Engineering Magazine: Fall 2019

Page 46

ALUMNI | CARNEGIE MELLON ENGINEERING

Connecting Native Alaskan Villages to Sanitation Infrastructure When Agnes Marszalik (CEE BS ‘13) decided

distribution and collection,” she adds. She’s

to focus her job search on areas near

involved in projects from start to finish—

mountains, she had no idea that she’d end

from writing preliminary engineering

up in an area reeling from the impacts of

reports to design and construction.

climate change.

Marszalik is just about to wrap up

Working as an engineer for the Division

the first two projects that she’s worked

of Environmental Health and Engineering at

on for the consortium. Marszalik credits

the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium,

her education in civil and environmental

she sees first-hand that native communities

engineering (CEE) with preparing her for

are relocating—or planning to relocate—

a challenging career. Her involvement in

due to the changing environment.

Engineers without Borders (EWB) while at

“The melting of permafrost, which

CMU also provided real-world experience in

causes the ground to thaw and shift, is

the design, construction, and monitoring of

resulting in damage and failure of current

a water collection and distribution project in

infrastructure,” she says.

the Ecuadorian Andes.

The moving ground is a challenge that

She takes pride in the tangible benefits

engineers must take into consideration

her work provides to native villages.

when creating designs for the future.

Marszalik mentions that she is especially

Marszalik’s current work is focused

interested in water treatment pilot studies,

on providing design and construction

projects that evaluate water quality, test

administration services for sanitation

scenarios, and determine the best solutions

projects in Alaska native villages. She chose

to bring systems efficiently into compliance.

the position based in Anchorage, Alaska

“These [studies] have been the most

because it combined her interest in water

rewarding because once we find a solution

and sanitation.

for the water source, it then becomes the

“Most of my work deals with water and wastewater treatment along with

basis of the water treatment plant design,” Marszalik says. She adds that bringing

critical infrastructure to remote Alaskan areas is a big challenge. Many native villages are accessible only by small aircraft or boat. Some lack basic water and sewer connections to their homes—and have been waiting for decades for improvements. “These challenges, along with the extreme weather, require creative design and significant planning. We need to provide systems that can be constructed and operated in these areas while maximizing the public health benefits,” Marszalik states.


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