Engineering Management Institute

UPCOMING TRAINING

TGEP 18: Celebrating Engineers Week – How Engineers Can Contribute to Society

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celebrating engineers weekIn this episode, we talk to Tony Canale, P.E., an Associate Partner at Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers, about the importance of celebrating Engineers Week, engineering education, and the role that engineers play in society.

Please note that The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSP.E.) offers a wide breadth of resources on how you can help spread the word and get involved during Engineers Week. You can visit NSP.E.’s website at discovere.org.

Engineering Quotes:

celebrating engineers week

celebrating engineers week

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Tony Canale, P.E.:

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TCEP 164: How to Effectively Measure Business Growth in Your Civil Engineering Firm

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In this episode, which is the first episode in our new Civil Engineering Entrepreneurs series, I talk to Gordon Greene, P.E., of Patel, Greene & Associates about how to effectively measure business growth and the use of standing operating procedures in the business world.

Engineering Quotes:

Measure Business Growth

Measure Business Growth

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Gordon:

  • Why is it important for a company to have a vision or mission statement?
  • How do you ensure that the everyday tasks or actions that your people are taking are contributing toward the overall vision?
  • What is your philosophy around meetings?
  • Does every person in your company have a goal or goals that they are working toward, and are these goals aligned with the vision of the company?
  • Are there specific metrics, indicators, or numbers that you use to effectively measure business growth at your company?
  • How often do you monitor those metrics and what tools do you use to monitor them?
  • What have you found to be the most important indicator in the terms of the health of your civil engineering firm?
  • Are the people who work in the company held accountable through key performance indicators and other metrics?
  • Does your company emphasize capturing core processes that can be practiced consistently throughout the company?
  • As a leader, how do you ensure these processes are captured and practiced consistently across the company and that they are followed by all the employees?
  • As the company grows, should you consider stepping away from the project work?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Measuring Business Growth:

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Confidence = Decisiveness + Commitment + Resourcefulness

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This is a guest blog by Jen Bunk, Ph.D.

ConfidenceIn my last article, I talked about calling forth your confidence. We all have confidence — it’s simply hard to find it sometimes. Especially amidst the chaos, negativity, scarcity, and all of the other problems that we face on a daily basis.

But that’s the whole game, isn’t it?

To be able to shine with confidence despite massive challenges!

That’s how you win as a technical leader.

That’s how you win at the game of life.

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TSEC 45: Tensile Structures With a Focus on ETFE Applications (Lakhta Center)

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ETFE ApplicationsIn this episode, we talk to Matteo Jean Pietrobelli, P.Eng, Eur.Eng, P.E., who is the Principal – Regional Manager of Maffeis Engineering. We found Matteo through an article that was published on the New Atlas called Russia’s massive Lakhta Center named skyscraper of the year. We talk to him about the ETFE applications of the skylight in between the glazed façades of the buildings at Lakhta Center. Matteo expands on the design and loading process that was used and the type of fabric material used  in EFTE applications.

Engineering Quotes:

ETFE Applications

ETFE Applications

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Matteo:

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Building Self Confidence – You Are in Charge of You!

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This is a guest blog by Pamela A. Scott

Self Confidence

“Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise L. Hay, motivational author

I love that quote. We are all experts at telling ourselves how we messed up. It’s time to shift our focus by building our self-confidence.

If you think you’re the only one with self-confidence issues, think again. I realized recently that most (if not all) clients I’ve coached over the past 15-plus years have struggled with self-confidence. That includes CEOs and other executive-level staff as well as teenagers trying to find direction.

Reprogram Your Brain

Let’s start with listening to how you program your brain via the words you use.

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TGEP 17: Design and Construction Around the Water Table

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Water TableIn this episode, we talk to Cassandra Wetzel, the District Office Manager and Principal at GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc., about design and construction around the water table. She describes what the water table is, discusses water table considerations for design and also some of the factors you must consider with soil or when working with rock during construction around the water table.

