Change Leader: Overcoming Budget Constraints at State DOTs
J.D. D’Arville (top) is the GIS/LRS data management administrator for the Alabama Department of Transportation (DOT), and John Russell (bottom), a licensed surveyor, is the surveying and mapping administrator for the Alabama DOT. John Russell Change D’Arville and Russell have worked together at the Alabama DOT for 25 years, and both have seen a lot of organizational and technological change in that time. “We know what each other is up against and how we can help each other,” note...
Future Forward: Use a PERMIT System to Promote Safety on the Job Site
This page profiles innovative and impactful applied research in civil and structural engineering. Patrick Tarrant is the founder and CEO of Crane Management, a consulting agency for construction companies in New York City. A well-known industry professional with more than 40 years of experience, Tarrant is frequently hired as an expert witness in construction and safety cases. Trained in all areas of crane operations, he is a certified hoist operator, master rigger, American Welding S...
Change Leader: Technology Is Changing Construction More Than Ever Before
Viet T.P. Pham Blake Potts Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) Consultant Viet T.P. Pham of MT Højgaard in Denmark and Regional VDC Manager Blake Potts of Rogers-O’Brien Construction in the United States are experts in digital construction who use Pix4D’s drone mapping technology for site surveying. Change The greatest challenge in the construction industry is productivity—or, to be more specific, lack of productivity. Investing in the most advanced technologies for su...
Future Forward: When In Doubt, Damp It Out
This page profiles innovative and impactful applied research in civil and structural engineering. Douglas P. Taylor is president of Taylor Devices, which manufactures seismic dampers that protect structures during events such as earthquakes and high winds. He is inventor or co-inventor of 34 patents in the fields of energy management, hydraulics and shock isolation. In 2015, NASA and the Space Foundation inducted him into the Space Technology Hall of Fame. Organization Taylor De...
Change Leader: 3D Modeling Delivers Widespread Benefits
Kevin Schlereth is a senior design application specialist at HNTB, an architecture, engineering, planning and construction services firm founded more than 100 years ago. A registered professional engineer, he works with subject-matter experts who specialize in civil engineering software and digital scenarios, providing project development, training and support services. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Ohio University. Change HNTB is an infrastructure solutions firm ser...
Change Leader: Insurance and Risk Management Is Crucial for Construction
Andrew Sims (top) is senior vice president, Head of Property and Construction, at Generali Global Corporate & Commercial U.S.A. (GC&C), with more than two decades of experience executing underwriting strategies and processes across U.S. and international underwriting platforms as well as within middle, corporate and national account market segments. Greg Mason (left) is vice president of construction for Generali GC&C, with 26 years of experience in the construction insurance ind...
Future Forward: When Should Aging Infrastructure Be Replaced or Removed?
This page profiles innovative and impactful applied research in civil and structural engineering. Megan Lawson, Ph.D., is an economist specializing in land-use, non-market valuation and statistical models for policy analysis. She works for Headwaters Economics, an independent, nonprofit research group, and her research areas include recreation, ecosystem services, climate adaptation, and demographic and economic trends. Megan holds Ph.D. and Masters degrees in economics from the University of...
Future Forward: Learn from Nature to Build Smarter Infrastructure
Anil Ahuja, P.E., is a seasoned engineering professional and author of the recently released book, Integration of Nature and Technology for Smart Cities, which explores trends and paradigms in the smart building and smart city sectors, offering a new approach to create naturally green, technologically innovative smart buildings and city designs. Organization Ahuja is LEED Accredited and has more than 30 years of experience in sustainable building systems design, including the last 14 years...
Change Leader: An Unconventional Engineering Model
The president of Atlas Civil Design, A.J. Whitaker is a registered civil engineer and land surveyor with more than 20 years of experience in large-scale single and multi-family residential, commercial, industrial, municipal, medical/healthcare, and mixed-use projects. He has served three years as Chapter President of the American Council of Engineering Companies. In his spare time, A.J. maintains a blog at Engipreneur.com, where he helps entrepreneurial engineers apply practical, and often co...
Future Forward: Keep an Open Mind When Searching for Critical Infrastructure Solutions
Bry Sarté currently serves on the faculty of Columbia University’s Architecture and Urban Design Program, where he lectures on infrastructure, resiliency and public space. He has served as an engineer for planning projects with the world’s top architects and founded his own sustainable infrastructure design firm, Sherwood Design Engineers, as well as the nonprofit Sherwood Institute, which is comprised of academic, professional and government advisors from five countries directing research and i...