Grad Student Honored as One of 10 New Faces of Civil Engineering

Graduate Student Mariah Peart has achieved a first for Georgia Southern. The American Society of Civil Engineers has recognized her as one of the 10 New Faces of Civil Engineering for 2019 — Professional Edition. Each year, the recognition goes to students and professionals whose early career accomplishments mark them as the profession’s future stars.

“Mariah is one of the best students in the Civil Engineering program,” said Engineering Professor Gustavo Maldonado, Ph.D., who along with Marcel Maghiar, Ph.D., and Celine Manoosingh, Ph.D., is one of Peart’s advisers for her thesis. “More than three years ago, Mariah joined our Build Environment and Modeling laboratory as an undergraduate student and quickly learned the operation of all our laser scanning and measuring devices.”

Peart’s career in civil engineering was inspired by her parents’ desire to design and build their own house in Brunswick, Georgia. Being a math person, Peart said when they studied home design books and blueprints, she liked to look at the measurements of how big a room was. 

She has worked on a variety of projects since becoming a master’s student. Peart has used 3D laser scanning and close-range photogrammetry to assist Statesboro city engineers in redesigning intersections, resulting in better traffic flow and fewer accidents. She also created 3D models of historic barns near Statesboro that will serve as virtual preservation for the Bulloch County Historical Society to document the history of the local area.

“My passion to serve the community assisted in attaining this recognition,” Peart said. “My family is the reason why I have such a dedication to serve others through the skills I have learned over the years.”