ASCE Plot Points Podcast

COVID-19 Community Calls 1: Coronavirus a Wake-Up Call for Civil Engineers

Every day in April, ASCE Plot Points is calling a different civil engineer from around the United States to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting their life, their community, their work and the civil engineering profession. Thirty days. Thirty phone calls. Community Call 1 goes to Mike Paddock, a deputy director with Engineers Without Borders. Also the author of the ASCE News “Engineering

Engineers rising

An entrepreneur starts with an idea, it's true.
But a successful entrepreneur pairs the idea with a plan

ASCE Plot Points Season 3 Episode 7: Throw Your Hat Into the Ring

Stressed about election season? Worried you won’t find a candidate who represents all that you believe? Maybe it’s time for you to eliminate the proxy and run for office yourself. Marsha Anderson Bomar did. She’s in her fourth term on the City Council in Duluth, Georgia, and talks today about how civil engineering and public office intersect (2:05). We get a civil engineering “Origin Story”

Essence of resilience: lifeline systems

What keeps a community safe after an extreme event?
An interdependent system of systems.
Resilience starts with keeping those lifeline systems connected and working together

ASCE Plot Points Season 3 Episode 5: Representation

When it comes to inspiring the next generation of civil engineers, representation is so very important. Jose Castro, an assistant engineer in water resources for Michael Baker International in Irvine, California, tells his story of both how he was inspired to pursue civil engineering when he was a student and how he now inspires students through outreach work (1:52). In Extracurricular, we hear from Ashlyn

ASCE Plot Points Season 3 Episode 4: Money Talks (Part 2)

Planning for retirement is a crucial component to any personal finance strategy. But it’s not easy. When do you start? How much money is enough? Nicolai Oliden, in the second part of a two-part podcast series, helps answer those questions (1:06). Then in Origin Stories, we meet ASCE Virginia Section Past-President Daren Williams and hear how his father and the Navy helped shape his career,

ASCE Plot Points Season 3 Episode 3: Money Talks (Part 1)

No one likes to talk about money. It often feels immodest, awkward, maybe even embarrassing. So how do you get advice about managing your money and developing an investment strategy? Nicolai Oliden, a roadway project engineer for Ethos Engineering and former president of the Phoenix Younger Member Forum, helps young engineers have those difficult conversations about personal finance (1:18). And in Member Memos, we ask

ASCE Plot Points Season 3 Episode 2: The Gift of Presence

Maybe you’ve recently been offered the chance to go work a career fair or talk to some students at a local school. And maybe you’ve thought, “Sure, it might be fun, but what would I even say? Why would those kids want to hear my story. I’m nobody special.” But maybe you’re totally wrong. Your presence for just one afternoon can have a huge effect

ASCE Plot Points Season 3 Episode 1: Bring Your Dog to Work Day

Job goals don’t always have to be centered around salary or status. Often, it’s more about personal happiness and finding the right fit. For Bianca Casem, a project engineer at Swenson Say Fagét in downtown Seattle, that means sharing an office with her dog (0:35). And in today’s Extracurricular segment, Chris Hanna, project engineer at Pennoni, discusses his passion for live music (8:56). Listen to

ASCE Plot Points Season 2 Episode 9: The View From Outside

Margarita Kruyff is not a civil engineer. But she works with civil engineers every day in her job as the assistant director of the Environment and Sustainability Department for the City of Miami Beach and also serves as chair of the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute Miami-Dade Chapter. So she is uniquely positioned to provide insights on what it’s like to work and communicate