• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Engineering Management Institute

UPCOMING TRAINING

Call us 800.920.4007

  • About
    • Meet Anthony Fasano, P.E.
    • EMI’s Mission, Vision & Values
    • Meet Team EMI
  • Content
    • Blog
    • Podcasts
      • The Engineering Career Coach Podcast
      • The Civil Engineering Podcast
        • Women in Civil Engineering
        • Civil Engineering Entrepreneurs
        • The Civil Engineering CEO Podcast
      • The Structural Engineering Channel
      • The Geotechnical Engineering Podcast
      • The Engineering Quality Control Podcast
      • This Week in Civil Engineering
    • TV
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Recommended Reading
    • Sponsors
  • Training
  • Hiring Solutions
  • FE-PE Exams
  • Start
  • Clients
  • Contact

TCEP 012: Forensics Geology, TV Personality and Traveling the World with Scott Wolter – The Civil Engineering Podcast

August 19, 2015 By EMI

http://media.blubrry.com/engineeringcareercoach/p/traffic.libsyn.com/civilengineeringpodcast/TCEP012.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

TCEP Ep12 In episode 012 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, Chris Knutson interviews Scott Wolter who is a Forensic geologist, author and the host of History’s H2 network’s hit show America Unearthed. He has been the principal petrographer in more than 7,000 material forensic investigations throughout the world, including the evaluation of fire-damaged concrete from the Pentagon following the attacks of September 11, 2001, which is our Civil Engineering Project of the week. Here are some key points in this episode:

  • What a petrographer is: a person who does microscopic analysis on inorganic materials like concrete, mortar, grout, and rock.
  • Investigations involving failed concrete structures – need to know what happened and whose fault it is
  • Typical issues encountered by Scott:
    • Scaling of concrete during spring time
    • Miscommunication between the suppliers and contractors
  • Importance of communication to successful careers
  • Stay involved throughout the process on your project to increase your experience and fulfillment
  • How Scott got called to evaluate Pentagon’s columns after the 9/11 attack if certain temperatures have been reached
  • Scott’s journey from writing a book to being a host of America Unearthed
  • Don’t always accept everything at face value, there’s always more to the story
  • How to handle criticism – know the root problem, take out the emotional aspect and search for the truth

Tweetables 

  • Ensure that your vision is as close as you want it to be – More on this in Ep 012 of #TCEPodcast
  • Host of America Unearthed Scott Wolter is in #TCEPodcast Ep 012.
  • There will always be problems of human conditions but we need to work on our ability to communicate ” More on Ep 012!  #TCEPodcast

Project of the Week:  The Pentagon

Project Location:  Washington, D.C., USA

Project Overview:   

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, “the Pentagon” is often used metonymically to refer to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Project Cost:  The project was originally budgeted at $35M, but ended up costing nearly $70M.

Unique Project Aspects and Challenges: 

The Pentagon’s shape was dictated by economic and functional factors.  Economically, a circular structure would have driven costs and time to construct up significantly.  The pentagon shape permitted rectangular construction of the sections.  A single long building wasn’t feasible, as the offices at the opposite ends would have been nearly a mile apart!  As it is, no two offices are more than 1/2 mile apart on the same floor.

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

The Goddess, The Grail and The Lodge

The Kensington Runestone: Compelling New Evidence

Please leave your comments or questions in the section below if you have questions or comments on these topics.

  • 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.

