CHRISTOPHER CATTRON, PE
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CHRISTOPHER CATTRON, PE

CHRISTOPHER
CATTRON, PE

Hi, I'm Chris!

Photo of Christopher Cattron
I am a structural engineer with Lund Opsahl in Seattle, Washington with professional interests including seismic and hazard resilience, existing buildings, sustainability, and civic & community-based projects. I enjoy solving unique problems with challenging constraints and am enthusiastic about diving into diverse projects as I learn and grow early in my career.
I participate on a few committees such as the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute's Young Members Committee and the Structural Engineers Association of Washington’s Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee. I also volunteer as a structural engineering mentor with the Seattle-area ACE Mentor program to inspire and support high school students interested in pursuing careers in architecture, engineering, and construction.
Outside of the office, I enjoy biking around Seattle, experimenting with DIY projects, playing games with friends, and exploring the Pacific Northwest with my partner Masha and our cat Daisy.

Professional Interests

Structural Engineering Icon Structural Engineering

Seismic & Hazard Resiliency Icon Seismic & Hazard Resiliency

Sustainability & Embodied Carbon Icon Sustainability & Embodied Carbon

Existing Buildings Icon Existing Buildings

Civic & Community Projects Icon Civic & Community Projects

Affiliations

LO Logo Lund Opsahl (LO)

EERI Logo Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)

SEAW Logo Structural Engineers Association of Washington (SEAW)

ACE Mentor Program Logo ACE Mentor Program

WAsafe Logo WAsafe Building Safety Evaluator (ATC-20 & ATC-45)

NOTE: I originally made this website in 2020 to showcase my background, experiences, and interests as I was seeking my first full-time engineering position. I've since deleted much of the "job-seeking" content, including the thrilling details of my origins story. As my professional career develops, I intend to update this website with more information about what I'm up to. Have fun exploring!
EXPERIENCE

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE


Lund Opsahl (LO)

Engineer I

Seattle, Washington

2021 - Present

  • Designed or worked on projects in the civic, commercial, mixed-use, single-family residential, parks & recreation, zoo, construction support, and seismic assessments & upgrades sectors.
  • Responsible for the engineering analysis, design, and development of construction documents for buildings and other structures, coordination with clients, design team, and contractors, and managing small projects.
  • Assist in the development and improvement of office technical standards such as our detail library, general notes, and calculation tools.
  • Founding member and co-lead of LO's sustainability group, with an emphasis on the tracking and reduction of embodied carbon.

INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

Prior to working as an Engineer with Lund Opsahl, I was fortunate to have had a broad range of engineering experiences through internships and involvement at my university.


Larson Engineering, Inc.

Engineer Intern

St. Louis, Missouri

Summer 2019

  • Prepared structural design calculations and drawings for pre-fabricated steel and aluminum buildings including guard booths, equipment enclosures, and other structures.
  • Designed using the latest American codes and standards.
  • Utilized RISA-3D to model structural systems and analyze static loads
  • Created and revised MathCAD calculation templates for use in the design of aluminum facade structural members and curtain-wall systems per the latest codes and standards.

Great Rivers Greenway

Structural Engineer Intern

St. Louis, Missouri

Summer 2017

  • Performed field visits to each bridge & structural asset on greenways to gather data, record observations, collect measurements, and take photographs.
  • Collected and uploaded relevant plans, drawings, and other documents for each bridge as was available.
  • Modified bridge layer in GIS to better organize available data.
  • Drafted a guide on the use and organization of the GIS bridge layer.
  • Presented summary of findings in an oral presentation and detailed findings in a written report.

Concrete Strategies, Inc.

Project Engineer Intern

St. Louis, Missouri

Summer 2015

  • Oversaw site work for a concrete restoration project in St. Charles, Missouri.
  • Detailed project objectives and timeline, with assistance of Project Manager.
  • Tracked amount of removal, grading, and pouring that occurred daily.
  • Interacted with public, city inspector, and sub-contractors courteously and professionally.

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE

My employement history isn't exclusive to engineering. Here are a few other work experiences that have shaped my growth.


Missouri S&T - Dept. of Residential Life

Resident Director

Rolla, Missouri

Sept 2019 - May 2021

  • Supervised a staff of 20 student leaders, including 15 Resident Assistants (RAs), four Senior RAs, and one Head Resident.
  • Oversaw the operations of a residence hall with an occupancy capacity of almost 700 residents that predominantly houses first and second-year college students.
  • Implemented a residential curriculum for student development in the residence halls.
  • Responded to emergency and crisis situations working cooperatively with University Police, Counseling Services, and other campus staffs.
  • Served as a Conduct Officer and an Advisor to local student hall government.

