DENVER, CO CH2M is partnering with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to sponsor the educational IMAX film, DREAM BIG: Engineering Our World. The film shows more than the ingenuity behind manmade marvels it reveals the heart that drives engineers to create better lives for people. Local media will had the opportunity to meet one of the movie's stars, Menzer Pehlivan, a Geotechnical Engineer based in CH2M's Seattle, Washington, office. In the film, Menzer shares what inspired her to become an engineer.

"Growing up, I thought I wanted to be an actress until 1999, when the Kocaeli earthquake hit the northwest region of Turkey. My family and I awoke in fear because of the strong shaking in our apartment," said Menzer.

Menzer's family survived the quake mostly unscathed, but their country did not. A large portion of northwest Turkey was reduced to rubble. City block after city block had collapsed, and the death toll climbed by thousands. Menzer was not content to process the tragedy through the eyes of a typical young teenager. She wanted answers. She wanted to help. And that's how her civil engineering career began.

"The 1999 earthquake definitely played a huge role in determining my life's work," said Menzer, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, and one of the ASCE 2016 New Faces of Civil Engineering Professionals. She now focuses her career on earthquake engineering with a strong desire to help reduce risk and increase resiliency ahead of future natural disasters.

"Children often don't understand that examples of engineering are all around them," said Menzer. "DREAM BIG shines a bright light on some of the world's most exciting and thought-provoking infrastructure, and teaches students that if they can dream it, they can be it."

CH2M's partnership with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science will propel efforts to raise awareness of the film and its powerful message about how engineers make our world a better and safer place. It is also an opportunity to further the firm's support of a wide range of STEM programs in Denver, Colorado, with the Museum and across the U.S. and around the world through the CH2M Foundation, including introducing elementary students to basic science and math concepts, sponsoring secondary student science and engineering competitions and providing financial support and hands-on engineering experiences to keep university students engaged.

"We are pleased to partner with CH2M and nurture the next generation of engineers. DREAM BIG inspires, and we hope children and their families learn that anyone can become a world-changing engineer," said George Sparks, President and CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.