April 11, 2003 --Jessica McGowan likes being outdoors. She runs, climbs rocks, kayaks, and most of the year she would, as the bumper sticker says, rather be sailing. When she graduated from the engineering school in 2001, she naturally looked for a job that would take her out of the office. She’s now doing bridge design, roadwork, and stream reclamation work for Nolan Associates, a small consulting firm in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Not surprisingly, McGowan was one of the original leaders of the Solar House Project, becoming the team expert on passive solar and mechanical systems for heating and cooling. In the process, she learned as much about the practice of engineering as the laws of thermodynamics.

A civil engineer with a minor in architecture, McGowan acted as a medium of exchange
between the young engineers and architects working on the project. She became adept at building a network of local consultants that included 2rw Consulting Engineers and William McDonough + Partners, many of whom donated time and resources to the project. And she also learned how to manage other people. "I found that I could step back, look at the big picture, and then delegate," she says. "It was an important lesson to learn, since building a successful house is beyond the reach of any one person."

McGowan credits the engineering curriculum at U.Va. with preparing her to meet this challenge. "During your first two years, you learn how to break down a problem and work through the components," she observes. "In your third and fourth year, you have the opportunity to participate in large, student-run projects, like the solar car or the solar house, where you can put these skills to use. And your senior thesis allows you to dig deep in an area that interests you."

Although McGowan graduated before the house was completed, she remains passionate about solar living and visited the house while it was going up on the National Mall in Washington.

"Every time I see a solar panel, I get excited," she says. "It means that more people are recognizing the importance of using a renewable resource for energy."