About Me
Sam Zartman is in his 5th and final year of study in the Penn State Architectural Engineering program: come May 2019, he will graduate with a Bachelor and Master Degree in Architectural Engineering. Sam will also receive a minor in Architecture Studies and will become an Engineer in Training upon graduation. Sam is an active member of several clubs and organizations on campus, including Student Society of Architectural Engineers, Structural Engineers Association, and USGBC Penn State Student Chapter where he served as club President for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Over the summers during his time at Penn State, Sam has had several internships. His first was with Mortenson Construction in 2015, where he spent part of his summer in Minneapolis assisting in pre-project planning for a 300 MW wind turbine project to be built on the Texas High Plains, and the other part of the summer on site in Texas. The next summer he was a project manager intern with Zartman Construction, here he aided in buyout and the management of multiple projects. In 2017 between his junior and senior years, Sam participated in the Penn State AE Rome program where, for half a summer, he studied the structures, architecture, and history of structures ranging from the classical to modern era. The second half of that summer Sam got trade experience with United Plate Glass as a window glazer. This past summer Sam interned with Providence Engineering in their Muncy, PA office. He spent his time there working on a multitude of projects that allowed him to gain practical experience in
design with steel, wood, and concrete foundations. Sam also went to many site to gain a better understanding of the projects he worked on such as designing the reinforcement of the roof structures of two industrial buildings from the early 1900's, and surveying and designing repairs for damage from an EF2 tornado. Currently in addition to his studies, Sam is working with Dr. Solnosky conducting research on wall systems in regards to their performance and economy in the different climate zones of the US.
Outside of his work and studies Sam enjoys spending time in the woods doing activities such as mountain biking, canoeing, camping, hunting, and cross country skiing. Two of the past three summers, he has planned and organized group multi-day camping and canoeing trips in the Pennsylvania Wilds. Sam also plays ice hockey and this summer joined a men’s roller hockey league for its inaugural season. Sam is a fan of reading classic literature and enjoys learning about sustainable building design and mass timber structures.