Durham School connects girls with women in construction careers

Pink Hardhat Days for Girls gathered students from seven Omaha high schools in early August to learn about careers for women in construction.

Led by Terri Norton, Ph.D. (an associate professor of construction engineering with UNL’s Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction), the event connected young people and industry members at Omaha’s Peter Kiewit Institute for a panel discussion and hands-on activity: designing and testing a dome structure. The participants also enjoyed a site tour of Creighton University’s Champion Center, hosted by Kiewit Building Group.

“This is the first time for this camp,” said Norton, who has plans to repeat the gathering next year--potentially during National E-week or in early summer. Students will be invited from Omaha and Lincoln area high schools.

Norton thanked all involved, especially the panel of industry experts:
Lara Syrocki, Professional Engineer, HDR Engineering; Allison Sambol, Kiewit Environmental; Nicole Kopocis, Project Manager, AOI Corporation; Christine Hill, Vice President – Construction, AOI Corporation; Sherri Gordon, Business Development, Kiewit Building Group; Amy Gutschewski, Mechanical Engineer, Waldinger Corporation; Ellie Hess, Project Engineer, Kiewit Building Group; and Pamela Dingman, CEO, Engineering Design Consultants.