Civil Engineers

TCEP 140: A Near Death Experience, the COVID-19 Coronavirus, and How Civil Engineers Can Help Reduce the Spread of Pandemics

March 25, 2020 By EMI

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In this episode, we focus on a topic that is on everyone’s minds — the coronavirus and how it should be a wake-up call to civil engineers. And we’re discussing this with Michael Paddock, PE, PS, a licensed civil engineer and surveyor. Twenty years ago, Mike was told he had three to six months to live and since then, through Engineers Without Borders (EWB), he’s helped to grow communities around the world. He also talks about his work managing mega civil engineering projects, and the one thing you must be able to handle to do so.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Michael:

Can you tell us about how you went from civil engineering to dedicating your time to Engineers Without Borders?
How old were you when you got the news about your stage 4 cancer?
When you get this news from the doctor, how did you proceed over the coming months?
You recently wrote an article for ASCE entitled, “Coronavirus a Wake-Up Call for Civil Engineers.” Can you tell us about the article?
How did you find out about EWB and what moved you towards them?
EWB is a membership organization. Could you please explain to us how it works?
Did finding out that you had cancer change your life philosophy?
What is it like to manage mega-projects?
What are some of the skills needed to be able to work on mega-projects?
In terms of getting good at managing mega-projects, is on the job experience the main way to get good?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About the Coronavirus and How We as Civil Engineers Can Make an Impact

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 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:

TCEP 120: The State of the Structural Engineering Industry from the ASCE SEI Structures Congress Part 2

June 19, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 120 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, you are going to hear interviews from my recent visit to the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) Structures Congress. The interviews will cover both technical and professional development topics related to civil and structural engineering as well as personal development including effective communication skills for engineers.

This is the second of a two part series. The first part can be found here on our new sister podcast The Structural Engineering Channel which you can find in iTunes here.

Engineering Quotes:

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

Women in Engineering – We Still Have a Long Way to Go

June 10, 2019 By EMI

***Women in Engineering – We Still Have a Long Way to Go* *is a guest blog by Jacob Dillon***

Hello – Anthony Fasano, P.E. here, President of EMI. As we have been developing our Current Management Abilities Potential (CMAP) diagnostic tool for engineering firms, we have realized through our research that there is a big difference in how women in engineering versus male engineers interact with their managers. To that end, we have been doing more research on female representation in the engineering world including the history of women in engineering, and so I am happy to share this informative article written by guest author Jacob Dillon.

TCEP 118: Information Civil Engineers Should Seek Up-Front for Proposal Writing Success

May 22, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 118 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I visit with Karen Morgan, P.E. who is the owner and founder of the AEC Proposal Institute. We discuss what information civil engineering professionals need to seek up-front for proposal writing success. Morgan discusses 5 specific points that you can use as a checklist to ensure you write more winning proposals.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are 5 Important Points Engineers Should Always Seek Up-Front for Proposal Writing Success:

TCEP 112: Managing Mega Civil Engineering Projects and Staying Calm in the Process

February 27, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 112 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I’m taking you with me to the offices of Louis Berger where I will be speaking with the Department Manager, Muzamil Husain, PE. We talk about the importance of managing mega civil engineering projects and how to stay calm during stressful situations.

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some of the questions I ask Muzamil Husain:

In terms of project management, what would you say are some things that you have done that made you successful?
How do you determine what tasks to work on each day?
Can you describe the Magnetic Levitation project?
As a project manager you need to get good at understanding your resources and deploying them in the right areas. How does one get good at that?
What do you do to improve the culture on your team?

Here are some key points discussed in this episode about managing mega civil engineering projects:

TCEP 111: Five Reasons All Civil Engineers Should Gain Field Experience

February 14, 2019 By EMI

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In episode 111 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I am going to give you five reasons why ALL civil engineers should get field experience on project sites as early on as possible in their careers. The purpose of this episode is to reinforce the importance of on-site experience for civil engineering professionals.

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are the Reasons Why I Think All Civil Engineers Should Gain Field Experience

1. It Helps You to Be a Practical Engineer

I started out in high school doing land surveying (see photo above) over the summers and it really changed my career. Because of my field experience, I was able to make my designs more practical and create better details for the contractors who had to construct the projects I worked on.

