NAME:
Jacob L. Mathis, P.E.
TITLE:
Engineer II
PROJECT:
Waterway Protection Tunnel
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering
Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana)
EXPERIENCE:
Louisville MSD
Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz Inc.
Mindel Scott & Associates, Inc
HOW HE BECAME AN ENGINEER:
“It just kind of happened. I started as a chemistry major, but I couldn’t see a life in chemistry. My dad was a carpenter, and I was always good with my hands, and engineering seemed to be a good way to blend those things together.”
ON ENGINEERING:
“What school teaches is the principles behind the design, but not the practical aspect. You can design anything on paper, but you have to be able to adapt and change as things go.”
ON THE WATERWAY PROTECTION TUNNEL:
“When you look at the plans, it seems simple. But this project was originally three basins that we combined into one very large project. It is a 2.5-mile tunnel that we designed in nine months. There was never a break from the moment we decided to change the project. It’s been constant forward momentum.”
IN HIS SPARE TIME:
“I’m remodeling my basement, so even in off-time, I’m building and reworking things, just on a smaller scale. Ultimately, that is what I enjoy: putting together plans and making them come to life.”
