TCEP-The Civil Engineering Podcast

TCEP 135: Effective Communication Is Key With People at All Levels in Civil Engineering

January 15, 2020 By EMI

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In this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, our tenth episode in our Women in Civil Engineering series, I talk to Disa Wahlstrand, PE, LEED AP, who is a vice president of municipal services and water resources operations for Ayres in Wisconsin. We will be talking about engineering in STEM, big picture mindsets, and why communication is key in multidisciplinary teams.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Disa:

How can we influence the attitudes of students, especially females, about engineering and STEM in general?
Why do you enjoy doing campus planning?
Can you talk to us about your experience being a vice president in a mid-sized company?
What can you share with civil engineers out there about transitioning into their careers?
Why would you say communication is key for civil engineers?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Why Effective Communication Is Key for Civil Engineers:

TCEP 134: A Young Female Civil Engineering CEO Shares Her Story

January 6, 2020 By EMI

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In this episode, I talk with Áine O’Dwyer, PE, Principal and CEO at Enovate Engineering, about various civil engineering career topics including the challenges she faced when working in the construction industry, starting a new firm, and how she achieved success despite these challenges at such a young age to become a civil engineering CEO.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Áine:

What made you interested in civil engineering?
What skillsets helped you to get into management at such a young age?
How did you rise through the ranks and start your own company?
What is it that drives you daily?
How did you develop your confidence as a civil engineering CEO?
How can civil engineering professionals find opportunities in their careers?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed in This Episode:

TCEP 133: Focusing on People and Community Services as a Civil Engineer

December 18, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 133 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk to civil engineer Miranda Patton, a business development director at MNS Engineers. We talk about growing the engineering workforce, women in leadership, community services, STEM education, and the future of public infrastructure in America.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Miranda:

What made you move from the public sector to the private sector?
How did you end up getting involved in business development?
What are some of the things that civil engineers can do ahead of time when it comes to getting a project funded?
What are some action steps that civil engineers can take to get involved in community services and committees?
Could you share some thoughts around growing the engineering workforce?
What advice can you give young women in civil engineering who are looking to become a leader in their field?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Focusing on People and Community Services as a Civil Engineer:

TCEP 132: Renewable Energy and Decoupling the Water-Energy Nexus

December 4, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 132 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, our seventh episode in our Women in Civil Engineering series, I talk with Pavitra Rammohan, PE. ENV-SP, the Region Manager at DeepRoot. Pavitra talks about renewable energy and specifically about decoupling the water-energy nexus. We also dive into her background as well as her journey from India to the United States.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Pavitra:

Could you please tell us about your journey from Chennai to Los Angeles?
Can you tell us more about decoupling the water-energy nexus?
What is renewable energy?
Can you talk about the importance of getting stakeholders involved in this process?
How did you develop such a high confidence level?
What are Silva Cells?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Renewable Energy and Decoupling the Water-Energy Nexus:

TCEP 131: Working on a World-Changing Civil Engineering Project

November 20, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 131 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, which is our sixth episode in our Women in Civil Engineering series, I talk with Philippa Jefferis, a senior consultant and engineer at IMC Worldwide. Philippa is the safeguard and compliance manager who focuses on the safety and constructability of elements. She talks about working in the international development field and, more specifically, about a world-changing civil engineering project she is working on in Nepal.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Philippa:

Do you enjoy traveling and working internationally?
Tell us about the project you are working on right now.
Talk to us about the terrain and how that’s been challenging for the project in general.
How do the weather conditions impact project scheduling?
What is the reaction of the people of Nepal toward this project?
What would you say to engineers who are considering doing work internationally?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode about Working on a World-Changing Civil Engineering Project:

TCEP 130: Dealing with Major Career Decisions and Transitions as a Civil Engineer

November 6, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 130 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, our fifth episode in our Women in Civil Engineering series, we’re taking you with us to Hawaii to visit Coffman Engineers. There we talk to Jami Hirota PE, LEED AP, a civil engineer and experienced project manager that manages a quickly growing civil engineering department. Jamie will discuss the impact that major career decisions and transitions as a civil engineer can have on your career and tell us about a very difficult career decision she had to make around leaving the family engineering business and how it has impacted her civil engineering career and her personal life.

