JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 8, 2023 -- Nicole Bohaczyk, a Geotechnical Engineer in the Geotechnical Design Section of the Geosystems Branch at the Jacksonville District was named the Government Engineer of the Year by the Florida Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) at their annual conference held in Orlando, Florida on Friday, July 14, 2023.
The award recognizes an outstanding Government Civil Engineer for their achievements over the past year. Bohaczyk was nominated this year to represent the Jacksonville Branch of the ASCE.
According to the nomination package, this competition serves to acquaint the public with activities and achievements of Government Civil Engineers and the recognition is awarded annually to members who are employed by a government agency (federal, state, local, etc.) and who is judged to have contributed substantially to the status of the engineering profession by a variety of personal and professional characteristics.
“I believe the factors that influenced my selection was my continued involvement with ASCE as a professional and hosting the 2023 ASCE Southeast Student Symposium in March 2023. I worked closely with University of North Florida (UNF) faculty, Dr. Ryan Shament, and UNF ASCE Student Chapter Leaders, Alexander Farfan and Zachary Scott (who is currently an intern at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)) to host this monumental event here in Jacksonville, Florida.”
The 2023 ASCE Southeast Student Symposium was a multi-day engineering competition, with flagship events such as the ASCE Concrete Canoe and ASCE/AISC Steel Bridge competitions that brought along over 550 students and 100 volunteers from 17 universities across Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico.
Bohaczyk spent about ten months volunteering her time and efforts planning and working the symposium.
“I have a fantastic supervisor here at USACE, Raoaa Essa, who supported my ASCE involvement while balancing all of the big projects we have here in the Geotechnical Design Section,” Bohaczyk said.
Bohaczyk went on to say that she believes her dedication to mentorship is what made her stand out as an engineer. While in college, she mentored two underclassmen in what was a newly developed civil engineering mentorship program at the ASCE Student Chapter at the University of Florida.
“This inspired me to continue my mentorship, and I have the pleasure of serving as the Practitioner Advisor to the UNF ASCE Student Chapter since 2018 and training countless recent undergraduates at my previous employer and here at the Corps,” Bohaczyk said.
What attracted her most to the civil engineering field was knowing the work she does directly impacts her community. “It is my opportunity to serve my friends, family and neighbors,” said Bohaczyk.
Here at the district, Bohaczyk can serve her friends, family, and community in her day-to-day job as part of various engineering teams helping to design and/or oversee construction of district projects from a geotechnical engineering aspect. “We like to get down and dirty in our department! Pun intended,” she said.
“I am starting to become known as the dredging person in our group because I am on a lot of our dredging contract teams.” A few of these projects are Port Everglades, Miami Harbor and Jacksonville Harbor.
Additionally, Bohaczyk is also the Geotechnical Engineer for the active construction contracts related to the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands projects in South Florida.
On winning the Government Engineer of the Year award, Bohacyzk said, “It meant the world to me! I have been an active member of ASCE since I was an undergraduate student. I enjoy volunteering and promoting the civil engineering profession, so I will continue to do those things, but it feels great to be recognized for it. I have been with USACE for just over two years now, so not very long. I was inspired to join USACE for the civil service aspect of the job. My time spent with ASCE and USACE compliment each other, and this award strengthens my passion of civil service, duty, and mentorship.”
(The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District on the district’s website at https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JacksonvilleDistrict and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JaxStrong.