ASCE Plot Points Podcast

Kevin Brown, P.E., M.ASCE, is a construction services manager at TranSystems in Philadelphia and an adjunct professor at the College of New Jersey.And as he’s entered into the leadership phase of his career, he’s approaching these opportunities with generosity and thoughtfulness.In episode 139 of ASCE Plot Points, Brown outlines his journey from student to teacher and talks about how he's trying to fill gaps for the next generation of civil engineers.

Infrastructure advocacy takes center stage this week with the ASCE Legislative Fly-In in Washington, D.C.
Sarah Matin, P.E., M.ASCE, Orlando office principal for S&ME and chair of the ASCE Public Policy and Practice Committee, is one of the many ASCE members headed to Capitol Hill this week looking to keep the IIJA momentum going.
In episode 138 of ASCE Plot Points, Matin talks about how IIJA funding is affecting work going on in Florida and what’s next for infrastructure advocacy.

You never know how those engineering skills you develop in your career might translate in other areas of your life.Case in point: Jaffer Almosawy, P.E., ENV SP, M.ASCE.He’s a project manager for GCW Inc. in Las Vegas, specializing in water and wastewater design.But recently, he’s also become known as ASCE’s Minister of Love.What exactly does that mean?In this special Valentine’s Day episode of ASCE Plot Points, Almosawy explains.

Issues of workforce dominate the conversation around civil engineering in 2023.And one of latest workforce trends is the notion of quiet quitting.Jennifer Sloan Ziegler, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, is an engineer and project manager for Cypress Environment and Infrastructure in Jackson, Mississippi, and an ASCE Region 5 governor.In episode 136 of ASCE Plot Points, Ziegler talks about quiet quitting and why she thinks it might be an essential strategy for the modern civil engineer.

Sustainability has come a long way over the course of Antoinette Quagliata's career – from project add-ons to default requirements.
A ​manager of sustainability services for Dewberry, Quagliata, ENV SP, talks on episode 135 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast about the changes she's seen and how current sustainability tools are making her work better than ever.

Brian Brenner, P.E., F.ASCE, is a professor of the practice at Tufts University and a principal engineer with Tighe & Bond in Westwood, Massachusetts. He’s published three collections of essays through ASCE, and he has a new monthly column, “More Water Under the Bridge,” on Civil Engineering Source.Remarkably, all these accomplishments – the teaching, the work, the writing – springs from the mind of a 4-year-old. Well, that is to say, Brenner fell in love with bridges as a toddler has managed to maintain that childlike wonder for his work ever since.In episode 134 of ASCE Plot Points, Brenner breaks down his bridge engineering origin story and why finding the humorous side of things is his natural writerly point of view.

Michel Bruneau, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng, F.SEI, Dist.M.ASCE, returns to the ASCE Plot Points podcast to discuss his new book, "The Blessings of Disaster." In part one, he argued why learning from extreme weather events and other disasters is essential. In part two, he outlines how such learning can be done.

Michel Bruneau, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng, F.SEI, Dist.M.ASCE, has a new book out today, “The Blessings of Disaster,” that argues the best way forward – if not the only way – is by learning from the extreme weather events and other disasters that beset us.
In episode 132 of ASCE Plot Points, Bruneau discusses his new book, the “Three Little Pigs” fable, and why we must find blessings in disasters.

The ASCENT Tower in Milwaukee – at 25 stories – is the world’s tallest timber building.
In episode 131 of ASCE Plot Points, the architect behind the ASCENT, Jason Korb of Korb and Associates, talks about the unique challenges inherent to the ASCENT and how collaboration and innovation helped make history possible.

Duncan Wardle, former head of innovation and creativity at Walt Disney Company, will serve as the closing speaker at the ASCE 2022 Convention, Oct. 26 in Anaheim, California.In episode 130 of ASCE Plot Points, Wardle talks about innovation and how to do it.