CME graduate is ready for the professional world
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Jamie Frost is ready for the working world. The graduate is taking what she learned at UIC to Primera Engineers in Chicago where she will be a structural engineer mainly working on the structural aspects of utility projects.
At Primera, Frost will be working with a variety of teams on different projects. She hopes to be part of some renewable energy and LEED design projects to combine her passions for sustainability and structural engineering.
“I believe that it’s incredibly important for engineers to be conscious of the social and environmental impacts of our work. I hope that by prioritizing green design throughout my career, I can help to cultivate more sustainable, livable communities and curb our contribution to climate change and pollution. I also hope that I can work on local projects so that I can directly improve the lives of people in my community,” she said.
As an undergrad, Frost had the opportunity to hone her skills while working under the direction of Assistant Professor Aslihan Karatas in the Built Environment and Infrastructure (BEI) Laboratory at UIC. In the lab, she helped out with a variety of research projects, which included investigating the impacts of window replacement and measuring heat flux through prefabricated wall samples.
“Studying energy efficiency improvements in buildings has been an amazing learning opportunity. I also love that our lab works directly with the local community by conducting mold inspections and remediations in Pilsen homes. It’s so rewarding to know that we are using our skills to help people in our community,” she said. “I love working with Dr. Karatas, she’s always supportive and has helped me grow my technical and professional skills.”
In addition to building her skills, the team in the lab influenced Frost to continue her education.
“The team has inspired me to continue pursuing a career in sustainable design and to work toward earning a LEED Green Associate credential after graduation,” she said. “I’m planning to come back to UIC soon to begin working on my master’s degree part-time.”
While she gained valuable skills in a research laboratory at UIC, Frost also found all the support she needed as a student to be successful and land a job before graduating.
“I feel like UIC did a great job at preparing me for the working world. Professors here always explain how our class content is applied in industry. We often have working professionals visit classes and student org events, giving us insight into what a career in the field will be like and an opportunity to make professional connections,” she said. “The engineering career fair has also been incredibly valuable for me. It’s a great way to meet professionals and learn what working at different companies would be like. I found my upcoming full-time job and both of my internships by meeting companies at the career fair.”