation and design of a subsurface investigation. In my coursework at Norwich I learned how to lay out a plan of borings and interpret the boring data for the purposes of making recommendations. Another example, in a broad sense, was how I used what I learned from the project management coursework to understand my own companies organizational structure and how to effectively delegate and manage coworkers who touch my projects. I’ve used many of those project management concepts to become a better project manager."

Q: “What impact has Norwich made in your life?”
A: "My degree at Norwich really changed the trajectory of my young career. I am more confident and better equipped to continue to develop my career at a high level."