Alumna Named a New Face of Engineering

Sarah Freeman, 25, a resident of Washington, D.C., and a 2005 graduate of the School of Engineering, has been recognized as one of the New Faces of Engineering for 2009 by the National Engineers Week Foundation.

In addition to her recognition by the foundation, which coincides with the start of its Engineers Week, February 15-21, Freeman received the Young Professional of the Year Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies. Established in 1909, the ACEC represents about 5,700 engineering firms throughout the United States.

While at Tufts, Freeman founded the university's chapter of Engineers Without Borders, which works on sustainable engineering projects in development countries. Freeman led intense field activities in a water provision project in rural Ecuador; was a field team leader for a sanitation provision and training in a rural community project in China; and collaborated with SEDAPAL, Greater Lima's water utility, to develop a water resources planning model using Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) for the city's future development.

Sarah Freeman, E'05, EG'08, recently conducted a two year study that used global water data sets and GIS to document how the newly emerging concepts of hydroclimatic regimes and the landscape water availability depict a much richer picture of water availability in Africa than traditional studies indicated.

Freeman is currently a water resources engineer at The Louis Berger Group in Washington, D.C. Freeman is currently part of a team that is working with the Iraqi government to develop the country's agriculture industry. The program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Candidates recognized by the foundation are selected based on professional achievement and demonstrated leadership abilities in projects that significantly impact on public welfare or further development in the field. Nominees must be 30 years or younger with two to five years of experience in the workplace.

The National Engineers Week Foundation is a coalition of 75 engineering related societies, corporations and government agencies. It was founded in 1951 as a vehicle to diversify and educate the future engineering workforce by promoting understanding and interest in engineering and technology careers among younger students and by increasing literacy in match and science among youths about to enter college. For more information, visit www.eweek.org.