Okay, here’s a breakdown of the text, focusing on key details about Sena Kizildemir, organized for clarity. I’ve categorized the information into sections: Background & Education, Career, research & Accomplishments, and Awards & Recognition.
1. Background & Education
* Birthplace: Istanbul, Türkiye
* Parents: Father is a professional drummer, mother worked in magazine advertising and sales.
* Early Interests: Curiosity about how things are built, loved building with Legos (specifically miniature houses for ants).
* High School: STEM-focused high school, studied mathematics and physics.
* Undergraduate: Işık University in Şile, Türkiye (full scholarship, English-taught program). Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (2016). Chose civil engineering to maximize impact on community and world.
* Graduate: Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA (full scholarship). Master’s degree in Civil Engineering (2018),then Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (2023).
2. Career
* Current Employer: Thornton Tomasetti, New York City.
* Current Job Title: Project Engineer (Applied Science division).
* Internship: Summer internship at Thornton Tomasetti as a Civil Engineer (2018) - focused on computational modeling of rails.
* Role at Thornton Tomasetti: Uses simulations to study how buildings fail under extreme events (impacts, explosions) and develop mitigation strategies. Focuses on finite element modeling of critical infrastructure.
3. Research & Accomplishments
* Master’s Thesis: Investigated root causes of crack propagation in railroad rails, a threat to railroad safety. Collaborated with the U.S.Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
* Railroad Research: Designed and implemented testing protocols and physics-based simulations to detect cracks earlier in rails. Research contributed to revisions of rail-building guidelines and inspection protocols by the FRA.The first phase of the research was published in 2024.
* Simulation Focus: Develops finite element models for structures subjected to catastrophic events (e.g., vehicle impacts, explosions, referencing the 9/11 attacks as a motivating example).
* Modeling software: Uses Abaqus software for computational modeling.
* Approach: Reviews building standards to identify gaps and adapts existing standards.
4. Awards & Recognition
* 20 Under 40: Women in Construction: Named one of the “20 Under 40: Women in Construction” by the Professional Women in Construction (PWC-NY) for 2025.
* IEEE Volunteer: Active volunteer with IEEE.
* Mentorship: Passionate about mentoring young engineers.
* IEEE Member Grade: Senior Member.
Key Themes/Quotes:
* Impact: Kizildemir is driven by a desire to make a lasting, meaningful impact on the world. (“Engineering is one of the few careers where you can make a lasting impact on the world, and I plan on mine being meaningful.”)
* Problem Solving: She enjoys the combination of creativity and problem-solving in her work.
* proactive approach: She focuses on understanding potential failures before they happen through simulation.
* Continuous Improvement: She seeks to ”make things better or easier.”
Let me know if you’d like me to elaborate on any specific aspect of this information, or if you have any other questions!
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