As a Practicing Road Engineer, Rask Is Able to Share Invaluable Firsthand Knowledge of Advanced Software for Civil Engineering and Transportation with Her Students, Providing a Particularly Engaging Learning Experience
EXTON, Pa., U.S.A. – Dec. 22, 2015 – Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing infrastructure, today announced that External Associate Professor Marianne Rask of the Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, is the recipient of its 2015 Educator of the Year Award. The award recognizes a member of the academic community who has an outstanding record of achievements and is committed to inspiring students to pursue careers in the infrastructure professions.
George Church, senior vice president, Bentley CONNECT LEARNservices, said, “External Associate Professor Rask, a seasoned road engineer, began teaching in order to share her knowledge of advanced software for civil engineering and transportation with future generations of engineers. Her passion for the industry she serves as an infrastructure professional is reflected in the infectious enthusiasm she exhibits in her classroom lectures and dialogues with students. At the Technical University, she teaches a number of road-related courses, in both Danish and English, as required, and is the course coordinator for the university’s Railway Design and Maintenance course. In her Geometric Road Design course, she features the use of MicroStation and InRoads, mentoring students with absolutely no CAD experience and getting them to the point – in just three weeks – where they can understand comprehensive road design systems and have a basic working knowledge of geometric highway design. She also mentors thesis students in the use of Bentley’s OpenRoads software for multi-discipline engineering projects, and looks forward to including OpenRoads in her course curriculum in the near future.
“External Associate Professor Rask’s students gain valuable experience with our software – the same used by civil engineering teams around the world. As a result, upon graduation, they typically are in high demand by Danish road design companies. Her advanced and engaging approach to teaching results in her classes generally being filled to capacity, and earned her a presentation slot during the Bentley global user conference in 2012.
“We thank Professor Rask for serving as an inspiration to students in the engineering disciplines and for her dedication to providing them with the practical skills they will need for successful careers in civil engineering and transportation. On behalf of my colleagues at Bentley, I congratulate her on being named 2015 Educator of the Year!”
In describing how her unexpected secondary career as a teacher began, Rask said, “I had been working for a long time as a road designer when I ran into one of my former professors at the Technical University of Denmark. I blamed him for teaching the students the wrong kind of software instead of the applications that we were actually using for road design. That conversation developed into my getting hired as a part-time external associate professor at the university, where I started teaching MicroStation and InRoads as well as geometric road design. I have updated the course every year, but I still make my students work hard – after all, they should be prepared for real life as a civil engineer. It makes me proud when I see some of my former students designing roads and railways.”
Commenting on her award, Rask said, “I thank Bentley for choosing me as its 2015 Educator of the Year, and for providing a range of useful civil engineering solutions for designing roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure, as well as for teaching future generations of engineers.”
Rask has taught in the department of transport at the Technical University of Denmark since 2005. Her professional experience includes positions of senior consultant and CAD coordinator at Carl Bro (Sweco) from 1993 to 2007 and road engineer and road safety auditor at Roskilde Municipality from 2007 to 2013. Rask was an early adopter of Bentley software, having served on the civil engineering steering committees and contributing to the development and direction of Bentley’s civil products. During the past year she has implemented the new Danish standard for the digital roadway into PowerCivil for Denmark. Rask has a master’s degree in civil engineering, building, and civil works.
For Rask’s Technical University page, click here. For a high-resolution image from the Educator of the Year Award ceremony, click here. For a high-resolution image of Marianne Rask, click here.
About Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems is a global leader in providing architects, engineers, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. Bentley users leverage information mobility across disciplines and throughout the infrastructure lifecycle to deliver better-performing projects and assets. Bentley solutions encompass MicroStation applications for information modeling, ProjectWise collaboration services to deliver integrated projects, and AssetWise operations services to achieve intelligent infrastructure – complemented by worldwide professional services and comprehensive managed services.
Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 3,000 colleagues in over 50 countries, more than $600 million in annual revenues, and since 2008 has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions.
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