Structural Engineer / Naval Architect
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
When asked "What made you become an
engineer in the first place?" Adam
Henckler simply says "Legos."
Like many kids, Adam spent his Saturday
mornings playing with Legos on the living
room floor of his Bangor home. Creating
endless boats, bridges, and buildings from
the little plastic bricks expanded his mind
and unknowingly developed into a career.
Attending
the University of Maine was a simple decision;
Adam attended day care, kindergarten, and
numerous summer camps at the school as a
child. When it came to choosing a major,
civil engineering was the obvious choice.
"In high school, I thought, ‘What
career would truly make me happy?’"
says Adam. "Looking back on what I
enjoyed doing when I was growing up, building
things was my most vivid memory."
Adam’s
many trips to Mount Desert Island and his
summer days spent at the beach or on the
water also played into his employment choice.
"I knew that when I graduated I wanted
to find a job that allowed me to build things
but kept me in Maine." Adam now works
for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery
as a Structural Engineer specializing in
Naval Architecture. The science and math
classes that he took in high school and
college help him as he overhauls Nuclear
Powered Submarines for the United States
Navy.
Engineering
is an ideal field for Adam. "Being
an engineer isn’t just about numbers.
We are problem solvers who love to find
solutions. Whether it is working on submarines
now or with Legos as a kid, all I wanted
to do was create building solutions. Civil
engineering was the perfect career choice
for me."
Adam Henckler