January 28, 2010
Engineer from HDR Engineering Receives Honor from National Civil Engineering Society
Reston, Va. – Jennifer Jacka balances her exciting career as a highway engineer with HDR Engineering in Kansas City with a dedication to educating students and providing public awareness on the importance of civil engineering. In recognition of her efforts with the Kansas City Section as well as her other volunteer efforts, Jacka was recently named a New Face of Civil Engineering by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). An integral part of ASCE’s 2010 National Engineers’ Week (Feb. 14-20) initiatives, the program promotes the achievements of young civil engineers by highlighting their contributions and impact on society.
Chairing the government and public relations committees of the Kansas City Section, Jacka worked to promote Liquid Assets, a documentary on the importance of our nation’s water infrastructure, by organizing a public viewing and working to make the piece available on local PBS stations. She also organized educational booths for three local water festivals and teamed up with the Blue River Watershed Association, an organization that educates young people about the quality of water, to participate in classroom discussions and activities. Jacka’s efforts raised more than $20,000 to support the campaign to promote the documentary.
Jacka has also mentored middle school students designing projects for Future City Competitions― an event where students design their own cities using SimCity computer software, then build a live scaled model. She continues to volunteer and mentor students while serving on the board of directors for the Blue River Watershed Association.
Jacka earned her bachelor’s degrees in business administration and civil engineering from Kansas State University Manhattan, Kan. She is a resident of Kansas City.
ASCE’s top five New Faces of Civil Engineering were also submitted to the national New Faces of Engineering program run by the Engineers Week Foundation. This program includes representatives from the civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, industrial and manufacturing engineering professions. Selected New Faces profiles, including the top civil engineer chosen by the Engineers Week Foundation, will be featured in a USA Today ad during Engineers Week and will be profiled on the National Engineers Week Web site at, as well as at www.discoverengineering.org.
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 144,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.
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Media Contact: Camille Haley, 703-295-6408, chaley@asce.org