2. Engineering Field Experience Allows You to Start with the End in Mind so You Don’t Just Start with the Design First

A lot of civil engineers start designing projects immediately, without seeing the project sites, however the problem with this is if you didn’t see the site, there may be a condition out there that you are not aware of. When you are forced to think in reverse and you’ve seen projects built before and then you start to do your design work, those construction issues comes to the forefront of your mind, which forces you to think with the end in mind first.

3. Engineering Field Experience Forces You to Interact with People

Civil Engineering to me is about people. We work on project teams, we work with architects, contractors, developers, real estate developers and other engineers constantly. If we are not focused on improving our people skills 100%, we are going to battle to be great civil engineers.

4. You Get to Know the Industry and Construction Lingo

Field experience helps you to learn how to talk to other civil engineering professionals effectively. It improves your overall confidence as an engineer and makes you stand out from the crowd.

5. Once You Get Promoted and Move up in Your Career, Your Chances of Gaining Field Experience Diminish Greatly

Civil engineering managers typically send younger engineers into the field to do inspections, reports etc. While you are young and you have the chance, you should grab the opportunity with both hands as this will have an incredibly positive impact on your engineering career.

More details in this episode…

Sources/References:

Engineering Management Accelerator Workshop (Online) | 5 PDHs
Engineering Management Institute Professional Membership
Engineer to Manager: On-demand
Engineering Management Institute YouTube Channel
ASCE Careers and Leadership Column
EQUATION: The Engineering Management Skills Trilogy Plus the Theory of Constraints Equals Effective Engineering Managers

This episode is brought to you by PPI, the leader of civil engineering FE or PE exam preparations. Visit ppi2pass.com to find essential licensure exam prep books, digital review, and helpful tips and advice.

Please leave your comments or questions in the section below on gaining field experience in your career.

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 105: From Civil Engineering to Helping Civil Engineers in Texas Every Day

November 26, 2018 By EMI

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In episode 105 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I speak with Lindsay O’Leary, PE, LEED AP about her career path from a civil engineer to now working full-time as the Executive Director for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Texas Section where she is helping civil engineers to achieve success on a daily basis.

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some of the questions I ask Lindsay about how she went from being a civil engineer to helping civil engineers on a daily basis:

How did you go from being a civil engineer to Executive Director for the ASCE Texas Section?
Do you think you would be able to do this job successfully if you weren’t a civil engineer?
What are some of the challenges the organization is facing that you have to deal with?
What were you dealing during the Hurricane Harvey disaster?

Here are some key points discussed in this episode:

TCEP 104: Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and the Future of Transportation

November 7, 2018 By EMI

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In episode 104 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I am taking you with me to the offices of AECOM to talk with Anthony Attanasio, B.A, Vice President and Senior Program Manager at AECOM. We’ll discuss his career which has spanned both the public and private sectors, and we also talk about connected and autonomous vehicles, and what to expect in the short and long terms.

Civil Engineers

http://media.blubrry.com/engineeringcareercoach/p/traffic.libsyn.com/civilengineeringpodcast/TCEP140.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Michael:

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About the Coronavirus and How We as Civil Engineers Can Make an Impact

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 Mary:

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

Engineering Quotes:

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

Women in Engineering – We Still Have a Long Way to Go is a guest blog by Jacob Dillon

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are 5 Important Points Engineers Should Always Seek Up-Front for Proposal Writing Success:

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some of the questions I ask Muzamil Husain:

Here are some key points discussed in this episode about managing mega civil engineering projects:

Engineering Quotes:

Here Are the Reasons Why I Think All Civil Engineers Should Gain Field Experience

1. It Helps You to Be a Practical Engineer

2. Engineering Field Experience Allows You to Start with the End in Mind so You Don’t Just Start with the Design First

3. Engineering Field Experience Forces You to Interact with People

4. You Get to Know the Industry and Construction Lingo

5. Once You Get Promoted and Move up in Your Career, Your Chances of Gaining Field Experience Diminish Greatly

More details in this episode…

Sources/References:

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some of the questions I ask Lindsay about how she went from being a civil engineer to helping civil engineers on a daily basis:

Here are some key points discussed in this episode:

Engineering Quotes:

Here are some of the questions I ask Anthony Attanasio:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

***Women in Engineering – We Still Have a Long Way to Go* *is a guest blog by Jacob Dillon***