We set out to develop a collection of stories based on asking members a simple question: “How has NEWEA helped your education, career or community?” This is one of those stories.
Name: Isabella Cobble
Title: Staff Engineer, Tighe & Bond, Quincy, MA
NEWEA member since 2019
Isabella Cobble is a staff engineer with Tighe & Bond in Quincy, Massachusetts, and a member of the Exhibits, Young Professionals and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committees.
How has NEWEA helped her education, career and community?
“I have been able to meet so many helpful mentors through my time as a NEWEA member, and NEWEA was a valuable resource for me as I was transitioning from finishing my undergraduate degree in civil engineering to working as a full-time environmental engineer. Attending the Young Professionals (YP) Summit first as a student and now as an entry-level engineer have been amazing experiences, and I’ve been able to gain more confidence with public speaking through presenting my research, networking, etc. Also, going to Poo & Brews have been such a fun way to learn more about the wastewater treatment process and meet other cool people in the water/wastewater industry.”
As an undergraduate at UMass Amherst, she participated in the 2019 Annual Conference’s Undergraduate Poster Board Competition with “The Effect of Acetate, Butyrate, and Propionate on the Efficiency of Double Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells.”
Isabella presented her undergraduate research at the Student Poster Competition at the 2019 NEWEA Annual Conference
Isabella also participated in UMass Amherst Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Student Chapter in Ghana and Kenya. She traveled with the Kenya Team, and was heavily involved with the EWB Student Chapter while pursuing her Civil Engineering degree. By her Junior year, she became a Project Manager for the project in Kenya and went on to be President of the EWB Student Chapter, overseeing both the Ghana and Kenya teams. Isabella’s experience with EWB led her to choose a career in water engineering and she has continued to make a difference in several communities while working at Tighe & Bond. She recently joined the Boston Professional Chapter of EWB to support their work in Tanzania, and is hoping to travel there and offer hands-on assistance in the future. Click this link for more information.
Isabella is committed to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the organizations she is part of and she is one of the founding members of the newly established NEWEA ad-hoc Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. She recently co-authored an article in the Winter 2020 NEWEA Journal called “Confronting racial inequalities in the water and wastewater industry”.
If you would like to support the efforts of NEWEA members like Isabella and the work of the Young Professionals and other NEWEA committees, please visit our Donations page today. By making a contribution to NEWEA, you are investing in our region’s water quality and supporting essential water workers. https://www.newea.org/donate/
What’s your story? If you have a story to share, please fill out a brief form on www.newea.org/charitable-giving-task-force-survey/ or contact Jordan Gosselin, Communications/PR Coordinator jgosselin@newea.org
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