Matthew Garneau ’19, a graduate of the civil engineering program with a concentration in environmental engineering from the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA), works as a staff engineer at Tighe & Bond. Garneau grew as a leader through his involvement in CETA’s Engineers Without Borders chapter and credits his experience as well as relationships made with faculty for helping him get to where he is today.
Garneau chose to attend UHart because of the small class sizes, the passionate professors, and the proximity to his hometown. “By being so close to home, I was able to continue running my landscaping business part time while attending school,” he says.
During his first year working full time at Tighe & Bond, he took on various responsibilities and projects. When he started, Garneau was working on water and wastewater design projects in the Middletown, Conn. office. His job, like many others, was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, when he had to transition to working from home and focus on construction administration tasks. Most recently, he was able to get back to working in the field doing construction observation/resident engineering and construction administration at a drinking water treatment plant upgrade in East Lyme, Conn.
Since graduating from UHart, Garneau has found valuable experience working on the design of water and wastewater treatment, collection, and distribution systems, facilitating bidding, construction observation, and administration of several projects, performing dam inspections, and developing emergency action plans. All are aspects an aspiring civil engineer can learn more about through the engaging civil engineering program at the University. Garneau credits civil engineering faculty David Pines and Todd Brown for making the program exciting. In particular, they are known for taking students out into the field to get an insight into civil engineering projects and meet with professionals.
Matthew Garneau ’19, civil engineering with environmental engineering concentrationI was inspired to work in the civil engineering field because I wanted to make an impact on the health and safety of our natural environment and mankind. Regardless of major, I encourage incoming students to take advantage of the clubs and organizations offered on campus. Get involved! Attend networking events and conferences with professors to learn more about your dream job.