ENGINEER OF THE YEAR 2010

Angelika B. Forndran, P.E.

Angelika B. Forndran, P.E. is Director of  Environmental Engineering  at Cowan Associates, Inc., a consulting engineering firm with surveying, design and materials testing services  located  in Quakertown, PA.  She provides municipal engineering services to Boroughs and manages wastewater, water supply and watershed projects.  She received her Bachelors in Civil Engineering from The Cooper Union School of Engineering in New York City in 1973, when there were still colleges not accepting women into their undergraduate engineering programs and only 2% of engineering graduates were women.  While working full-time, she earned her Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering from Manhattan College in 1982, where many classes had achieved 50/50  men/women attendance.  Forndran is a registered professional engineer in New York State and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

She started working for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection upon graduation, became a Top 40 Management candidate and worked her way up to Division Chief in the Bureau of Water Pollution Control.  Among her many projects at DEP was the critical salvaging of water quality data from as far back as 1909, updating and expanding the annual New York Harbor Water Quality Survey, which documented the water quality improvements of the rivers resulting from the massive wastewater treatment plant construction program. It was a unique leadership challenge to bring scientists, chemists and computer personnel to the project team, which was a new concept in a large engineering organization. 

 Forndran  chose to work in Pennsylvania to contribute to solving local community problems  in rural and  small town environments where projects  often address essential concerns, require fast  implementation and every  dollar needs to show results for improving the community.  As a municipal engineer, Forndran has worked on such diverse projects as  assisting  a farmer install cattle crossings over a nutrient impacted stream, completing statewide  source water assessments for surface water intakes, engineering the  placement of a gazebo and playground equipment in a community  park , evaluating and designing  a water supply arsenic removal facility, developing  a flood impacted stream restoration project  and designing the construction and rehabilitation of  sewers. 

Forndran   is a member of the Upper Milford Township Planning Commission, which she chaired for several years.   She is a member and past president of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers, past chairperson of  the Lehigh Valley Engineers Council, active member of  the Lehigh Valley Section of the Society of Women Engineers and member of  Pennsylvania Water Environment Association.  She has made numerous technical presentations and published articles.

As a member of  Water Environment Federation she contributed a chapter to the Combined Sewer Overflow Abatement Manual.

Forndran  has served as adjunct professor of environmental science courses for Hunter College in NYC and Alvernia College extension program in Easton. Her most enjoyable public outreach is to young children in elementary and junior high schools to encourage young people to understand that math, science and the nature surrounding them is part of their life and future.