CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Sandra Knight is Tennessee's engineer of the year - again.
The Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers also honored Knight in 2003.
Knight's achievement was recognized in front of the Bradley County Commission by Mack McCarley, president of the Chattanooga region of the society.
McCarley said Knight's reputation for excellence is known by her peers across the nation as well as across the state.
As Bradley County engineer, Knight is called on for a wide variety of projects.
"I've got engineering and stormwater mainly," she said. "We do anything with any of the buildings. I did the plans for the last fire hall and am working on the next fire hall, re-roofing a lot of the buildings.
"We've added on to a couple of buildings, parking lots; road widening and traffic signals; environmental permits. We work with the road department sizing tiles and bridge inspections, things like that."
She started as a young engineer with the Florida Department of Transportation, Knight said, and worked her way up. Being a woman in a mostly male profession, she got some flak, she said.
"Usually there is some resentment," she said. "I got over that, I guess, the first day."
Knight, who is sometimes called on to be a role model for girls interested in math and engineering careers, said the key is to always be ready to learn.
"You are out there. You are the engineer. You are in charge," she said.
"They were like, 'You ought to know everything.' I said 'No, I know what's in the books. And I will teach you that if you will teach me what you know in the field.'
"I got certified for concrete testing. I walked behind the asphalt paver, behind the milling machines at midnight, whatever anybody else did. After a while I learned so much hands-on stuff, just working with people," Knight said.
On her front burner right now are three industrial access roads being developed with the Tennessee Department of Transportation. One will connect with the Wacker Chemical plant and two will be developed for the new Whirlpool plant.