Jordan Jarrett fell in love with teaching while earning her master’s degree from Colorado State University. As a newly appointed teaching assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, she hopes to inspire her students the way she was inspired by her teachers.
“I am very thankful for the teachers that helped shape my career path, and I hope to pay it forward and help inspire my students,” Jarrett said. “I am excited to be back at my alma mater, and I am thrilled to be here as a teaching professor. In this position, I can focus on preparing students for their future careers and hopefully inspire them to be lifelong learners.”
There were no engineers in Jarrett’s family. She enjoyed math and science but hadn’t considered engineering until a high school math teacher suggested it. She joined the undergraduate engineering program at CSU, and after taking Mechanics of Solids with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable professor, Jarrett knew she had found her place and career in structural engineering.
“Mechanics of Solids was the class that convinced me to be a structural engineer, so I am thrilled to be teaching it,” Jarrett said. “This class provides the foundation for many engineering designs, and I am looking forward to introducing students to these important concepts.”
After receiving her B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from CSU, Jarrett earned her Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, where her research focused on the seismic analysis of steel structures using the principles of performance-based design. She then was hired as a consultant by Magnusson Klemencic Associates in Seattle and spent almost seven years working on high-profile projects across the country, including the Amazon campus in Seattle and 150 North Riverside, a 54-story high-rise building in Chicago.
As Jarrett transitioned into a project management role, she discovered she enjoyed mentoring the most.
“I loved sharing my knowledge with younger engineers and helping them grow, so I decided I wanted to go back to academia and focus on teaching.”
She taught for one year at Seattle University before returning to her home state of Colorado.
“Jordan comes to us with a wealth of practical and teaching experience in structural engineering, and she will be teaching our core mechanics and structures courses,” Department Head Charles Shackelford said. “We are excited to welcome her back to the department.”
When not working, you can find Jarrett playing with her pets – a dog, a cat and a newly adopted kitten – or cheering on her sports teams, the Hokies, Sounders, Kraken and, of course, the Rams.
