UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
Celebrated USask structural engineer receives prestigious university award

The award is given annually to a member of the USask faculty in recognition of outstanding collaboration with students, post-doctoral fellows, other faculty or community partners to create impact in the community. 

"When you write a building code, it affects every single project," she said. "Working with industry partners and connecting with them to understand their needs, and then doing research that might help move towards finding solutions for them, it makes the research - at least to me - more meaningful, that I know I'm helping people today." 

Feldman, who is also the director of the Saskatchewan Centre for Masonry Design, has long been a leader in cutting-edge construction practice and design. Her particular expertise in reinforced concrete and unique knowledge of structural evaluation and rehabilitation practice has helped her stand out as a hands-on researcher in the field of structural engineering.  

And as Feldman puts it, hands-on is truly key to this kind of work.  

"It really helps to work with industry for the students, for them to see that industry is motivated towards getting good results for the research we're doing," she said.  

Feldman's work has contributed to national and international building codes, shaping construction and engineering practices worldwide. 

Dr. Lisa Feldman (PhD), Head of the Department of Civil, Geological, and Environmental Engineering in the USask College of Engineering. (Photo: Carlene Deutscher)

But beyond her accomplished work in the field, Feldman is an avid instructor and mentor for students following a similar path. She recounted a story of traveling to a conference with a pair of students, one of whom was discussing companies and locations where they'd like to work.  

At the first night of the conference, Feldman introduced the student to one of her industry connections - another engineer who worked for a well-respected company in the region that this student had targeted. Now, that student works for that company - and as Feldman jokingly noted, might someday exceed her as a structural engineer.  

"If you're doing your job properly, it's kind of like being a parent in that you want the people that you train to go off and do even bigger and better things than you've done," Feldman said. "So if I'm able to provide them with the tools and connections to get started, then I've accomplished what I'm supposed to be doing." 

As a faculty member, Feldman has contributed as both a researcher and mentor in the USask community. She has consistently been a voice for accessibility in the field of engineering and has been the recipient of many other awards for her work - including the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Casimir Gzowski medal for the best civil engineering paper in surveying, structural engineering or heavy construction.  

Feldman said receiving the PESTA was not something she expected but was nonetheless grateful for. She pointed out the importance of the "team" aspect of the award, citing her students, colleagues, and too-often-overlooked lab coordinator as being integral to the work she does.  

"The award is given to me, but it's not just for me," she said. "There's my students, but and my students and I wouldn't get anywhere if the lab coordinator wasn't committed to the work and really invested... hopefully it'll lift the spirits of my colleagues as well."