Gerarda M. Shields, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, currently the Interim Dean of the School of Technology & Design at New York City College of Technology, has been named a Fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
Shields’ area of expertise is bridge hydrology, hydraulics and scour. Her research focuses on developing asset management tools to assist bridge owners in prioritizing the hydraulic vulnerability of their bridges to improve resiliency to climate change projections. She began her engineering career at Hardesty & Hanover LLC, before entering academia in 2005.
She took on her first leadership role within ASCE from 2002 to 2009 as the Student Outreach Coordinator with the Younger Member Forum. She was also on the committee that reviewed applicants for the Met Section Scholarship from 2005 to 2013. Shields was elected director (2009) and later secretary (2011) of the Met Section Board. In 2004 she became a member of the ASCE Met Section’s Dinner Dance and Awards Committees, and later co-chaired the groups. Beginning in 2016, she has served on the Committee on Student Members for ASCE national.
Shields earned bachelor and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Manhattan College and a doctorate in civil engineering from The City College. She is a licensed professional engineer in the states of New York and California.
