Science, and Technology Societies Young Engineer of the Year Award Saint Paul, Minn., 5/10/2021 – Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science, and Technology Societies (MFESTS) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) - Minnesota Section have named Ariel Christenson as the 2021 recipient of the Young Engineer of the Year Award.
The Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science and Technology Societies (MFESTS) presents this award annually to a nominated individual submitted by MFESTS member societies which includes the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Minnesota Section. The award will be presented at the 2021 MFESTS Board Meeting held on June 22, 2021.
The Young Engineer of the Year Award recognizes outstanding achievement by an engineer 35 years of age or younger by December 31st prior to the Engineers Week Awards Banquet. Nominees are judged based on educational and collegiate achievements; professional society activities; civic and humanitarian activities; continuing competence; engineering achievements; and overall professional experience.
New Brighton, MN resident Ariel Christenson holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Master’s of Science – Civil Engineering both from the University of Minnesota. She works for Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH), Incorporated in Saint Paul, as a Structural Engineer. SEH is an employee-owned engineering, architectural, environmental, and planning company that helps government, industrial and commercial clients find answers to complex challenges. At SEH, Inc. Ariel manages the development of structural construction documents for primarily water and wastewater treatment plants with an emphasis in concrete structures. She frequently manages the structural engineering of multiple concurrent projects while maintaining client relationships during design and construction administration.
"The MFESTS award nomination process realizes many career benefits such as reflection for our members to take stock of unique contributions and motivates our members to seek feedback to achieve further stretch goals" said Cathy Krier, MFESTS 2020-2021 President. "Based on the nomination channels, the MFESTS recognition process ultimately boosts the immediate and long-term visibility of the member’s science/engineering contributions across the widest range of engineering disciplines collectively represented by the member societies, reaching the broader Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics community in Minnesota."
Ariel Christenson was nominated in recognition of her work as an accomplished Structural Engineer and Project Manager who has garnered more than 10 years of design experience. During her professional career, she has designed buildings, water and wastewater treatment plant structures, airport buildings, and other structures. Her experience in water treatment began with a role as an intern in the water treatment industry where she often traveled to several sites per day performing on-site engineering and maintaining regular client communication. Currently, Ariel manages the development of structural construction documents for primarily water and wastewater treatment plants with an emphasis in concrete structures. She manages multiple projects, seeing each through design, drafting, bidding, and construction phases.
The Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science, and Technology Societies (MFESTS) is an umbrella organization comprised of engineering-related member societies within the State of Minnesota. There currently are nineteen societies/chapters, representing approximately 6,000 individuals, that are members of MFESTS.
MFESTS three primary mission foci are:
1) To provide service to the Societies that are members of the Federation.
2) To provide a service to the community at large and especially to young people in hopes of helping them learn more about potential careers in the fields of engineering, science, and technology.
3) To provide professional development services to professionals in engineering-related careers.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is one of the member societies of MFESTS. It is a non-profit professional organization founded in 1852 with over 150,000 members worldwide. Locally, the Minnesota Section was established in 1914, and represents more than 1400 members that work in all levels of government, academia and the private sector to design, construct and maintain our State’s infrastructure. One of ASCE’s key responsibilities is to advocate for infrastructure stewardship in an effort to protect the public’s health, safety, and improve our quality of life. The Minnesota Section represents all of Minnesota except for the Counties in the northeast portion of the state, which are part of the Duluth Section.
