Before coming to Cornell, Trautmann spent five years working with the U.S. Geological Survey and several engineering consulting firms. He is a registered professional engineer and a certified professional geologist. He is a member of various societies, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, the Association of Engineering Geologists, Sigma Xi, and Chi Epsilon. In 1987 he was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship to conduct research in soil mechanics at the Technical University of Munich. Since 1990, Trautmann has been involved in youth science-and-technology education as executive director of the ScienCenter, a hands-on science museum in downtown Ithaca. At the museum he oversees operations, staff, exhibits, and program development. He currently serves as President of the New York State Science and Technology Museum Consortium.
