Illinois Tollway Celebrates Engineers Week
2022-02-22
The Illinois Tollway is celebrating Engineers Week by participating in activities that set the groundwork to get students interested in engineering careers, help recruit new talent to positions at the Tollway and support contractors and engineers that do business with the agency.
Engineers Week 2022, February 20-26, is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers.
“From roadways and bridges to skyscrapers and stadiums, engineers play a central role in driving the economy through science, technology and innovation, so we’re always looking for talented professional engineers to join our team,” said Illinois Tollway Chief Engineering Officer Manar Nashif.
Throughout the year, the Tollway looks for ways to reach out to new, established and potential future engineers, including efforts during this year’s Engineers Week.
To engage students in science and engineering, environmental planners from the Tollway are sharing a hands-on lesson on how to build a Monarch butterfly “puddling station,” a kind of rest area for butterflies to land and sip mineralized water, as part of this week’s DuPage County STEM Expo a virtual exhibition of science, technology, engineering and math activities.
The Tollway’s environmental team has a role to play in every roadway construction and maintenance project – including advancing the agency’s pollinator program to enhance and create habitat for monarch butterflies and other important pollinators along tollway roadsides throughout the 12 counties the Tollway serves.
From the environmental planners to IT specialists, operating the Illinois Tollway requires a variety of professionals with specialties that many job-seekers might not realize, and the Tollway is always looking for the best and brightest to join its team.
Recognizing the challenge, the agency looks for opportunities to showcase what the Tollway has to offer, such as this week’s Black Women in Science and Engineering “Be Seen Career Fair” for engineering and IT professionals. The virtual job fair will feature a chat room where job seekers can talk with Tollway recruiters to learn more about working at the Tollway or check out a video featuring Tollway employees.
Outreach to the heavy highway engineering community is also a key component to the Tollway’s successful delivery of service to customers along with roadway maintenance and improvements.
Events like this week’s meeting with the Federation of Women Contractors offer the Tollway the opportunity to talk about upcoming construction and professional engineering services contracts and discuss questions that construction and engineering firms might have.
“Engineers are instrumental in making the world a better place,” said Nashif. “As we look to the future, engineers are more important than ever as we look to overcome challenges and continue improving the world in which we live.”