Profile: Meet Chris Pangilinan

Chris Pangilinan, Civil and Environmental Engineering (2004)

Born and raised in the Portland metropolitan area, Chris Pangilinan attended Sunset High School before arriving at Portland State University in 2000, where he majored in Civil Engineering and concentrated his studies in transportation. In the spring of 2004, Chris graduated cum laude.

While at PSU, Chris was involved in several activities outside of the classroom. He served as vice president and president of the student chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and treasurer of the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Chris was also engaged in undergraduate research for two years with Dr. Robert Bertini in the Intelligent Transportation Systems Laboratory. Chris notes that the opportunities available to be involved at the University are endless. Chris says that when he looks back at his career at Portland State, he will remember most his time with ITE, ASCE, and all the other activities he took part in.

Due in part to his research and involvement with the various student groups, Chris was able to participate in two extraordinary internships with the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). In the summer of 2003, he worked in Boston on the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, better known as The Big Dig. In 2004, Chris found himself at USDOT Headquarters in Washington, D.C. working with the Federal Transit Administration.

After leaving PSU, Chris attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned his master's degree in transportation. His main focus was in public transportation, specifically in bus operations. As part of his studies, Chris completed an internship at the Chicago Transit Authority during the summer of 2005. His thesis entitled, "Bus Supervision Deployment Strategies for Improved Bus Service Reliability," was presented at the 2006 Transport Chicago conference.

Today, Chris is a transportation engineer at DKS Associates working on a range of new and exciting transportation projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thanks to professors at PSU and experiences in and out of the classroom, Chris believes he is fully prepared for what lies ahead.