faces of the future - Illuminating Engineering Society

FUTURE LEADERS
Shanna Olson was green before
green was cool. In college, Olson
and six other interior design
students founded the Environmental
Collegians of Sustainability (ECOS).
“At its inception, ECOS mainly focused
on bringing new sustainable technologies
and design concepts to the interior
design department,” says Olson. As copresident
of ECOS, Olson expanded the
scope of the organization beyond her
department “to the entire college. We
made attempts to educate the public and
reduce energy within our school.”
Now a lighting and electrical designer
for IBC Engineering, Olson is still
a steward of the environment and returns
to her alma mater each year “to
guest lecture about what I do and why I
find sustainability so important.”
Sustainability is also an integral aspect
of her design portfolio. “I find that selecting
the right lamp sources as well as
luminaires; providing appropriate, but
not excessive, illumination levels; supplying
adjustable task lighting as needed;
and utilizing enhanced controls significantly
reduces the actual used lighting
power while still creating a productive
and pleasant environment,” say Olson.
Olson’s efforts to educate others aren’t
limited to her work with ECOS. She also
serves as the chair of the IES Milwaukee
Section Education Committee, where
she facilitates the Lighting Fundamentals
course. The post has allowed her
“to pull together a wide variety of highly
qualified lighting designers and engineers
to lecture.” It has also given her
the opportunity to become part of a new
community of like-minded designers:
“The board strives to bring new technologies
and methods of design to their
members while going out of their way to
make emerging professionals, such as
myself, feel welcome.”
A FEW KIND WORDS: “A few years ago
we took a chance hiring someone without
an engineering background to be a
part of our electrical engineering team
because she impressed us with her enthusiasm
for learning,” says Fieena
Zvenyach, IBC president and CEO. “We
have never regretted the decision to
bring Shanna on board; she has proven
herself a quick study and has continued
to move above and beyond our expectations.
She has a knack for pairing her
style and artistry with a passion for sustainability
that benefits both our clients
and our internal team.”
DOWN THE ROAD: “Education will be
my main focus in the next few years,”
says Olson. “As education chair for the
Milwaukee Section, I will continue to
focus on bringing new technologies and
methods of design to our lighting community.
As a part of the IBC team, I will
strive to educate our clients on the importance
of sustainability and the best
methods of achieving this goal. In this
vein, I hope to continue to work on projects
which have a long-term impact both
aesthetically and sustainably.”
Elizabeth Hall
SHANNA OLSON
IBC ENGINEERING
SERVICES, INC.
WAUKESHA, WI
CAREER CAPSULE
• Key projects: Shaw
Technology and
Learning Center Power
House High, Chicago;
Engberg Anderson Design
Partnership, Milwaukee;
Milwaukee Intermodal;
Chicago Park District
Sustainable Prototype
• IES Illumination Awards
of Merit for St. Croix Falls
Library, St. Croix Falls,
WI, and Muchin College
Prep, Chicago
‘Designing
sustainably
is not only
the right
choice, but the
rational one’
LD+A December 2010 63