Israeli Engineer Keeps Her Mind on Job, Eyes on the News from the Middle East
As the world remains riveted to breaking news of the Middle East conflict, for some the reality hits closer to home. Keren Schwartz, a senior staff engineer at Langan Engineering and Environmental Services in New York City, checks the Israeli news every morning before calling her parents who live in Bat Yam, Israel, a small town south of Tel Aviv. She wants to know if terrorist attacks occurred near family and friends. Most mornings, her worries subside once she finds no incidents have occurred. But on June 25, violence escalated when Hamas-linked militants killed two soldiers and kidnapped a third. "I checked the news one morning and suddenly something did happen," she says. "And now there is a war."
Despite her concern for family and friends back home, Schwartz remains focused on five projects, most notably the redevelopment of the Bronx Terminal Market, an effort funded by the city of New York to improve the neglected South Bronx. The $394-million retail Gateway Center will replace the over 10-acre deteriorating market. Construction is expected to be complete by 2008. On her first day, Schwartz was sent to supervise the geotechnical soil boring and conduct the investigation to comply with New York City's Building Code. "The purpose of the borings is to obtain soil samples from which we identify the different strata beneath the site and to get information about soil strength," she says. When she first started the project, Schwartz was cautioned by a co-worker not to stay after hours because the surrounding neighborhood was unsafe. "He said �there might be prostitutes and drug dealers that approach you�just ignore them," she says. "Luckily, I worked with two drillers who were big guys. I just stayed close to them." Schwartz says she is proud of this project because of its importance to the city. The Bronx Terminal Market was the first point of discussion in this year�s State of the City address from Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R).