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Student Profile: Teri Lee, Earth Conscience Planner

Teri Lee wants to make the Earth a better home. That’s why she chose civil engineering as her first career. Her second will be teaching what she learned.

Teri received her bachelor’s degree in 2007, and then took a year away from the classroom to get hands-on experience in construction management. And in a very impressive project – the building of the new Dallas Cowboys’ stadium. Teri was a project engineer with a minority-owned subcontractor, checking engineering drawings and making sure that the correct materials arrived on time during the construction.

“It was crazy,” Teri said. “Because of the scale of the project, everyone, contractors and subs alike, worked long and hard, but I really gained a lot of knowledge during that year.”

Returning to the UT Arlington campus to pursue a master’s degree, Teri chose another construction project – the new Engineering Research Building – as the basis for her research in sustainable building practices. “This is an area where architects, engineers and contractors have to be on the same page,” she said. “It’s not hard, but it does take planning.”

In her research, Teri will be evaluating the life cycle costs of various aspects of the building to determine if funds are being allocated correctly to features providing the most benefits for the dollar.

“We should care for our environment if we have the ability,” she said, “and help others understand the benefits of sustainable practices. We need to take care of the resources we have.” This concern for beneficial environmental issues is leading Teri to pursue a doctoral degree and to teach sustainable engineering and design practices at the college level.

“I’ve received encouragement and support for my goals from all civil engineering faculty members,” Teri said. “I don’t think they get that kind of feedback enough.”

When she isn’t concentrating on her studies, Teri relaxes by rock climbing, long distance running, yoga and Tae Kwan Do (she holds a black belt).