Continuing VHB’s partnership with Davies Technical & Career High School to equip future engineers with relevant, real-world knowledge and skills, three VHBers gave a civil engineering presentation to a senior class of pre-engineering students. The 900-student public school in Lincoln, Rhode Island, developed an Environmental Engineering track in close collaboration with VHB, launched in fall 2025, that expanded its Pre-Engineering Technology program to prepare students for fields focused on environmental challenges.
Providence-based team members, including Managing Director Justin Dufresne, Team Leader-Transportation Planning and Operations Kristin Caouette, and Transportation Designer JL Coelho, gave students an engaging introduction to civil engineering. They highlighted the profession’s interdisciplinary nature with examples of how civil engineers collaborate across disciplines to solve complex problems. Their discussion focused on three civil engineering disciplines—transportation planning, land development, and transit & rail—while emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach. Following the presentation, student were invited to ask questions about the field, its career possibilities, and even tips for college.
Drawing on illustrations from her career as a transportation planner, Kristin gave an overview of transportation planning. She showed students how planning efforts help communities address a wide array of mobility issues and how modeling tools support smart, technology-informed decision-making. A regionally-impactful VHB project nearby, the Pawtucket-Central Falls Transit Center, offered a relatable context for Kristin’s discussion of the rail planning and design practice and how its practitioners interact with transportation planners in a complex undertaking.
Describing VHB’s work on Gillette Stadium, Justin introduced a roomful of New England Patriots fans to the land development practice. He walked students through the process by which these civil engineers collaborate with many other disciplines and help clients continuously transform their assets to attract new tenants, improve stadium operations, and enhance the user experience. His synopsis highlighted how the latest technology, such as clear 3D renderings, helps designers and their clients better understand sites and smoothly advance projects.
“This was a really great opportunity for Kristin, JL, and me to give these students a glimpse into some areas of the career landscape they may not have considered,” Justin said. “Going beyond classroom concepts, we hopefully sparked some interest by showing them how our work as civil engineers makes positive impacts in their daily lives. Our industry needs a next generation of engineers eager and well-equipped to work for firms like VHB that are committed to meaningfully bettering the built environment, and Davies and VHB’s partnership is addressing that need.”
Read more about VHB’s support of Davies Technical & Career High School.
