54th Annual CEE Alumni Dinner

A statue of Jumbo on the Tufts University campus.

Join the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for the 54th Annual CEE Alumni Dinner! We will be honoring two outstanding graduates of our department, Meaghan Hooper-Berdik and Paul Kirshen.

Event Info and Registration

Saturday, May 2, 2026 from 5:00 - 8:00 pm
Breed Memorial Hall, 51 Winthrop St. Medford, MA
Appetizers will be available at 5:00 pm. Buffet dinner will be served at 6:00 pm.

We have two registration links this year:

Parking

Metered parking is available on College Avenue and Boston Avenue. Please contact Laura Sacco (laura.sacco@tufts.edu) directly for the parking code to Dowling Parking Garage or Cousins Parking Lot.

Award Recipients

Outstanding Achievement Award

Meaghan Hooper-Berdik is winner of the 2026 Outstanding Achievement Award. Meaghan attended Tufts University from 1993 to 1997, earning a degree in Civil Engineering. As an undergraduate, she developed a passion for structural engineering, with strong interests in statics, dynamics, and related fields. Like many of our students, she valued her time at Tufts and used her education to launch her career at Turner Construction. She joined the Boston office in 1997 as a field engineer, later transitioning to estimating in 2002. In 2007, she became operations manager for the Special Projects Division, eventually advancing to Vice President and General Manager in 2014. She now serves as Managing Director for the region, overseeing operations from Baltimore to Miami.

It is a great privilege to award the 2026 CEE Outstanding Achievement Award to Meaghan Hooper-Berdik in recognition of her accomplishments and for being an inspiration to our students. She exemplifies what can be achieved through character, determination, perseverance, and a commitment to long-term goals.

Distinguished Service Award

Paul Kirshen is the winner of the 2026 Distinguished Service Award. Paul has over 40 years of experience serving as Principal Investigator on complex, interdisciplinary, and participatory research related to water resources, coastal zones, infrastructure management, and climate variability and change. He has held faculty positions at the University of Massachusetts Boston, the University of New Hampshire in Durham, and Tufts University. He is widely recognized for his expertise on the impacts of climate change on infrastructure systems, including transportation, water supply, wastewater management, energy demand, coastal and river flooding, public health, and building integrity.

However, he is best known for his dedication to student learning, his engaging guest lectures, and, above all, his willingness to foster stimulating discussions. The CEE Department is therefore honored to award the 2026 Distinguished Service Award to Paul Kirshen in recognition of his dedication to student learning and his enduring commitment to Tufts University.

Questions?

Please feel free to email Laura Sacco (laura.sacco@tufts.edu) if you have any questions, need additional information, or would like to be removed from our Alumni E-list.