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Having graduated from Lafayette as an A.B. engineering major (now called engineering studies), Shelly Christman ’07 works as a project engineer for The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. Despite her extremely busy schedule, I was able to touch base with Shelly and talk with her about her life since graduation.
Shelly was responsible for the finishing elements of the Lehigh Valley Hospital Tower, which was completed in December. Although it was a mere concrete shell upon Shelly’s arrival, she and Whiting-Turner rebuilt it, including the addition of tile, epoxy flooring, painted corridors, and vinyl, not to mention the moveable partitions, lockers, and mirrors. This huge and demanding project is one of many Shelly has already accomplished, and she looks forward to more in the future.
Currently, Shelly is working on the emergency department renovation, which includes demolition of spaces in order to re-design.
“It is challenging work to coordinate the construction not knowing exactly what you are dealing with when you take down walls and ceilings. Many times the work is much more involved than it initially appears and you must react quickly with solutions to keep the project moving and complete it on time,” she notes.
The spontaneity within her job keeps Shelly stimulated.
“Construction is very interesting in that new situations arise daily that need to be dealt with. You can come into work having a plan for what you hope to complete and the whole plan can change in minutes,” she says.
Shelly believes that studying liberal arts along with engineering at Lafayette helped her become well rounded.
“I feel aspects of engineering were covered here that are overlooked in other curriculums, such as how engineering projects impact the society in which we work and live. Your perspective changes when you are cognizant of some of the impacts your work has on others, maybe even others you wouldn’t initially think would be affected. But since all engineering projects have end users, having sensitivity to everyone impacted by a project during both the design and the construction phases results in a better product for everyone,” she explains.
Lafayette has also provided Shelly with fond memories as she remembers how her education helped to prepare her for her job.
“The small size of the College is instrumental in allowing students to have closer contact and more attention from faculty, which you don’t have at larger colleges and universities. I actually got information on Whiting-Turner through discussions with Dr. [David] Veshosky on construction and decided this was the field for me after doing research for him on the Central Artery Tunnel project in Boston,” she says.
Shelly also appreciates Lafayette’s proximity to major cities, including New York.
“Having access to several locations where projects were being done on a much larger scale and under tighter conditions and more public scrutiny was instrumental in research projects I did. On the same note, the College’s location also provided ease of access to rural areas where funds are limited and projects are done with little scrutiny/planning, lending insight and another perspective to some of that same research.”
Working for Whiting-Turner, Shelly acknowledges her responsibilities can be taxing. Her fast-paced, constantly changing schedule can at times be very challenging, but that is all the more reason she enjoys it.
“You also need to be willing to move around to project locations as required,” Shelly points out, noting this is difficult because she has a family.
With a demanding yet stimulating job, Shelly has plans to advance within the business. “This is a great company, and they treat their employees very well. Whiting-Turner is one of the largest contracting companies in the United States and they are involved in so many different types of projects,” she says.
Shelly is taking graduate courses online at Eastern Michigan toward a master’s in engineering project management. She remains a member of Lafayette Alumni of the Lehigh Valley and already has visited the campus quite often, and she plans to make more trips in the future.