MDA Consulting Engineers Donation
MDA Consulting Engineers Donation
Engineering firm encourages curiosity of profession in young readers through book donations
As a child growing up on his family’s dairy farm, Caleb Henning wasn’t necessarily planning on becoming an engineer one day. “I remember working every day with my dad,” he recalled. “The way farmers work, basically if something breaks, they’ve got to figure out how to fix it and fast! There’s not usually a warranty or any time to send something out for repairs. I was always pretty hands-on as a young person.”
Henning’s natural curiosity for understanding how things work soon developed into self-taught programming skills. “Before really realizing that engineering was what I wanted to do, I made a program in my calculator to figure out how fast my go kart would go, based on how fast the engine was turning,” he said. During his senior year, he began taking college-level math courses, and a professor suggested a career in engineering.
“That worked out really well!” said Henning. “I attended Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and that's where I met Jake Alianello, my business partner.
Indeed, the two licensed professional engineers work together at MDA Consulting Engineers, which was founded by Jake Alianello’s father, Mark Alianello, in 1982. Henning explained, “We’re an engineering consulting firm and primarily provide consulting services in the area of civil engineering. We serve the western New York area, and our office is at 3 Bristol Lane in Ellicottville. Basically, we serve a lot of different clients: municipalities, commercial clients and developers, as well as residential clients, too.”
The firm provides several different services throughout the region. Henning said, “We can provide services as simple as consulting for flood plain elevation certificates, septic system designs and foundation inspections, if needed.” Specifically in the Ellicottville area, MDA can prepare plans for people who are building a new home or putting an addition or garage on an existing home. They also assist developers in planning out and designing housing developments.
Henning and Alianello are excited to pass on their passion for engineering and design to the next generation. “Jake and I both have young families, and we are raising them locally,” said Henning. “Our kids are at the stage where they're really enjoying the library and checking out lots of books. As a professional in the community, I wanted to be able to support the profession, so we had this idea that we could donate some books to local libraries in which the subject matter is about engineering and architecture.”
Henning noted that STEM-themed books were few and far between when he was a child. After a recent search through the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System’s online database, he noticed that this was a subject area that could benefit from new selections. MDA purchased five sets of 11 full-color, detailed books written for children from PreK through the age of 12.
MDA office manager Carla Maul said, “Some of these books include activities that children can do at home, and they all show how engineering is a daily part of their lives that they may not even realize. These books also share important inventions and progress made throughout history. Some are lift-the-flap books that go into greater detail about the construction industry, demolition, engineering terminology and basics.” A local connection includes a children’s book about architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed many homes and buildings in the Buffalo area.
“What some people don’t realize is that in New York state, both licensed architects and licensed civil engineers can design houses and buildings,” Henning explained. “Mark started that with MDA, and we’re continuing to do that with our clients!”
One of the five sets of books is being donated to the Ellicottville Memorial Library, and MDA plans on donating the other four sets to libraries in other communities where MDA works. Once these books enter circulation, they can be checked out from any library within the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System. “Right now, libraries are one of few places that are open,” Henning pointed out. “If COVID-19 restrictions allow, we'd like to go over to the Ellicottville Memorial Library for a summer activity through some kind of hands-on engineering project.”
Local libraries that are interested in receiving one of the book sets from MDA can contact Carla Maul at 716-699-4650 or email her at cmaul@mdaengineers.com. For more information about MDA Consulting Engineers, visit www.mdaengineers.com