For a profession that’s been around for decades, the construction industry has innovation firmly at its heart. New technology, materials and techniques are vital in construction, and can create a healthy advantage over competitors if executed correctly.…
Project Management Insights: No Buzzwords, Just Good PM Concepts
The business world loves buzzwords. Consultants and marketers thrive on buzzwords. Google, Twitter and all social channels constantly drill the importance…
Thoughts from Engineers: Water Infrastructure Woes Hit the American Pocketbook
The COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus a few key realities about water service in the United States. Many millions of Americans worked hard…
Executive Corner: Don’t Neglect Post-Pandemic Employee Engagement
For this installment of “Executive Corner,” we explore how the A&E landscape has changed during the pandemic, particularly in terms of employees in a tight job market. Russ Ryan, principal at Rusk O’Brien Gido + Partners (email: rryan@rog-partners.com),…
ReEngineering the Engineer: Self Preservation Through Workload and Stress Management
If there’s a silver lining to COVID, it helped push us to more-efficient ways of communication. Rather than traveling to meetings and wasting a ton of time on the road, we’ve embraced the idea of virtual meetings. I think that’s actually an OK thing.…
From the Editor: Open Mic Night at ‘The Engineer’s Lounge’
I recently completed two semesters teaching senior civil engineers at my alma mater, Valparaiso University. It was a pleasure and honor to be part of their education—something I took very seriously. But it was a different type of year, as we all know.…
Code Update: Updates to ACI 301-20: Specifications for Concrete Construction
In October 2020, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) published ACI 301-20: “Specifications for Concrete Construction,” which expanded and revised many of the requirements in previous versions of the standard. A notable change was the specification’s…
Executive Corner: Back in the Saddle for the AEC Industry
It’s hard to believe we’ve crossed the one-year milestone of the global coronavirus pandemic. Populations have endured and adapted to the day-to-day changes in societal norms, business practices and lifestyle patterns. As we start to see the light…
From the Editor: Smart Engineering Urgently Needed to Improve Our Infrastructure
The American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently published its “report card” for America’s infrastructure. I read through the summary, and this is what I learned: We received an overall grade of C-. That’s an improvement from D+ in 2017,…
Thoughts From Engineers: All Sensors (and Eyes) on the Water
The city of Virginia Beach, Va., was recognized in November 2020 with a Digital Cities award for the municipality’s adoption of StormSense, a multi-award-winning initiative that harnesses data streamed from a network of smart sensors and uses the resulting…
