Today we celebrate Professional Engineers Day! Earning an engineering license, requires years of study, work, and dedication. It is no easy task to become a professional engineer due to the rigorous requirements to gain such a title, which is where the creation of the national holiday stemmed from according to Clark Dietz. The engineers at Milestone play an integral role in our company by pushing the boundaries of applied science, solving technical problems, and improving numerous other areas to reach new heights. They are at the leading edge of innovation and play a huge role in shaping our future. When challenges arise, engineers answer the bell to brainstorm new solutions for projects to continue.

Samantha Skiles- Structural Engineer

Meet Samantha Skiles a structural engineer in our Indianapolis area. She helps bring plans on paper to infrastructure that we travel on daily! Her day-to-day job consist of reviewing plans and working along side our superintendents to help get jobs off the ground and started. She oversees submittals needed for the owner such as permit modifications, demolition notices, concrete mix designs, pile hammer forms, quality control forms and more. Sam helps order material items that will be used through out the job as well such as rebar, bearings, beams, and metal decking.

At Milestone we build roads and bridges, Sam does a majority of her work in our bridge division. Some of her responsibilities include falsework calculations, calculations to design cofferdams, and checks to size jack support beams for bearing replacements on rehab bridges. She does falsework calculations to design falsework used in forming so our crews can pour the concrete for bridge deck overhangs, pier caps, pier debris walls, closure pours and slab top bridge decks.

Sam says one of her most memorable projects she has been apart of is the I-69 Finish Line Job. This new interstate project had 7 bridges and 1 large box culvert. This job was memorable for her in the design build as one bridge was over 400 ft wide and almost 200 long.

“It was a neat experience that wasn’t the typical bridge job so it was fun to be involved in it!” – Samantha Skiles

When asked what her favorite thing about being an engineer was Sam said her favorite thing about being an engineer is knowing she has an impact on bettering the traveling public’s life by looking for the most efficient ways to build roads and bridges. She is a creative, problem solver who is never afraid to tackle the big problems!

To Samantha and all engineers, we are grateful to have you apart of Making Lives Better One Road and Bridge at a Time. Thank you for all that you do! Happy Professional Engineers Day!