Civil Engineering

Building Confidence: Empathetic Stakeholder Engagement

February 17, 2020 By EMI

Empathetic Stakeholder Engagement is a guest blog by Michael Burns, PE, PgMP, DBIA

Previously, I encouraged you to broadly engage your network as you explore your professional intentions, creating balance, reducing stress, and inspiring learning objectives. A positive step in a naturally closed system, relying on trusted peers. Yet, as professionals in the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry, we learn early on in our careers that a wide variety of dynamic voices, which we refer to as stakeholders influence our work and the infrastructure assets we deliver. For sustained success, we must consider the voices who inform and are informed by our work.

So how do we build confidence as we face challenges, working with these dynamic stakeholder groups? The Project Management Institute (PMI) is one of many good resources to learn the science associated with stakeholder management. Let’s focus on the art of engaging diverse voices for our collective success — personally, professionally, and across the project delivery lifecycle.

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 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

TSEC 09: The New ASCE Prestandard for Performance-Based Wind Design with Don Scott

September 20, 2019 By EMI

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In this episode of The Structural Engineering Channel podcast, we talk to Don Scott, PE, SE, F.SEI, F.ASCE, who is the Senior Principal at PCS Structural Solutions. Don will be breaking down ASCE’s new Prestandard for Performance-Based Wind Design. He also provides some great examples of when you should use this prestandard and explains the importance of why you should use it.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Don in This Episode:

SEI received a research grant from the Charles Pankow Foundation for $150,000 with co-funding from the ACI, AISC, ASCE Industry Leaders Council and the MKA Foundation. Can you tell us a little bit about the Charles Pankow Foundation?
What is the purpose of the ASCE/SEI Pre-standard for performance-based wind design?
What should structural engineers know about these prestandrad?
How does performance-based design differentiate from traditional prescriptive procedures?
Do you see this trend with performance-based design expanding across structural engineering and possibly into other industries of civil engineering?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About the New ASCE Prestandard for Performance-Based Wind Design:

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?

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

TCEP 125: The Design Build Project Delivery Process and Why It Will Continue to Become More Popular

August 28, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 125 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, which is our second episode in our Women in Civil Engineering series, I will be talking to Mary Lang, P.E., P.P., LEED GA, who is a principal at Yu & Associates. Mary will discuss design build and what civil engineers should know about this delivery process, which while it has been around for a while, continues to become more and more popular.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Mary:

What advice can you give some of the younger female engineers out there?
Tell us about the time you took a break in your career to raise your children?
What is Design Build?
What are the benefits and risks of using this delivery process from the engineer’s perspective?
Do you see Design Build becoming more popular moving forward?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Design Build:

Does Work-Life Balance Exist? A Myth or a Reality?

August 19, 2019 By EMI

Does Work-Life Balance Exist? A Myth or a Reality is a guest blog by Jacob Dillon

Work-life balance is a renowned concept that refers to the situation when a person has a regular and sustainable source of income, while at the same time, is able to take out enough time to relax with his or her loved ones or to do stuff that they find entertaining, in order to regularly rejuvenate themselves and avoid experiencing burnouts. [Read more…] about Does Work-Life Balance Exist? A Myth or a Reality?

TCEP 124: Technology, Innovation, and Smart Cities – What Civil Engineers Need to Know

August 14, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 124 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I will be taking you with me to Philadelphia where we will be visiting the offices of Pennoni to talk to Joseph Viscuso, PE, PLS, ENV SP who serves as Pennoni’s Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Growth. We will be talking about smart cities and specifically about understanding how important it is to embrace technology and to be innovative in your career. Viscuso also elaborates on the next wave of technology which is heavily reliant on the 5G network and also the threats that cyber security has on smart cities. You can also view this episode on YouTube. You don’t want to miss this one!

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Joe:

I know that you spend a lot of your time traveling to different cities and venues to discuss innovation and technology—why do you think that is important for the future of firms like Pennoni?
How do you see innovation/technology changing the everyday landscape in the engineering profession?
If I gave you a crystal ball, what would you see about the future of smart cities?
If I gave you a magic wand, how would you use it to increase smart city momentum?
We have heard a lot about cyber security threats – how can this impact smart cities?
What are some of the challenges for cities to adopt smart technologies?
What can residents do to move the conversation further on smart city solutions?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Smart Cities, Technology and Innovation:

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Civil Engineering

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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:

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Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Áine:

Here Are Some of the 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 We Ask Don in This Episode:

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About the New ASCE Prestandard for Performance-Based Wind Design:

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:

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Mary:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Design Build:

Does Work-Life Balance Exist? A Myth or a Reality is a guest blog by Jacob Dillon

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Joe:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Smart Cities, Technology and Innovation:

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