Engineering Management Institute

problem-solving skills

Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset

By

This is a guest post by Tiffani Teachey

Entrepreneurial MindsetToo often, engineers get caught up in the details of their work and lose sight of the bigger picture. While it’s important to focus on the task at hand, it’s also crucial to have an entrepreneurial mindset and be proactive in your thinking. By doing so, you can come up with new ideas and solutions that can benefit both yourself and your company. Here are just a few of the benefits of engineers thinking like an entrepreneur.

  1. Increased creativity
  2. Improved problem-solving skills
  3. More efficient time management
  4. Enhanced communication abilities
  5. Greater business knowledge and acumen

[Read more…] about Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset

Implementation of Research from Accelerated Pavement Testing Facilities

By

This is a guest blog by Emil G. Bautista

In my last blog, I emphasized the importance of our highway system to our society in supporting the economy of countries around the world by continuously moving people and goods from one point to another, and the role that accelerated pavement testing (APT) facilities plays in providing DOT and industry engineers, through research and the collection of quality data, with the tools to achieve the common goal of ensuring lasting effects on tomorrow’s infrastructure with the decisions we make today.

Since the construction of MnROAD on Interstate-94 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) in 1993, other APTs have been constructed. I previously mentioned the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) test track in Alabama originally constructed in 2000. More recently, we can see how the example set by these two APTs is influencing the construction of others; the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has initiated the construction of a 2.5-mile concrete test road, long a northbound segment of US-301, which is expected to open to traffic by the end of 2021.

These test road facilities provide the ground for a comprehensive in-service performance assessment of different pavement technologies and innovative concepts while considering the interaction between factors such as traffic loading, materials properties, environmental conditions, design features, and construction practices. APTs serve as the foundation for engineers to work toward implementing new and emerging technologies, and it is of great importance to be able to have not one, but multiple APTs throughout the country that can work together in providing quality data on materials, weather, and traffic from different regions.

Working together is a key factor on the road toward implementation of the research conducted on these facilities. An African proverb says: “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This a great way to see implementation by working together as a major factor to accomplish it, but it is also important to understand that it takes time and, therefore, things do not necessarily happen quickly. Implementing research findings from advanced pavement testing facilities requires the creation of alliances and associations that can group state agencies, industry, academia, and consultants.

Click Here to Read a Spanish Version of this Article

[Read more…] about Implementation of Research from Accelerated Pavement Testing Facilities

The Value in Rephrasing a Problem

By

As engineers we constantly face problems, usually of the technical nature, but sometimes team or finance related challenges arise.  As human beings, we constantly face all types of problems, career, financial, health, and others.  The point I am making is, there probably isn’t a day that goes by that we aren’t trying to solve a problem.

In my career and life, I have found that oftentimes, a strategy as simple as rephrasing (or restating) the problem can help us to see it in a different way, allowing us to find a solution faster, or simply find one that we weren’t thinking of.

In this post, which is a preview of my upcoming session, How to Develop Analytical Thinking & Problem-Solving Skills for Engineering Professionals, I want to share three ways that you can rephrase a problem you are facing:

#1) Change the Verbiage

[Read more…] about The Value in Rephrasing a Problem

TECC 244: Practical Problem-Solving Skills for Engineers

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Practical Problem-Solving Skills for Engineers

In this episode, I talk to Andrew Sario, an intelligent transport systems engineer and OT cyber specialist, creator of Engineering IRL, and engineering book author, about problem-solving skills for engineers. Andrew provides some great tips that will help you to master these skills and become the best engineer you could be. Be sure to listen to the end of this episode for a special offer from guest Andrew Sario.

Engineering Quotes:

problem-solving

problem-solving

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Practical Problem-Solving Skills for Engineers:

[Read more…] about TECC 244: Practical Problem-Solving Skills for Engineers

TGEP 9: Earthquake Engineering – Dream Big and Aim High!

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Earthquake Engineering

In episode 9 of The Geotechnical Engineering Podcast, we talk to Menzer Pehlivan, Ph.D., P.E. a geotechnical engineer with a specialization in seismic hazards and resiliency. Menzer knows four languages, has a Ph.D., spent two years working in New York, was featured in a movie, and is now working at Jacobs in Seattle. And in this episode, we have the privilege to talk to this successful engineer about earthquake engineering, and diversity and inclusion in the engineering world.

Engineering Quotes:

earthquake engineering

earthquake engineering

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

[Read more…] about TGEP 9: Earthquake Engineering – Dream Big and Aim High!