Speakers
Norma Jean Mattei, PhD, PE
Norma Jean Mattei is currently a Governor for ASCE Region 5. She has served in leadership positions in ASCE since 1995, moving from Director for ASCE New Orleans Branch to President of the Louisiana Section in 2004.
Norma Jean received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Tulane University and a PhD, also from Tulane University, in 1994. She is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Louisiana.
She is employed by the University of New Orleans Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering as an Associate Professor, where she focuses on teaching structural analysis design courses. Her research interests include diversity and ethics issues in engineering and engineering education; mitigation of repetitive flood loss in southeast Louisiana; testing of structures, materials and components in fatigue, buckling, and fracture; residual stress measurement using laser interoferometry, and reuse of spent blast material in asphalt and concrete.
Prior to her academic career, Dr. Mattei worked for over ten years for various New Orleans area consulting firms as a project engineer. Those firms include: Guillot-Vogt Associates Inc., Linder & Associates, and Modjeski & Masters Bridge Engineers.
Dr. Mattei has lived in New Orleans for her entire life and is married with two daughters: Helen and Genevieve.
"Engineering in a Disaster: Is Ethics Involved?"
The presentation will begin with a discussion of Louisiana's requirements for professional conduct of Professional Engineers. A hypothetical engineering disaster will then be outlined. This "disaster" will include the response of engineers and how engineering ethics plays into the overall recovery.