Carnegie Mellon University
Civil and Environmental Engineering  ›  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)  ›  CEE DEI Spotlight: Student & Faculty Profiles
Wednesday, March 08, 2023

CEE Spotlight: Ashley Perez

MS student Ashley Perez is a black Hispanic woman and first-generation college student passionate about environmental engineering and advocating for marginalized communities. She values diversity, equity, and inclusion in solving complex problems and hopes to inspire and mentor future generations of engineers.
Wednesday, February 22, 2023

CEE Spotlight: David Kim

Undergrad David Kim, embraces both his Korean and American identity. During his time in the Korean Military, he reflected on his interests, strengths, and passions, leading him to pursue civil and environmental engineering with the aim of shaping communities and societies through the built environment.
Tuesday, February 14, 2023

CEE Spotlight: Heather Thomas

Heather Thomas (Cain) is a staff member in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at CMU who supports the research done by students and faculty and is also the co-chair of the CEE DEI Committee. Growing up in a small rural town, Heather's exposure to diversity, equity, and inclusion was limited. Still, she developed a further understanding during college and has continually educated herself.
Tuesday, January 31, 2023

CEE Spotlight: Carmen Andrade

Identity played a big role in undergraduate Carmen Andrade’s interest in engineering and was inspired by the impact of natural hazards in Puerto Rico and Ecuador. Growing up in a multicultural environment in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, fostering an appreciation for diversity, equity, and inclusion, leading to a desire for international work and volunteer opportunities.
Friday, January 20, 2023

CEE Spotlight: Purva Bommireddy

Sophomore Purva Bommireddy’s passion is centered on her connection with the natural world and a drive to do work that puts people and the planet first.
Tuesday, January 10, 2023

CEE Spotlight: Thiago Augusto Rodrigues

Recent PhD graduate Thiago Augusto Rodrigues joined CEE from Cianorte, Brazil, and has prioritized building both a more sustainable society and opportunities as an engineer.
CEE Spotlight: Gwen DiPietro
Thursday, January 05, 2023

CEE Spotlight: Gwen DiPietro

CEE alumna and instructor Gwen Shepherd DiPietro, (MS ’12, PhD ’14) is a native of Pittsburgh with a lengthy career in environmental engineering and policy.
CEE Spotlight: Claraestela Torres Rivero
Tuesday, December 20, 2022

CEE Spotlight: Claraestela Torres Rivero

Master’s student Claraestela Torres Rivero joins us from Bucaramanga, Colombia, and shares a little about herself and her professional journey.
CEE Spotlight: Natasha Baruah
Monday, December 12, 2022

CEE Spotlight: Natasha Baruah

Master’s student Natasha Baruah grew up in Guwahati, India where water scarcity was commonplace and inspired her to work towards solutions.
CEE Spotlight: Valeria Nava
Monday, December 05, 2022

CEE Spotlight: Valeria Nava

PhD student Valeria Nava grew up in California and Nevada. She is a first-generation student with a tremendous amount of drive to shape not only her future but also work towards mitigating the impacts of climate change.
CEE Spotlight: Nicolas Bosquet
Monday, November 28, 2022

CEE Spotlight: Nicolas Bosquet

Junior Environmental Engineering student Nicolas Bosquet joins us from Washington, DC where its international community and his parents' careers exposed him to many people and cultures from around the world.
CEE Spotlight: Fethiye Ozis
Monday, November 21, 2022

CEE Spotlight: Fethiye Ozis

Assistant Teaching Professor, Fethiye Ozis shares some of her story of growing up in Isparta, Turkey, and how DEI plays a role in her teaching.
CEE Spotlight: Ritika Chopra
Monday, November 14, 2022

CEE Spotlight: Ritika Chopra

Ritika Chopra, from UAE and India, is a Master's Student advised by professor David Dzombak.
CEE Spotlight: Jacobo Kirsch Tornell
Tuesday, November 08, 2022

CEE Spotlight: Jacobo Kirsch Tornell

Jacobo Kirsch Tornell joins CEE from Monterrey, Mexico, and is a Master's student advised by professor Costa Samaras.
CEE Spotlight: Albin Wells
Wednesday, November 02, 2022

CEE Spotlight: Albin Wells

Albin Wells shares his personal story as part of our DEI spotlight
CEE Spotlight: Mwende Mwololo
Friday, July 09, 2021

CEE Spotlight: Mwende Mwololo

Mwende joins CEE from Kenya and chose “to pursue and remain in STEM was intentional because there aren’t many of us at the table designing and deploying solutions to global problems.”
CEE Spotlight: Nika Finkelsteyn
Monday, June 28, 2021

CEE Spotlight: Nika Finkelsteyn

Nika Finkelsteyn (BS '21) shares her experiences as a woman in STEM, connecting to her jewish roots, and expanding her perspectives on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
CEE Spotlight: Valentina Ortiz de Zárate
Wednesday, June 16, 2021

CEE Spotlight: Valentina Ortiz de Zárate

Meet Valentina Ortiz de Zárate! Valen recently completed her BS in Civil Engineering and is currently working towards her MS. Her interests center on environmental issues and speaks about her goal to be "that inspiring Hispanic Disney princess to any little girl who likes math."
CEE Spotlight: Ryan Rusali
Tuesday, May 04, 2021

CEE Spotlight: Ryan Rusali

CEE senior Ryan grew up in the Bay Area located in Northern California, where the tech boom has created a quite homogenous society, which can be best described as an amalgamation of different Asian cultures. Ryan’s grandparents and parents took time to immerse him in Vietnamese culture with food, language, and traditions, but he did not fully appreciate it until now.
CEE Spotlight: Ryan Rusali
Wednesday, April 28, 2021

CEE Spotlight: Ryan Rusali

CEE senior Ryan Rusali dove into civil engineering initially with an interest for applying computing, sensors, and drones to facilitate structure inspections. However, he quickly realized that there was so much more he could offer in his position as a civil engineer.
CEE Spotlight: Melissa Ritchie
Monday, April 19, 2021

CEE Spotlight: Melissa Ritchie

Many of us know Melissa Ritchie as the departments’ Graduate Academic Coordinator who welcomes students with a big bowl of candy, fruit cups or granola bars in her office.
CEE Spotlight: Jerry Wang
Thursday, January 14, 2021

CEE Spotlight: Jerry Wang

One of the new additions to the CMU faculty and CEE Department, Jerry Wang has already made a splash in the department with his happy demeanor and eclectic suits. Jerry joins us from MIT, where he received his doctorate applying his rigorous computational science background to model nanoscale fluid mechanics phenomena. A Chicago native and lifelong Cubs fan, Jerry brings a fresh perspective to the department in his research, teaching, and sports allegiances.
CEE Spotlight: Andrew Thompson
Tuesday, January 05, 2021

CEE Spotlight: Andrew Thompson

CEE junior Andrew Thompson he strives to promote a warm and welcoming environment everywhere he goes. As a board member of CMU’s student American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) chapter, he often points other students to the right resources and provides support in whatever form needed.
CEE Spotlight: Andrew Thompson
Tuesday, December 08, 2020

CEE Spotlight: Andrew Thompson

Known across the CEE department as a cheerful, hard-working undergraduate student, CEE junior Andrew Thompson is recognized for having the “best smile” in the department. But most importantly, his exuberant disposition personifies the welcoming and inclusive environment that CEE strives to develop and maintain. For Andrew, it is not only his demeanor that exemplifies this inclusive mentality but also his actions.
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