By Krista Kuhl

A new trend in communities around the Houston area is the development of town centers that provide a thriving urban environment in their suburban locale, a regional destination for shopping, entertainment, business and culture. University of Houston engineering graduate student Courtney Bird is on the forefront of this new development trend—her work contributed to the design of the new Pearland Town Center.

Bird, who is earning her master’s degree in civil engineering from the UH Cullen College of Engineering, conducted work on the project as a member of the land development department with Carter & Burgess, a major engineering, architecture and management consulting firm. Bird has worked for Carter & Burgess since 2003, starting as an engineer-in-training designing wastewater treatment plants, lift stations and public utilities.

“Pearland Town Center is unique, fun and modern. It will bring a lot of interest to the Pearland, Texas area and it will be great for the economics of the community,” said Bird. “I worked on the on- and off-site utilities, designed the roads in the surrounding area, and helped with storm drain modification,” said Bird.

The development will be adjacent to the Shadow Creek Ranch development off of Texas State Highway 288. It will include apartments, office space, shopping and dining establishments, and a hotel. She is proud to be a part of the design team that developed the site plan. “This project is very unique and I feel privileged to be a part of it so early in my career,” said Bird. “It will be well known across Houston and will be a great success.”

Notably, Bird’s involvement in the center is not the only success she has experienced in recent months. She was also named the 2006 Young Engineer of the Year from the Houston-Galveston Post of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) for her work with the organization.

The Young Engineer of the Year awards are given out by various engineering organizations as part of the annual National Engineers Week festivities. These awards recognize outstanding young engineers. “I’ve always been very active with the organization but I was surprised and honored to receive the award,” she said.

Bird has been an active member of SAME for over three years and currently serves as post secretary. She is principally responsible for fundraising for the organization’s scholarship fund to help high school and college students. She also frequently volunteers for philanthropic events sponsored by SAME and Carter & Burgess.

Bird is taking some time off from her studies this fall to prepare for the upcoming PE exam. She is looking forward to continuing her graduate education in January.

“My graduate studies at the University of Houston are important because they reinforce the technical knowledge required of a professional engineer.”

More student news in this issue:
• Engineering Trends: Graduate Student Works on New-Concept Shopping Development
• Students Excel at 2007 Regional Competitions
• Students Launch New Engineering Organizations
• Student Awards