Being an engineer runs in the family.

"Growing up, I idolized my aunt and uncle who were engineers and I wanted to be like them," she said. "I was drawn towards structural engineering specifically because my grandfather was a contractor and I was fascinated with his work."

She even married an engineer.

Although this is her first semester teaching at Fresno State, she was an honors student at the University and graduated in 2008 with her B.S. in Civil Engineering.

Her husband, Aaron, who was also a member of the Smittcamp Honors program, is currently an assistant professor in the Lyles College of Engineering in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

"Being a part of the Smittcamp Honors program was one of the highlights of my undergraduate education," she said. "I formed deep friendships and met the man who eventually became my husband. Academically, we took many G.E. courses as a cohort, which I believe enriched the experience. The program's focus on philanthropy deepened my understanding of the significance of giving back, which is part of why I am pleased to return to work at the University that has done so much for me."

After earning her bachelor's degree, she worked at a structural design firm while completing the M.B.A. program at Fresno State. In 2010, she relocated to Sacramento, where she taught as a part-time lecturer at CSU, Sacramento.

"After one year teaching there, I began the master's and Ph.D. program in structural engineering at UC Davis," she said. "I graduated this past summer."

Stillmaker says the absolute best part of her job at Fresno State is connecting with her students and getting to make a difference in their lives.

"In addition to conveying technical knowledge, I want to make a positive impact on my students' passion for the subject matter, their professional development, and expand their pre-conceived notions of their capabilities," she said. "I think my most important responsibility is providing a high quality education to the students in my classes by providing a rigorous curriculum and ample support to help them rise to the challenge."  

Stillmaker currently teaches three courses: Design of Timber Structures, Mechanics of Materials, and the Mechanics of Materials Lab. She also provides academic mentoring. Meanwhile, she is working on research that is an extension of the work completed during her doctoral program.

The result of the work she did as a doctoral student (related to partial joint penetration welded column splices in steel moment frames) has been used to implement a change in the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Seismic Provisions, which is one of the documents that governs design of steel structures.  

She is also involved, along with a number of her faculty colleagues — in a joint effort between the Lyles College of Engineering and members of the local engineering industry — in implementing early Central Valley student outreach to increase interest in majoring in engineering, particularly among young girls.
 
When not working, Stillmaker enjoys traveling and camping. She and her husband have two children whose interest in engineering is yet to be determined: Lauren (3 years old) and Margaret (1 1/2 years old). They also have two seven-year-old beagle-mixes.