Reshmi Lal, P.E., PMP

Reshmi earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering in India and has over 24 years of experience in the transportation industry across the U.S., India and the Middle East. Her experience includes finite element analysis and design of bridges, including post-tensioned and tied-arch bridges, geotechnical designs, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of bridges, permitting and preparing contract specifications. At Michael Baker International, Reshmi serves as the structural technical lead for a major design-build project currently under construction and has contributed to several other projects across multiple offices.

Reshmi’s participation in this year’s Fika build was inspired by the chance to use her professional expertise to create a meaningful impact for communities. She resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with her husband and their two children and enjoys gardening, motorcycle riding and playing Veena, a traditional South Indian string instrument.

Fun fact: Reshmi is multilingual and is excited to have had the opportunity to learn and practice Kinyarwanda while in Rwanda.

What was the most rewarding aspect of this experience?

In my 24 years as a Bridge Engineer, I had never built a bridge, so this experience was truly eye-opening. It was an honor to work alongside the Michael Baker team, the Fika team and the local team. Constructing the bridge in two weeks and seeing the villagers’ joy in real time was a powerful reminder of its impact, since many had previously needed to swim across the river during the monsoon season for essentials like school and medical care.