Adversity Leads to Unexpected, Rewarding Career
NSPE’s ‘New Face’ of Engineering aims to make a difference.
Ever since he was a kid,
Thomas Synovec wanted
to be a pilot. He reached
his goal of making it to
the US Air Force Academy
and was well on his way
to his dream—until a
routine physical revealed he was color-blind and ineligible for pilot training.
Devastated and considering leaving the
academy, he met with a professor who gave
him what turned out to be “the best piece of
advice that I have received in my life.” Try
civil engineering, the professor suggested.
Synovec did, and says, “knowing what I
know now, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Today, Synovec is an Air Force civil
engineer, deputy engineering flight
commander, and licensed professional
engineer. On April 5, DiscoverE’s Global
Day of the Engineer, he was named NSPE’s
representative to DiscoverE’s New Faces
of Engineering campaign. The program
recognizes talented engineers 30 years
or younger who use their skills and
education to help create a better world,
while inspiring both colleagues and
younger generations.
As the deputy engineering flight
commander at the 823rd Red Horse
Squadron at Hurlburt Field, in the
Florida Panhandle, Synovec designs and
constructs buildings, roads, and airfields
for the Air Force. He also works on humani-
tarian projects critical to coalition partners.
He has built schools, health clinics, and
water wells, providing access to clean
water, medicine, education, and reliable
power. His latest project is to head up
the largest troop labor project in the Air
Force’s history in a remote African region,
to support counter-terrorism operations.
The excitement of engineering,
Synovec believes, is in the ability to
make a tangible difference in people’s
lives. “As an engineer, you get to solve
unique and often complicated problems
on a daily basis,” he wrote in his award
application, “and then a few months
later, actually see people benefiting from
your efforts.”
The PE has also taught the Air Force’s
first professional engineering exam
prep course. In three years, the course
has helped hundreds of military and
civilian engineers pass the PE exam and
get licensed.
Learn more about NSPE awards,
including NSPE’s participation in the
New Faces of Engineering campaign, at
www.nspe.org/awards.
See all New Faces honorees at
http://discovere.org/our-programs/
awards-and-recognition.
For the 50th year, high school students from
across Colorado met to test just how much
load their engineering skills could take.
The annual Colorado High School
Bridge Building Competition—
sponsored by NSPE-Colorado, the US Bureau
of Reclamation, and the Colorado chapter
of the American Council of Engineering
Companies—challenges students to do a
lot with a little.
Among the competition’s specifications:
Bridges must be constructed only from
3/32-inch-square cross-section basswood,
nonmetallic cables, and any commonly
available adhesive; and the bridge mass
shall be no greater than 40 grams. An
increasing load is applied at the midspan
of the bridge until failure occurs. The top
three bridges with the highest structural
efficiency ratings determine each region’s
top three winners.
The competition was held February 18
at the Bureau of Reclamation’s Materials
Engineering and Research Laboratory
in Denver.
This year, first place students from
Region 1 and Region 2 each took home
a $2,000 scholarship provided by NSPE-
Colorado’s Education Foundation and
ACEC’s Colorado chapter.
The top two winners also received an
opportunity to attend the 2017 International
Bridge Building Contest, scheduled for April
22 in Dallas.
NSPE-Colorado’s participation in
this year’s event was dedicated to Gene
Burdick, P.E., F.NSPE, who passed away
on October 22, 2016. Burdick served at the
national, state, and chapter levels of NSPE
for over 40 years, and he was the owner
of Burdick Engineering Consultants for
over 30 years. NSPE-Colorado described
Burdick as “one of the most dedicated and
committed members of NSPE-CO, and was
a mentor and role model to many, including
members, leadership, and staff.”
The Stress of Competition
AT THE COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL BRIDGE BUILDING
COMPETITION ON FEBRUARY 18, A COMPETITOR’S
MODEL FEELS THE STRAIN.
