Thoughts From Engineers: Water 4.0: Time to Consider an Alternative Paradigm
Our present-day style of managing water hasn’t strayed much from the centralized approach employed by the Romans some 2,000 years ago. This was fine when cities first began to modernize, but the 21st century requires something different. This is the conclusion reached by David Sedlak in his book, Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World’s Most Vital Resource, following an exhaustively researched and riveting history of humankind’s relationship with and management of water. Roman...
Executive Corner: The R&D Tax Credit: Major Savings Available for Architects and Engineers
When it comes to taxes, the main focus for architecture and engineering firms of late has been the new tax law and the opportunities it’s providing companies to grow and reinvest in their businesses. Brian Aumueller, managing director with alliantgroup For this installment of “Executive Corner,” Russ Ryan, principal at Rusk O’Brien Gido + Partners (email: [email protected]) interviews Brian Aumueller, managing director with alliantgroup (email: [email protected])....
Project Management Insights: Is Project Management a Weakness in the Armor?
When my consulting firm (Morrissey Goodale) works with clients to develop a strategic plan, several elements go into the effort well before we bring everyone around the table. Conversations with the firm’s leaders and top managers are one such component. In addition to discussing the firm’s competencies and market opportunities, we want to know about the threats standing in the way of future success. Asking “what do you see as the firm’s weaknesses?” draws out everything from the lack of a le...
Final Thoughts: Engineers Also Deserve Awards and Recognition
I was among the millions of people who watched at least part of the Academy Awards show this year, and I couldn’t help but think about comparing the awards to our industry. The Academy recognizes outstanding performance in the film industry in 24 categories, and I believe engineers qualify for similar recognition. Perhaps you can envision some of the roles you may have played or awards you were qualified to receive. Or you can think of people you would nominate for some of the categories. Bes...
ReEngineering the Engineer: What’s Ice Got to Do with It?
For some reason, I wasn’t much of a reader when I was young. Maybe it was the engineering gene; I don’t know many engineers I would consider voracious readers. However, through the years, I’ve come to enjoy reading a good book, mostly non-fiction. So when Christmas comes around, it’s not uncommon for one of our daughters to find me a good stocking-stuffer book. A much better choice than a tie ... One of the books I received this year particularly grabbed my attention: “How We Got to Now: Six...
Final Thoughts: Many Changes in Engineering, but the Main Priority Remains the Same
In previous “Final Thoughts” columns, I looked back at the work environment when I began my career some 40-plus years ago, which included calculations with slide rules, drafting on mylar and working in an open-space office. Today’s office and “tools of the trade” now are very different. Some things are better; some are not. The following are a few of my observations. Time Off and Workforce Diversity I believe that everyone benefits from significant time away from work. Since I began workin...
ReEngineering the Engineer: Reasonable Resolutions That Can Last All Year
Historically, I try to use the holiday break as a chance to regroup, reflect on the last year and get prepared to do it all over again for the next 12 months. This year, however, was an unrelenting race right to the bitter end. “Sleeping” projects came back to life at the last minute, and projects in design scrambled to get finished before everyone headed off for the holidays. Of course, as soon as the Christmas holiday is over, attention turns to the consummate generation of empty promises f...
From the Editor: Predicting the Present: Yesterday’s Future and Tomorrow’s Past
In the classic original The Terminator movie from 1984, an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) wages war against humanity. A fierce band of human resistance fighters battles back and eventually tips the scales in favor of the humans. In a last, desperate attempt to snatch victory from defeat, the AIs hatch a plan: they would alter the future by changing the past. To do so, they send a killer robot, a “Terminator” (played perfectly by Arnold Schwarzenegger), back in time to the present day to a...
Thoughts From Engineers: Robot Engineers? You May Lose Your White-Collar Job to a Robot Sooner than You Think
According to the International Data Corp. (IDC), a global provider of market intelligence and analysis, big changes in the U.S. workforce will happen quickly and at a scale you never would have expected. The report, “IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Robotics 2017 Predictions,” outlines several jarring projections: By 2019, a hefty 35 percent of industries in health, commercial goods and utilities will use robotic automation in their operations. Nearly 40 percent of robots currently in use will be conn...
Code Update: Exploring New Concrete Connection Developments
Author’s Note: This is a highly condensed summary of a full paper, with many details and references, that can be read in its entirety on the Informed Infrastructure Web site at informedinfrastructure.com/36533/concrete-connections. Table 1. Approvals of Concrete Connections Table 2. Checklist for Cast-In Anchors Building codes in the United States have long acknowledged the need for regulators to allow for alternative materials. Yet the codes don’t provide much beyond...
Video: Crashes Drop Measurably After Rural Road Safety Improvement Project on US 521 in Lancaster County
AdventHealth Weaverville Hospital
June Issue 2026
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