Fung Feature: Pei-Wen Hu, MEng ’20 (CEE)
On being a doctor to the earth, serving society, and living a full life
Pei-Wen (Patty) Hu is a new graduate of the Class of 2020 who studied Civil & Environmental Engineering with a concentration in Transportation Engineering. Prior to enrolling in the MEng program, Patty worked for the Taipei city government for four years on bridge seismic retrofitting projects, as well as roadway rehabilitation and disaster recovery projects. Here, she shares what inspired her to first study civil engineering, her experiences working for the Taipei government, and why she decided to go back to school.
On her educational and professional background
“Before I came to study at the MEng program at Berkeley, I’d already received my bachelor’s in civil engineering and master’s in structural engineering from National Taiwan University (NTU). My research there was about earthquake engineering and focused on how to predict the damage probability of structures during earthquakes. After I graduated from NTU in 2015, I worked for the Taipei city government (the capital of Taiwan) for four years, and was responsible for the design of transportation infrastructures.
I was an engineer with a structural engineering background, specializing in structural design and construction management. Compared to what I’ve done before, transportation engineering is an innovative profession combining data science, intelligent transportation systems and auto-driving technology. Thus, although the MEng at Berkeley is my second master’s degree, transportation engineering is still a totally new and interesting field which I want to explore.
On why she works in Civil & Environmental Engineering
Having seen both my parents serve as public servants in the government for my whole life, taking social responsibility and being valuable to society has always been my life goal since I was little. In fact, when I was a high school student, I wanted to become a doctor to help people in need. Therefore, back in 2008, when I saw the civil engineering department booth in the university exposition, I was so excited to find an engineering field that was highly related to people’s lives and can contribute to society.
I view civil engineers as doctors to the earth. They always want to help the world to become better. As a civil engineer studying and working in the industry for more than 10 years, I realize that I can really bring something good to the society through my expertise. I improved the seismic capability of bridges to protect the residents under bridges. I designed the road widening project to improve the traffic performance in urban areas. I also designed disaster recovery projects to prevent landslides in mountains. I can help to build a better and safer living environment for the citizens and even to my beloved family. When I get the chance to see my design or project being constructed on site, I can always feel a sense of achievement.
“I view civil engineers as doctors to the earth. They always want to help the world to become better.”
On her work for the Taipei city government, and why she chose to go back to school
In my first three years working for the government, I was responsible for bridge seismic retrofitting projects which helped to improve the seismic capability of 39 bridges in Taipei. Then, in the last year I got promoted to be the lead of the roadway and infrastructure maintenance team. My duty was supervising and executing the design and construction management of roadway rehabilitation and disaster recovery projects. So basically, my previous work before the MEng program was mainly transportation projects and would have a huge impact on the traffic in the city.
Working on those projects, I realized that there’s a huge difference between the designs of structural engineers and transportation engineers. Therefore, I believe that with knowledge in transportation engineering, I can definitely create better structural designs in transportation projects. Additionally, combining knowledge and experience from both fields can help me succeed in pursuing management and leading roles in the future. I wanted to give myself a chance to improve and reach the next level, so I enrolled in the MEng program to pursue a Civil & Environmental Engineering degree with a concentration in Transportation Engineering.
On her Capstone project
Our Capstone project aims to develop an advanced and comprehensive traffic signal control strategy for the public bus system in San Francisco. This project is not only supervised by Professor Alexander Skabardonis in the CEE department but also works with external stakeholder SFMTA, the transit authority managing the public transit system in San Francisco. They offered us existing traffic data and their ongoing policy proposals to help us have a better understanding of the on-site traffic conditions. This project also plays as a test for the new “bus only” policy on Market Street. In this project, we improved the overall traffic performance on the corridor by optimizing the signal cycle length and offset in the integrated Synchro and VISSIM simulation. It’s an exciting and interesting experience in which we can utilize what we’ve learned in courses in an industry setting.
On maintaining health — physically and mentally
In my free time, I enjoy jogging and working out in the gym. I believe a healthy physical condition can strengthen one’s mental and willingness. Also, after working for four years, I realize the importance of work-life balance. I keep telling myself to remember to release my pressure from time to time in order to elevate my performance at work.
On what she hopes to accomplish in the future
Professionally, I wish to combine and put into practical use all my knowledge in civil engineering. For example, back in 2015, I once thought about equipping the structural health monitoring system on bridges or other infrastructure to monitor the health condition of the structure continuously. Once an earthquake happens, the emergency alarm system would activate itself if the monitored data exceeded a certain threshold value. The traffic rerouting system would also activate accordingly and change the traffic signals to help reroute drivers to safer routes and avoid the danger posed by the damaged structure.
Creating such a integrated system requires a huge amount of knowledge in structural engineering, transportation engineering, sensing technology, data science, and also on-site experience. Actually, I’m quite surprised to see that some engineers are doing something similar in the industry right now. To make sure what I do everyday brings benefit to people, I expect myself to keep learning and thinking in the future.
On making the most of life’s opportunities
Being a graduate student coming back to campus four years after getting my first master’s degree, I cherish every moment here in the United States, even the times when I encounter difficulties and challenges. I know that although I quit my stable job in Taiwan and had to leave my family and friends there, I can obtain lots of unique experiences here. I encourage everyone to grab every opportunity to explore the world and your life. As we grow older, there will be less chance for us to change our routine life because of more concern for our family, jobs, and relationships. Take risks in life and try something new outside the comfort zone as much as you can. But, at the same time, always focus on your goals and don’t let others’ decisions sway you along the way. Life only happens once, enjoy it and make the most of it.”
Connect with Patty // Edited by Lauren Leung
Fung Features is a series dedicated to showcasing the Fung community from various cohorts and backgrounds and learning more about their lives and their stories. If you’re interested in being featured, email funginstitute@berkeley.edu.
