Q&A: Alum Joel Amarillas
CAEM alum Joel Amarillas served as a teaching and research assistant for CAEM professor Yao-Jan Wu in the Smart Transportation Lab.
Kittelson & Associates
Kittelson & Associates, a transportation engineering and planning consulting firm, recently interviewed a University of Arizona alum who now holds a senior position at the company. Joel Amarillas graduated from U of A in 2015 with an undergraduate degree in civil engineering.
What’s your background and how did you end up at Kittelson?
I have a background in civil engineering and earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona. I was introduced to Kittelson through Felipe Ladron de Guevara, who was my professor for geometric design. During my job search, I reached out to him, and he connected me with the Tucson office, where I got to know the leaders of the design practice at the time. That connection ultimately led me to join Kittelson.
What aspects of your work do you find most meaningful or energizing?
The most meaningful and energizing part of my role is the feeling of creating something tangible that improves people’s daily lives. That’s what drew me to roadway design. Watching a project progress from a concept into detailed vertical design and 3D models is incredibly rewarding. I love seeing all the pieces come together, from lighting and landscaping to drainage and major structures.
What do you think is the most exciting development in the transportation industry right now?
For me, the most exciting development in the transportation industry is the advancement of 3D modeling and BIM for roadway design. Even though it’s not brand-new, the level of detail and visualization we can achieve now is transforming how we design and communicate projects.
On a past project in Tucson, we created a full 3D model of the roadway including all underground utilities like water, sewer, stormwater structures, and cross drains—and brought it into virtual reality for a public meeting. Instead of looking at flat plan sheets, people could stand “in” the intersection and see what the final design would actually look like. We could even drop below the surface to visualize utility conflicts at real scale, which is much harder to understand from traditional plans and profiles.
What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
Seeing the impact of my projects on people and receiving feedback from communities and agencies about improvements is the most rewarding part.