Women in the Built Environment Spotlight: Amelia Martin, PE

In recognition of International Women’s Day, DesignForce sat down with transportation engineer, Amelia Martin. Amelia received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from George Mason University and has worked in the transportation industry for seven years. As a Senior Engineer at Kittelson & Associates, she works closely with local jurisdictions, state departments of transportation, and private developers, assisting them with a spectrum of the project delivery process, from policy and planning to final design and operations. Amelia also has over a decade of experience competing with and coaching debate teams, which has provided her with an invaluable oratorical experience that she has brought to her current employer. 

How did you initially get involved with and exposed to Transportation Engineering?

I was sort of indoctrinated into engineering without really knowing it. My mom is a route planner in the smaller city that I am from (Des Moines, Iowa). And while it was really challenging, she always said to me, “Even though it is frustrating, I feel like I am doing something that matters at the end of the day. I am really helping people get access to a service that they need.” When I reflect on my career now, and what really gets me excited, it’s those exact same things…I like to say that you can’t have social mobility, without mobility, and it is really important to get people to education, jobs, and key services to make a difference in their lives.

How do you see your impact on a daily basis in your work?

It is really exciting when you actually see a project get built, it is the most tangible way to feel like you are making a difference. I can’t think of anything more satisfying than biking in a bike lane that I helped design, which I’ve had the ability to do. I feel really fortunate to have this job, to have these opportunities and work with communities that are willing to make changes. 

You have been passionate about speech and debate ever since high school, where you participated in the school debate team. Looking back do you feel like your debate club experience was different from your male counterparts?

The comments that you receive back from people [play an important role] in the decision of whether you win or you lose. It became really apparent early on that I would get more comments like “Maybe don’t be so forceful in answering this question” or “You’re coming off really standoffish.”  It became important to (1), understand that people do really think like that sometimes and (2), not to take these comments too seriously. 

What inspired you to bring your history with debate to your role at Kittelson?

Well, it actually started as a bit of a grassroots effort. I think it all had to do with the fact that we were dealing with an election season and that there were a lot of exciting things happening in the transportation world. There had already been a couple of events that were a bit more debate-oriented in which we had different planners doing a quick debate back and forth about the future of scooters in the industry. People really enjoyed [these small debates] and thought it was an interesting offering. So, I had heard from leadership in the company that they wanted to offer more events like that and they asked me if I had any ideas. And, boy did I ever! 

What do you see as common communication errors and obstacles that engineers often make or encounter in a professional setting? 

It all comes back to a lack of preparation or practice. One thing I see a lot, and notice in myself, is that we often try to cover too much when we are speaking; when really less is often more. I think that comes down to a lack of preparation – we haven’t clearly thought through the bottom line and the message we are trying to convey. This leads us to speak too fast or not emphasize important words, and delivery is just as important as the particular words used. 

The last thing that I think people forget to do is called signposting. [Signposting] makes it a lot easier for people to follow what you are saying. It also makes you sound more organized and in control of what you are talking about. Examples of signposting are, “This is the argument that I am going to address now,”  “Now I am addressing this concern,” or “Now we are moving on to the final concern that somebody brought up”. 

How do you feel your debate background and communication skills have contributed to your success not only as an engineer but specifically as a female engineer?

It has made me very comfortable with my own voice. [My debate background] has also taught me how to read people. Debate is just as much about listening as it is about speaking. I think sometimes we forget that. To convince someone to take any action that you want them to take, you need to understand what is going to be persuasive to them. We’re all wired completely differently and we all have our own motivations. Debate made me think critically about the recipient of that message and how to best reach that person. Understanding this has been really helpful in the engineering realm. 

If you were to go back in time to when you were a senior in college, what piece of advice would you give yourself as you entered into the professional world?

I would have told myself not to be intimated. That would also have been a really good message for me as a teenager entering high school as well. I think it would have been beneficial for me to hear someone say, “No, you can do this, don’t be intimated. It is hard, it’s difficult, it is going to take hard work and practice, and you are going to get things wrong, but don’t be afraid,  you can absolutely do this.

How can women position themselves to be successful and progress within the engineering realm?

It all comes back to being able to read people and being passionate. Communication is a two-way street; it is about the message you send and the message you receive. For women, it can be easy to send ourselves messages like, “Well, I don’t really need to advocate for myself that much; I’m not that big of a deal.” If you can’t convince yourself that your career and work are important, you are going to have a really hard time convincing others. 

The second piece is that ability to read people. My advice is to know which person you need to convince that you are the bomb and that you deserve the opportunity. Then, understand how that person likes to be communicated with and what messages are most convincing for them. 

Do you feel as though transportation systems are equitable right now?

We have a lot of work to do on this. A lot of it ties back to communication and empowerment. I have learned through debate that the loudest voice in the room isn’t always the right one, but that voice is really convincing and persuasive. I think this can translate to public services like transportation – the people with the loudest voices and the most power who feel the most comfortable expressing themselves and their needs are more likely to get what they want. I think to create a more equitable built environment practitioners and decision makers need to think about the loudest voices in the room. Are these voices right? Are there other voices that are not in the room that aren’t being heard, and, how can we advocate for those voices that are not in this room? 

What advice would you give to a student who is thinking about entering this industry?

Try to get connected with practitioners earlier on. I would encourage checking out groups like the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Women’s in Transportation Seminar, American Society of Highway Engineers or other practitioner groups like these [in order to understand the industry] and really see what people are doing. Getting connected that way will [allow you to] gain a better understanding of what a job would actually look like in the field.

Why should females and girls consider a career in transportation planning and engineering?

It makes a huge difference in people’s lives. It is frankly shocking to me that there are so few women going into the field. I think that is changing, which is great. When I reflect on my mom and the role that she played, a lot of the women I speak with feel this same call or sense of duty to serve others and provide a public service that everyone needs and uses. I would say to other women and men, that transportation is one of the best ways that you can really make a difference. I’m so thankful I went into this field.