Penn State Harrisburg student, alum honored as 'New Faces of Civil Engineering'

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Penn State Harrisburg’s Natalie Neptune, a fourth-year student majoring in civil engineering, and Nicholas Giglio, a 2019 civil engineering graduate, have been recognized as "New Faces of Civil Engineering" by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). 

Each year, ASCE honors 20 outstanding young civil engineers from across the nation as the New Faces of Civil Engineering — 10 young professionals and 10 college students. Giglio won in the young professional category, while Neptune won in the student category. 

Giglio started his college career at Penn State Lehigh Valley before transferring to Penn State Harrisburg to study civil engineering. After graduating in spring 2019, Giglio accepted a job with Urban Engineers as a transportation construction inspector.

Giglio said that he was honored to receive the award and that it has inspired him to live up to his fullest potential as a leader in the civil engineering field. He recently attended the 2022 Legislative Fly-In in Washington, D.C., where ASCE members meet with members of Congress and learn about current and potential bills impacting civil engineering.

Neptune attributed receiving the award to her dedication to her studies and several extracurricular activities. She is an ambassador of the Penn State Harrisburg ASCE Student Chapter and is passionate about how civil engineering intersects with other fields. 

Neptune said that it meant a lot to her to win this award to represent women, especially Black women, succeeding in the civil engineering field and as a student at a Penn State Commonwealth Campus.

Neptune plans to graduate in fall 2022 and return to campus in spring 2023 to begin her master’s degree in engineering management.