Anthony DiGiantomasso inherited a passion for civil engineering from his father. The senior DiGiantomasso also has a degree in civil engineering and works for the construction industry; Anthony himself got a taste for it while working with his father. “I always thought I would go into construction myself,” he says, but once at the University of Rhode Island (URI) studying the field, he found his true passion in geotechnical engineering and design.

He chose URI because of the tight-knit community, the more intimate campus that still provided the opportunities of larger universities. He says he liked the campus and the location, the ability to live and learn with others.

The best opportunities Anthony had, he says, are that he’s gotten to know his professors, who have been infinitely supportive of his interests and goals. In particular, he notes that through two geotechnical professors, he was connected to the internship he had in the summer of 2015 with GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. He worked with the same professors on research projects, stoking his interest in the field. These professors also helped connect him with the faculty at Virginia Tech, where he’s enrolled for a master’s degree in geotechnical engineering starting in the fall.

During this last year, he and his capstone group worked on designing a possible new dorm, restaurant, solar field and traffic redesign. His focus was in the plan and design for the dorm, restaurant, and the foundations for the proposed complex.

After graduating from Virginia Tech, he hopes to work as a field engineer for a few years before working his way into a position to design. He would like to get a Professional Engineering license. While he will be pursuing the workforce after his master’s, he says he isn’t against the idea of further graduate work. “I keep telling myself that the master’s is it, but we’ll see,” he says.

This student received a 2016 University of Rhode Island College of Engineering Excellence award in their field of study. We are honoring this achievement by profiling them individually and looking at what makes each of them someone to look for big things from in the years ahead.