Brooke Poppe

Since graduating from Purdue in 2015, Brooke Poppe has been working as a staff engineer (EIT) for Manhard Consulting, a full-service land development and civil engineering design firm she had met during the Industrial Roundtable career fair her senior year.

In her past two years with the company, Poppe has been exposed to a variety of different development projects specifically multi-family residential, commercial, industrial, and mixed use developments. While on-site, some of her responsibilities include soil erosion and sediment control plans, site grading and earthwork, stormwater detention calculations and basin design, routing and sizing of underground utilities (sanitary, water main and storm sewer) and permitting through the EPA.

Poppe has also spent time in the field with a survey and construction team observing installation and application of her team’s design work. 

Working at Manhard has provided Poppe multiple opportunities to see developments from the preliminary design phase through the construction and installation. “Most of the sites I work on are located in the Chicago area and it’s a unique sense of accomplishment to see something you've designed on paper and in AutoCAD come to life,” Poppe said. “I've witnessed the opening of multiple developments I worked on from start to finish and it's really rewarding to see what you're bringing to your community.”

Reflecting on her time at Purdue and in the EEE program, Poppe mentioned “being part of EEE at Purdue gave me a unique perspective on design and land development, different from my colleagues from other engineering backgrounds. It taught me to think of the future and consider the long term impacts of our development and come up with innovative ways to incorporate sustainable practices. I think diversity is key for creating effective solutions to meet our clients’ needs and a background in Environmental and Ecological Engineering helps me do that.”

Ella Wynn

Ella Wynn graduated from Purdue in May 2014, and soon following she began her service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania. Serving as a secondary science education volunteer, she has focused on teaching biology and computer science to ~500 students ages 14-19 in a small village of Njombe (southern highlands of Tanzania).

In addition to her primary volunteer role, Wynn has lead the coordination of several conferences for Tanzanian students covering the topics of improved nutrition and agricultural practices, water resource management, and female empowerment.

In May 2017, Wynn began attending grad school through a one-year MPA program at Columbia University in New York City studying Environmental Science and Policy. Her goal in obtaining her masters is to continue her work in the solar power industry in the United States.

Reflecting on her time at Purdue and in the EEE program, Wynn believes her degree rightfully prepared her for her career by giving her a “holistic approach to problem-solving, as well as the technical skills necessary to solve them.” She went on to explain, “I gained a deep understanding of the environmental issues our world is facing, as well as experience working with diverse groups of people, has been invaluable in my career so far. I also appreciate my time in Purdue for allowing me to develop my passion for sustainable development, and even though I haven't gone into a traditional engineering career path, my proficiency in the sciences always make a more attractive candidate in whatever position I am considering.”