Alane Rivera

Alane and Raymundo Rivera are both registered Professional Engineers in San Antonio, Texas. Several years ago they began reading about the increasing shortage of engineers across the globe, specifically in the U.S. This is a trend which should cause concern since in many ways, engineering is critical to the country’s success. Engineers serve as a pillar of the economy in that they are responsible for maintaining infrastructure and developing innovation and keeping the U.S. a leader in technology.

In response, the Riveras wrote Rocks, Jeans, and Busy Machines, An Engineering Kids© Storybook, which is the first book in what will be a series of books, each designed to instill in children an early understanding of and enthusiasm for the different fields of engineering. The Engineering Kids© Storybook series is the only series of illustrated children’s books that is written by Professional Engineers and targets very young children when they are the impressionable ages of 5 to 8 years old.

Alane and Raymundo’s background indicates their passion for the engineering profession. Alane graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and later completed a Master's degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Raymundo graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. He recently completed a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin where he is currently a Ph.D student in the same field. Together they have over 25 years of design experience in engineering.

Their efforts have been applauded by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering. Rocks, Jeans, and Busy Machines was named a Finalist in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards contest.

Rocks, Jeans, and Busy Machines has been featured in PE Magazine, Engineering News Record, Texas Civil Engineer, Notre Dame Magazine, San Antonio Magazine, and NSIDE Magazine.

To learn more about the Engineering Kids© and the Rivera’s mission to recruit future engineers, visit www.engineering-kids.com.