Shanna M. Durham named USBR’s Engineer of the Year

25 February 2022


Shanna M. Durham, P.E., a senior mechanical engineer in the US Bureau of Reclamation's Technical Service Center in Denver, Colorado, has been named as the Bureau's Engineer of the Year. 

Durham works on various turbines amd  provides design, purchasing, factory inspection, and on-site testing. She also leads and mentors four engineers.

"I congratulate Shanna on her selection as Reclamation's engineer of the year," said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. "Shanna’s body of work and expertise is so highly regarded that she’s known on a first name basis within the community. Her work is not only helping Reclamation generate hydropower as efficiently as possible while a drought persists throughout the west but moves the entire industry forward as water conditions change."

Durham is the lead government engineer for the overhaul project of three hydropower units at Grand Coulee Dam. Durham is also the lead on optimizing three additional hydropower units at the same facility. The second project provides flexibility to meet changing power grid demands and ensures Grand Coulee continues to meet the Nation's power needs.

She has also been leading efforts to evaluate how low reservoir levels impact hydropower generation.

Durham is a registered professional engineer in Colorado. She obtained her bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado.

Recognized Regional Engineers of the Year are Wesley D Johnson, P.E., Electrical Engineer, Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region; and David J. Merrill, P.E., Civil Engineer, Missouri Basin, Wyoming Area Office.



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