Engineering Quotes:

water table

water table

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Cassandra:

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TCEP 163: An Exclusive Look Into the Largest Construction Project in Virginia’s History

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Largest Construction ProjectIn this episode, I talk to Douglas Frost, P.E., a Senior Vice President at Dewberry. Douglas currently serves as the Quality Assurance Manager for the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion, and in this episode I talk to him about this project, which is the largest construction project in Virginia’s history. He also talks about Dewberry’s involvement in the project and discusses some interesting aspects around the project.  He even offers an amazing piece of career advice that was given to him by Mr. Sidney Dewberry!

Engineering Quotes:

Largest Construction Project

Largest Construction Project

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Douglas:

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How to Build Confidence as an Engineering Leader (Even in the Face of Not-enough-ness)

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This is a guest blog by Jen Bunk, Ph.D.

ConfidenceClients often ask me how to build their confidence.

I find that the best way to approach this is to first explain what NOT to do, because if you build your confidence in the wrong way, you’ll decimate it. You’ll completely obliterate your chances of reaching your career goals.

So — what’s the wrong way and the right way to build your confidence?

First, I’m going to step back and be brutally honest for a second.

Right now, there are thousands of tech and engineering managers trying to upgrade their positions and their pay:

They’re reading boatloads of books…

They’re watching tons of training videos on leadership…

They’re even spending thousands of dollars on certification courses…

And despite all of that, most of them aren’t even close to getting a 10% raise — much less building their dream career.

If you want to upgrade your career in three months or less, you’ll never get there in a million years if you do those things. There’s a much shorter path.

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TSEC 44: Concrete Sensors and the Maturing Method

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Concrete SensorsIn this episode, we talk to Jake Davis, Ph.D., a scientist with extensive experience in clean environmental science and technology from Hilti Concrete Sensors in Hilti North America. He talks about concrete testing technology, concrete sensors, and discusses the maturity method.

Engineering Quotes:

Concrete Sensors

Concrete Sensors

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Jake:

  • What are concrete sensors, and how do they work?
  • When using these sensors, do you use real-time strength calculations instead of doing break testing?
  • What is the concrete maturity method?
  • How do concrete sensors supplement traditional concrete testing or monitoring methods?
  • How do you see maturity meters technology affecting the construction industry, and how might it evolve further?
  • On which project types is this technology most impactful?
  • How does maturity meters technology fit in with design code?
  • What makes implementing the maturity method an attractive solution to the project?
  • How has the adoption of these technologies and the maturity method happened over the years?
  • How do you see this technology affecting the structural industry currently, and how do you envision it evolving in the future?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Concrete Sensors and the Maturing Method:

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2 Steps to Setting Goals for Changing Your Engineering Career in 2021

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This is a guest post by Nader Mowlaee

Changing Your Engineering CareerSTEP 1: Identify the Outcomes You Want to Create or Contribute To

Align your mission with a company’s mission that motivates you. It is tough to come up with innovative ideas by yourself, especially if you are starting to set new goals or changing your engineering career and you do not know where to start.

If this sounds like you, then you’re not alone. Many engineers have been making career transitions this year and certainly last year in 2020, and I have been there guiding them along the way. I know how it feels to come up short and feel like there is no future for you, and in this article, I want to give you a simple 2-step process to setting powerful goals that can contribute to you successfully changing your engineering career in 2021.

Let’s start by accepting that the world is our playground and we can get to play with our own rules, especially as an engineer. We are a special breed of people who can acquire new skills on demand and can pivot whenever it’s necessary so that we can create better outcomes in our careers and lives. However, you do not have to create your own job from scratch. Just join an existing team, follow their footsteps, and enable them to achieve their grand vision. Then you can branch out later to create your own unique results.

Changing Your Engineering Career

Here is an example: When I decided to leave an engineering career behind and get into technical recruiting, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I had was a role model and an attractive staffing company I had just joined. So all the goals I set were fully aligned with that company’s vision and core values.

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