Photo By Michel Sauret | Ian Dougherty, a mechanical engineer for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh...... read more read more
Ian Dougherty is a mechanical engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District. He specializes in mechanical designs, hydraulic systems and large industrial equipment.
He has been with the district for about five years. He started with the Department of the Army intern program and became a full-time employee for the Pittsburgh District after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied mechanical engineering.
“One of my favorite classes was mechatronics. I got to design, build and program my own machines,” Dougherty said.
During his internship, Dougherty spent time designing machinery for the Soo Locks facility for the Detroit District, where he learned lessons which he applies to his work for the Pittsburgh District every day.
“It feels really rewarding,” he said.
In addition to his federal employee work, Dougherty served four years with the Marine Corps as an aircraft refueler. His favorite experience was a seven-month deployment on the USS Peleliu, during which his ship stopped at 10 different countries for various missions.
“My favorite country was probably Pakistan. I spent about a month there to provide humanitarian assistance to flood victims following a major flood in the summer of 2010,” Dougherty said.
The Pakistani people were incredible to work with and the country’s landscape was beautiful, he said.
Currently, Dougherty is working on multiple projects for the Pittsburgh District including a hydraulic upgrade at Pike Island Locks and Dam in Wheeling, West Virginia; assisting with the chamber construction at the Monongahela River Locks and Dam 4 in Charleroi, Pennsylvania; and design work for the miter gate operating machinery for Montgomery Locks and Dam on the upper Ohio River.
“It’s exciting to see machinery transform a concept drawing to a physical reality,” Dougherty said.
“It’s been fun to work with contractors and other engineers to get machinery built, shop test the equipment, troubleshoot issues, and witness the installation and commissioning of the machinery for construction projects,” he said.
When Dougherty isn’t designing for the Pittsburgh District, he’s renovating his “fixer upper” home with his wife. On the off chance he’s not doing any labor, Dougherty likes to play video games with a movie on in the background, and his wife reading next to him.
| Date Taken: | 02.21.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2023 14:44 |
| Story ID: | 438863 |
| Location: | PITTSBURGH, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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