Team Member Spotlight
Matt George, P.E.
Hydraulic Engineer | Olympia, WA
Having grown up in Washington state, I was very excited to join the NHC team in 2016 after earning my master’s degree. Since then, I’ve enjoyed working on a variety of projects to learn more about hydraulic design and how to best collaborate with others to solve complex problems. The projects I typically work on include improving fish passage, designing stream restoration features, and protecting transportation infrastructure. I enjoy developing computer models of rivers and creeks that provide information to inform and evaluate project designs. One of the things I like most about my job is that each project is unique and requires considering site-specific constraints to meet project goals. Part of what drew me to NHC was the focus on designing sustainable solutions. My thesis focused on the economics of reservoir sedimentation with a focus on the sustainable operation of dams to mitigate adverse environmental impacts.
Outside of work, I love spending time with my family, running, reading, and discovering new types of music to add to my collection of vinyl records. I’m also a cross country coach at a local high school and enjoy helping the student-athletes to achieve their goals and compete as a team.
Dawn Lasprugato, GISP, sUAS Pilot
Geographic Information Systems Analyst, FAA Certified sUAS Pilot | Sacramento, CA
I began my career with NHC 2005 after completing undergraduate studies in Earth & Geographic Sciences and Geographic Information Technology at the University of Massachusetts – Boston. Over the years, my technical skillset has evolved with the company, and I love learning cutting edge technologies to support our work. In my early years at NHC, I completed the Certified GIS Professional (GISP) program. This certification keeps my professional growth fresh with continuing education, conferences, publishing maps, and volunteering for the GIS community. NHC has also supported my professional growth as my interests expanded into drone technologies: GIS and UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) are a powerful dynamic duo for collecting and analyzing data from our often remote and always changing project settings. As with many developing technologies, information becomes outdated at a quick pace, and it’s my pleasure to collect and process new data to support my colleagues’ engineering designs and solutions. NHC makes being a part of this team truly special – support over the years helps the company thrive.
During my time off, I enjoy gardening, photographing nature, baking, spending time with family and friends, and volunteering GIS services for my local community.
Adrian Simpalean, MASc, EIT
Coastal Engineer | North Vancouver, Canada
Before joining NHC, I was working on my graduate degree in Water Resources Engineering at the University of Ottawa. My thesis research focused on wave-structure interactions and extreme hydrodynamic loading and was carried out at the Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Laboratory of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC-OCRE). I joined the NHC coastal engineering team in 2018. My main responsibilities include oceanographic assessments, shoreline enhancement and protection designs, coastal flood hazard assessments, and development of marina facilities. NHC`s broad areas of expertise allow me the opportunity to grow professionally and get involved with hydraulic design assessments using a variety of numerical and physical models. One interesting project that comes to mind is the physical modelling of a debris boom, undertaken to verify theoretical assumptions on debris boom performance and failure modes. The model helped refine the final design of the structure and define operational procedures and performance expectations.
Outside of NHC, you can find me training Muay Thai at a local Martial Arts Academy and – weather permitting – kayaking.