Digna Emu

Staff Geotechnical Scientist

Coming from one the most seismically active countries in the world increases my curiosity about the earth and mother nature—the correlation between them and the infrastructure that our daily life depends on. That’s why I landed on this career.

Hired

  • 2022

Location

  • Boston, MA*

Practices

Digna splits her time between the office and field sites across the greater Boston region. She helps us understand and characterize a site through soil investigation and testing, writes geotechnical reports, and supports smooth project execution by monitoring construction and working closely with contractors to ensure that designs are implemented according to plan. In the office, Digna also helps prepare proposals and other deliverables for clients.

Originally from Indonesia, Digna has a deeply personal connection to geotechnical engineering and the role it plays in protecting our communities. Indonesia is one the most seismically active countries in the world according to USGS (United States Geological Survey) and in 2018 the magnitude 7.5 Sulawesi Earthquake gave the world a devastating reminder. Mudflows or liquefaction from the earthquake swept away entire neighborhoods and killed thousands.

“I found out that geotechnical engineering is one of the key points to mitigate the effects of this kind of natural disaster on infrastructure and human beings,” Digna says. “That experience motivated me to come to the U.S. and pursue my Master’s in Geotechnical Engineering at Northeastern University.”

After graduating in 2021, Digna began working as a geotechnical field engineer in Massachusetts before coming to GeoEngineers a year later in search of more diverse projects and growth opportunities.

In her spare time, Digna enjoys exploring Boston and traveling to beautiful locations all around the world. One of her favorite places is Grindelwald village in Switzerland! At home, you might catch Digna enjoying sitcoms or one of her favorite Marvel movies.

“I’m a big, big fan of Iron Man,” Digna says. “And yeah, I cried a lot in the cinema when Tony Stark died in End Game.”

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