Hello everyone!
My name is Brea and I will be a senior at UNM this Fall 2024! I grew up in Albuquerque, NM, but I was born in Washington state. I often spend summers and school breaks in Seattle, and I have been privileged enough to have interned there the past two summers at a transportation engineering firm called Parametrix! I work for Parametrix in Albuquerque during the school year. I will be graduating in December 2024 and could not be more excited about this approaching close of one of the most important chapters of my life.
A research question I am interested in is: How do built characteristics influence the safety of vulnerable road users (pedestrians and bicyclists)? I explored this question in my research through the Eisenhower Fellowship program this past year and it has significantly shifted the way I view the world around me. Engineers are responsible for keeping the safety of the public a priority, so I felt that this research was extremely applicable to the design of future roadways and influence on policy that might reduce VRU fatalities.
My favorite hobby is crafting – I love anything that has to do with making things by hand. More than anything, I enjoy the time spent making a project and being able to say that I made the shirt I am wearing or painted something hanging in my home. Another hobby that I have come to like more and more is cooking. Although I am not very good at it yet, I think there is value in learning to love the process of learning itself and improving a skill. No one was born a Michelin chef! Both of my parents are very good cooks (confirmed by many) and they have both taught me the importance of gathering with others over a meal. I think all my hobbies relate to the broader civil engineering industry as a whole. Noticeable and substantial positive change requires persistence and willingness to adapt to overcome challenges. This is also accomplished through collaboration with other engineers – you cannot just change the world as a single entity – it takes a village! I also one day hope to be able to see a project through from design to construction and see its influence on others – even if it is just a sidewalk repair or speedbump implementation.
This past year in the RUTA-HC lab, I aided Yully Chaves Lasso in data collection for her research in VRU crashes. For this next semester, I hope to be involved in research pertaining again to pedestrian and bicyclist safety!