    Download the Productivity Routines

To your success,

Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP

Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success

Sources/References:

  • Scott’s Book website:  http://www.hookedx.com
  • Scott’s Blog:  http://www.scottwolteranswers.blogspot.com
  • American Petrographic Services, Inc.: http://www.ampetrographic.com/
  • Scott’s Twitter Feed:  @RealScottWolter
  • Official Website:  http://pentagontours.osd.mil
  • Popular Mechanics articles, April 1943:  https://books.google.com/books?id=WNYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8&dq=popular+mechanics+1943+The+Battle+Of+Brains
  • Architecture Week Articles:
    • “ArchitectureWeek – News – Pentagon Rebuilt! – 2002.0904.”:  http://www.architectureweek.com/2002/0904/news_1-1.html
    • “ArchitectureWeek – News – Pentagon Battered but Firm – 2001.1003.”:  http://www.architectureweek.com/2001/1003/news_1-1.html
    • “After 17 Years, Pentagon Renovation Is Complete.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 27 June 2015:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/after-17-years-pentagon-renovation-is-complete/2011/06/03/AGBpp3eH_story.html
    • “9 Things You May Not Know About the Pentagon.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 15 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 June 2015:  http://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-pentagon

Photo of Scott Wolter by History H2

Related Posts

  • TCEP 001: The Civil Engineering Podcast – How the Civil Engineering Podcast Can Help You in Your Career
  • TCEP 002: The Civil Engineering Podcast – How My Tour in Afghanistan Transformed Me Into A Civil Engineering Leader
  • TCEP 016: An Interview with Lead Engineer Mauricio Lara on How to Build a Successful Civil Engineering Career – The Civil Engineering Podcast
  • TCEP 013: Advice on Business Development and Building a Business and Career from a Civil Engineering CEO – The Civil Engineering Podcast
  • TCEP 015: The Importance of Resiliency and Critical Infrastructure Protection as a Civil Engineer – The Civil Engineering Podcast

Filed Under: Communication & Public Speaking, TCEP-The Civil Engineering Podcast Tagged With: Forensics Geology, Pentagon, Scott Wolter

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

And Get Custom Content Delivered To You Weekly

PM Training

engineering management lessons

career readiness

Categories

  • Blog
    • Business Development
    • Business/Entrepreneurship
    • Career Goals and Challenges
    • Communication/Public Speaking
    • COVID19
    • Credentials
    • Enlightenment
    • Ethics & Integrity
    • Job Search/Salary/Relocation
    • Leadership/Management
    • Mentoring
    • Networking/Client Relations
    • News and Events
    • Organization/Productivity/Time Management
    • Personal Development and Professionalism
    • Program Management
    • Project Management
    • Travel
    • Work Life Balance
  • Civil Engineering
  • Engineering Career TV
  • Engineering Technology
  • TCEP-The Civil Engineering Podcast
    • Business Development
    • Business/Entrepreneurship
    • Career Goals and Challenges
    • Civil Engineering Entrepreneurs
    • Communication & Public Speaking
    • Credentials
    • Ethics/Integrity
    • Infrastructure
    • Job Search/Salary/Relocation
    • Leadership/Management
    • Mentoring
    • Project Management
    • Women in Engineering
  • TECC Podcast-The Engineering Career Coach Podcast
    • Business/Entrepreneurship
    • Career Game Changers
    • Career Goals and Challenges
    • Communication/Public Speaking
    • Credentials
    • Enlightenment
    • Job Search/Salary/Relocation
    • Leadership/Management
    • Mentoring
    • Networking/Client Relations
    • News and Events
    • Organization/Productivity/Time Management
    • Personal Development and Professionalism
    • Project Management
    • Work Life Balance
  • TEQC – The Engineering Quality Control Podcast
  • TGEP – The Geotechnical Engineering Podcast
  • TSEC-The Structural Engineering Channel
  • TWiCE
  • Uncategorized
  • Women in Engineering

TECC Sidebar Featured Final

ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

We Can Help You:

  • Build solutions to attract talented professionals.
  • Develop your staff’s people skills.
  • Create career roadmaps for your staff.
  • Provide PM training for your professionals.
  • Build custom development programs.
  • Scale sustainably.

Location:

50 E. Ridgewood Avenue #129

Ridgewood NJ, 07450

800-920-4007

Copyright © 2022 • All Rights Reserved • Property of Engineering Management Institute • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy

SPECIAL DOWNLOAD

33 Productivity Routines of
Top Engineering Executives

x