Three Co-ops and Global Experiences Lead to Dream Job in Transportation
Michael Tormey, E’20, civil engineering, developed a foundation in urban transportation planning during three co-ops and global experiential learning opportunities and is now putting those skills to work as a neighborhood transportation planner in Boston, Massachusetts.
Michael Tormey, E’20, civil engineering, grew up in Orrington, Maine, which, with a population of less than 4,000, didn’t have a single traffic light. Nonetheless, he had a dream of creating sustainable urban transportation systems.
And it turns out, dreams do come true.
Earlier this year Tormey was named a neighborhood transportation planner for the City of Boston in Massachusetts. In this role, Tormey will help implement multimodal transportation projects that focus on safety, and increasing walking, cycling, and transit use.
“I was able to get the job I have and do the job I have because of co-op,” Tormey says. “To me, co-ops have meant everything.”
As a student, Tormey completed three co-ops that focused on building and transportation and prepped him for his career path. He completed his first co-op in land development at Vanasse, Hangen, and Brustlin, an engineering services firm. “I loved the idea of building something like Assembly Row in Somerville out of almost nothing and I was so excited to be on the team to bring those projects to life,” Tormey says.
A second co-op at the Boston Planning and Development Agency focused on transportation and infrastructure planning. “I learned so much, and I loved going to work every day,” Tormey says. “I was able to truly make a difference in how people get around the city.”
Tormey performed development reviews, participated in conceptual planning for bus and bike lanes, contributed to the management of large-scale transportation studies and projects, and helped organize public meetings.
His final co-op focused on transit planning at the Boston Transportation Department, where he joined what was then a new transit team. He helped implement bus-only lanes throughout the city and assisted the Vision Zero team on city-wide pedestrian and cyclist safety improvements.
“Because of co-ops, I discovered who I am and what I want to do and the problems I want to help solve in the world,” Tormey says.
His experiential learning experiences extended to assisting faculty with research projects and studying abroad, including a Dialogue of Civilizations on Climate Change Science and Policy in India with Auroop Ganguly, Distinguished Professor, civil and environmental engineering.
Tormey was an accomplished student who received a 2020 Marshall Scholarship resulting in an MS in transportation and engineering from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.
He was recipient of the 2020 Northeastern President’s Award, which recognizes the top 10 students by GPA. Also, he was named to the American Society of Civil Engineer’s 2020 New Faces of Civil Engineering Collegiate Edition, which recognized 10 outstanding civil engineering students from across the country.