The Community Partnership

Recycling Coordinator

Rolla, Missouri

July 2018 - Sept 2019

  • Managed a textile and salvage clothing recycling program for a not-for-profit thrift store.
  • Oversaw a waste reduction program responsible for diverting over 45 tons of salvage textiles from the landfill.
  • Recruited, trained, and supervised volunteer groups of up to 50 volunteers.
  • Processed clothing donations and prepared salvage clothing for baling.
  • Reduced the amount of textile waste that goes to the landfill by baling and selling salvage clothing and increasing clothing sales in-store.
  • Coordinated the spending of grant-acquired funds to purchase shelving, bins, and storage structures to contain off-season clothing.

OTHER EXPERIENCES


View of Saint Vincent de Paul thrift store from parking lot
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store

The summer between high school and college I worked at a thrift store as a receiver/stocker/cashier.

“En français à Québec”

Prior to senior year of high school, I participated in a summer French immersion program at the Université Laval in Quebec City.

Algebra Tutor / Success Leader

Senior year of high school I was a "Success Leader" or mentor/tutor for a freshman Algebra I class.

Tennis Instructor

From high school through college, I gave tennis lessons to children and adolescents (ages 4 to 17), teaching rules, strategy, and technique

EDUCATION
2
Degrees Attained
3
Internships Completed
60+
Courses Taken
750+
Sheets of Computation Paper Used

UNIVERSITY


Missouri University of Science and Technology

Rolla, Missouri, USA

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

Graduated December 2019

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Graduated May 2018

Extracurriculars & Involvement:

Head Resident, Senior RA, RA

Alumnus, Initiated Member, Pledge

Research Assistant

FUN STUFF

PROJECTS, HOBBIES, & MORE


Chris on bike

Moving

There are all kinds of ways I like to stay active. Biking and running are my go-to favorites, but I also enjoy climbing (bouldering), walking, and even skateboarding when my body lets me.

Playing

Board games, card games, video games, ping pong, tennis, basketball—the list goes on and on! I enjoy friendly competition, working towards new goals, and having fun.

Chris in cave

Exploring

I love the feeling of discovery. Whether exploring the beauty of the PNW, catching a bus to a new part of town, or venturing underground for some spelunking, I'm always down for some adventure. This category also includes reading. I love learning, so I've always got something with a bookmark in it.

Creating

Trying a new recipe in the kitchen, tinkering with old electronics, experimenting with photos & video, coding little modules or webpages—I'll go wherever my creative impulses lead me on any given weekend.

Likes

  • Homemade soft pretzels
  • Museums
  • Thrift stores & garage sales
  • Public transit & getting around via bicycle
  • Listening to albums all the way through
  • Under desk treadmills
  • The electric razor
  • Iced passion tea
  • Lots of indoor foliage
  • Slide rules
  • Non-sugary breakfast cereals
  • VHS tapes & obsolete technology
  • Science—geology, physics, etc.

Dislikes

  • Pennies
  • Places that don't recycle
  • Salad dressing
  • Mayonnaise
  • Overuse of CGI in filmmaking
  • Memorizing things
  • Junk mail & spammy emails
  • Poor urban planning
  • My gardening skills
  • Sticker residue

The Bookshelf

My real bookshelf is full of all kinds of reference texts, design manuals, literature, and some favorite sentimental keeps. This virtual bookshelf shows a few of my favorites. Tap to learn more about each item!

Formulas for Stress, Strain, and Structural Matrices by Walter D. Pilkey Kachka - A Return to Russian Cooking Picture of me and my wife Engineering in the Ancient World by J. G. Landels My cat, Daisy The Legend Of Zelda Encyclopedia Dwight Schrute bobblehead Reinforced Concrete Mechanics and Design by James K. Wight Applied Engineering Mechanics - Fourth Edition by Alfred Jensen and Harry Chenoweth Jar Jar Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry AISC Steel Construction Manual - Sixteenth Edition - Limited Edition Cover Caves of Missouri by J. Harlen Bretz A button that says 'hang on, friday's coming' with a cat dangling above a crocodile Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down by J.E. Gordon
CONTACT

Seattle, WA - United States
Email: christophercattron@gmail.com

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