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Jami:

What are some of the benefits of working for a small civil engineering firm?
How is civil engineering different in Hawaii?
Is there a lot of work for engineers in the public sector in Hawaii?
How has being a female engineer in the industry impacted you in your civil engineering career?
How did you manage transitions as a civil engineer in your career?
What is your philosophy on management?

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Career Decisions and Transitions as a Civil Engineer:

TCEP 129: Two Civil Engineering Presidents on the Steps They Took to Success

October 23, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 129 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, our fourth episode in our Women in Civil Engineering series, I talk to two female civil engineering presidents from different cities in Texas. They are Julia Harrod, P.E., F.NSPE who is the President of MWM DesignGroup and Bonnie Moss, P.E. who is the President of MBCO Engineering. We talk about the steps they took to become successful civil engineering presidents and they also provide some great advice on how you can become a productive and successful civil engineering professional in your field.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask These Two Civil Engineering Presidents:

What are the ups and downs of being a business owner?
Tell us about the philosophy of work/life balance.
How do you prioritize your tasks for the day?
How did you obtain the necessary financial experience and skills to run a company?
What is it like to be a civil engineer in Texas?
Tell us about the hiring process you follow.
Did you always want to be the president of a firm?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode:

TCEP 128: Becoming a Well Rounded Civil Engineering Professional

October 9, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 128 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, which is our third episode in our Women in Civil Engineering series, I visit with Michelle Briehof, P.E. who is a project manager at Maser Consulting.

Michelle talks about some of the non-technical aspects and actions you can take as a civil engineering professional to build confidence and equip yourself as a well rounded civil engineering professional. She walks us through her career journey, from the beginning of her career up to where she is now and the experiences that have helped her to attain her position. She also tells us about the Maser Women’s Organization and how it has helped all employees at Maser, men and women, to build confidence and get the necessary exposure needed to become well-rounded engineering professionals.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Michelle:

Tell us more about the Maser Women’s Organization
How has the Maser Women’s Organization impacted you?
How does being a mother impact your career?
Tell us about your involvement in the different disciplines at your firm?
Have you found that developing knowledge in different civil engineering disciplines has been helpful in your efforts?
How important is it to have confidence as a manager?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Becoming a Well Rounded Civil Engineering Professional:

TCEP 127: Digital Twins for Digital Cities

September 25, 2019 By EMI

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Bob Mankowski, P.E., Vice President of the Bentley’s Digital Cities Business unit with a 3D representation of the The City of Helsinki. The City of Helsinki used Bentley’s reality capture technology for geo-coordination, optioneering, modeling, and visualization throughout the Helsinki 3D+ project.

In episode 127 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I will be taking you on a road trip to Connecticut, to the offices of Bentley Systems, to visit with Robert (Bob) Mankowski, P.E. who is a civil engineer and also the Vice President of Bentley’s Digital Cities Business Unit. Bob will discuss the power of digital twins for digital cities and emphasizes the importance of having technological advancement as a tool in the preparation and mitigation of city-wide projects. This episode is also available on YouTube.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Bob:

Tell our listeners about your background and career journey and how you got to where you are today.
What is your role with Bentley Systems?
Are there cities that are already using the digital twin process?
What excites you about the future of civil engineering?
What worries you about the future of civil engineering?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Digital Cities for Digital Twins:

Obtaining field experience early in your career makes a big difference in terms of understanding how your work as an engineer will impact other people around you.
A digital twin is a digital replica of a physical product, process or system that bridges together the physical world and the digital world. It does not only involve the geometric or physical replica in a digital world. It also includes engineering technology which allows you to understand and model the behavior and performance of the infrastructure as well.
A digital twin is built up from a variety of different sources containing different data. You will then typical connect it to an IOT which provides the real-time and historical performance of the system into the digital replica.
One of the ways in which you would start creating a digital city and a digital twin of a city is through a process called reality modeling. The idea is that your vertical replica reflects the actual reality. An example of doing this would be by transforming photos into 3D models. The 3D model would then become the integration point for other data. Having this 3D model is a way of indexing all of this information and accessing it in a very intuitive and immersive environment.
The demand for civil engineers is growing dramatically and it is uncertain whether the enrollment rate and graduation of civil engineers are going to be able to keep up with that demand.
There are so many things that civil engineers can have an impact on in this world, so we need to make sure that we have enough skilled and professional civil engineers out there.

