Gathering Our Herd events provide an opportunity for alumni to host events in their cities. In the past couple of years, alumni have hosted these events in Boston, Chicago, Denver, LA, New York City (an additional alumni event in NYC is taking place on May 29!), Portsmouth, Seattle, Tuscon, and Washington, DC.
These events are a great opportunity to connect with other fascinating alumni in your area.
Alumni like Shawna Marinelli '07, who attended the DC event at the urging of host Lindsey McKan '09.
Martinelli, a Chemical Engineering major, was always passionate about the environment. “During my time at WPI, environmental engineering was not yet offered as a major, but I was able to take the available environmental courses which included water and wastewater treatment. While I did not envision myself ending up in the DMV or in Wastewater, looking back, my WPI education has allowed me to transition into this field which brings me tremendous fulfillment! In hindsight, it was exactly where I needed to be.”
Martinelli is grateful for her WPI education, saying, “I really enjoyed the WPI curriculum, where I was able to take both chemical and environmental courses and where the seven-week terms allowed for more coursework completion in a traditional year. I was also excited about all the project work, especially my Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) which focused on local watershed health and my Major Qualifying Project (MQP) at Gallo Wineries.” Martinelli adds, the relationships she built with her classmates, Phi Sigma Sigma sorority sisters, rugby teammates, and bandmates contributed to her having a positive experience at WPI and established a strong foundation for her subsequent graduate studies and career.
Grateful to play her part in caring for the environment, Martinelli started as a process engineer with the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment (WWT) plant for DC Water in 2015. She entered the field during a period of enormous innovation and growth, with nearly a billion dollars of capital improvement projects under construction, and today she serves as Director of Operations and Process Engineering at the plant. “I see the wastewater treatment at Blue Plains as true environmental stewardship. We generate 6-8 MW of our power using digester gas while providing steam to Thermal Hydrolysis Process (THP), produce a Class A biosolid, and meet one of the most stringent National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits in the country. It’s such a rewarding experience being responsible for the operation of one of the world’s largest advanced WWT plants,” says Martinelli.
When not at work, the avid angler spends most of her free time on Chesapeake Bay both fishing and advocating for coastal conservation. “Seeing the quality of our effluent brings me such immense joy and pride. I see our tangible impact on the environment daily while working with some of the most brilliant, caring, and committed individuals.”
When asked about her philanthropic support of her alma mater, Martinelli shares humbly, “My philanthropy is my small token of gratitude to the university for my wonderful undergraduate experience.”
Interested in connecting with local alumni in your city?
The Alumni Association, in partnership with the Office of Lifetime Engagement, has made it easy for you to host a WPI alumni gathering. Email alumni-office@wpi.edu to host a gathering of the Herd, and the Alumni Association will send you a Host box with event supplies and giveaways, as well as provide some financial support, to help you make your gathering fit for The Herd. The Office of Lifetime Engagement will help you secure a location (if needed), set up a registration form and track responses, and send the invitations and promote your gathering.