More details in this episode…

About Robert (Bob) Mankowski, P.E.

Bob joined Bentley Systems in the company’s 2004 acquisition of Haestad Methods, where he served as chief technology officer. He is a co-inventor of seven patented technologies. Prior to serving as the Digital Cities business executive, Bob was the leader of the product teams that created AssetWise capabilities for water, wastewater, geospatial, and communications infrastructure. Bob has a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Drexel University and is a licensed professional engineer.

Sources/References:

Bob Mankowski’s LinkedIn|
Bentley Systems
TSEC 07: Drones and Structural Engineering Inspections – A Marriage in the Making
EMI’s YouTube Channel

Here Are Some of the Digital Twins for Digital Cities Projects Bentley Has Worked On:

Helsinki, Finland Project
Oporto, Portugal Project

This episode is brought to you by Maser Consulting P.A., a privately owned, multi-discipline, consulting and engineering design firm with a unique balance of public and private sector experience. Established in 1984 by Richard M. Maser, PE, PP, CME, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, the firm has an expert staff of licensed engineers, planners, surveyors, landscape architects, and environmental scientists with offices strategically located nationwide. Click here to learn more about Maser Consulting P.A. today.

If you are interested in taking our FREE CMAP Diagnostic Case Study, please email Betty at >> betty@engineeringmanagementinstitute.org

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

Dynamics of Software Development

Objectives and Key Results: Driving Focus, Alignment, and Engagement with OKRs

Please leave your comments or questions in the section below on Digital Cities for Digital Twins.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider downloading our free list of 33 Productivity Routines of Top Engineering Executives. Click the button below to download.

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To your success,

Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success

TCEP 126: Starting A Civil Engineering Firm

September 11, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 126 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I will be talking with Dax Hoff, PE who is the founder and owner of Dax Consulting. Dax outlines the process of starting a civil engineering firm and also covers some of the aspects of building an engineering business including finding new business and hiring the right people.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Dax:

Tell us about your background and career journey and how you got to where you are today.
Take us through your thought process of deciding on starting a civil engineering firm.
Did you always feel that you wanted to become a business owner?
What are some of the benefits to starting a civil engineering firm?
What are some of the risks in starting your own business?
How do you bring in new business when starting and growing a civil engineering firm?
Talk to us about the process of hiring engineering staff?

TCEP-The Civil Engineering Podcast

http://media.blubrry.com/engineeringcareercoach/p/traffic.libsyn.com/civilengineeringpodcast/TCEP135.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Disa:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Why Effective Communication Is Key for Civil Engineers:

http://media.blubrry.com/engineeringcareercoach/p/traffic.libsyn.com/civilengineeringpodcast/TCEP134.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Áine:

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed in This Episode:

http://media.blubrry.com/engineeringcareercoach/p/traffic.libsyn.com/civilengineeringpodcast/TCEP133.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Miranda:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Focusing on People and Community Services as a Civil Engineer:

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Pavitra:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Renewable Energy and Decoupling the Water-Energy Nexus:

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Philippa:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode about Working on a World-Changing Civil Engineering Project:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Jami:

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Career Decisions and Transitions as a Civil Engineer:

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask These Two Civil Engineering Presidents:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode:

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Michelle:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Becoming a Well Rounded Civil Engineering Professional:

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Bob:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Digital Cities for Digital Twins:

More details in this episode…

About Robert (Bob) Mankowski, P.E.

Sources/References:

Here Are Some of the Digital Twins for Digital Cities Projects Bentley Has Worked On:

If you are interested in taking our FREE CMAP Diagnostic Case Study, please email Betty at >> betty@engineeringmanagementinstitute.org

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Dax:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Starting A Civil Engineering Firm:

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

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