Top 5 ASCE Summer Beach Reads

There may be no better place for catching up on some reading than the laid-back down time of a summer vacation at the beach.

But what to read?

So many choices. So many books.

For the second consecutive year, ASCE News has compiled its annual list of beach reads, perfect for the civil engineer whose idea of relaxing in the sun features a heavy dose of interesting, thought-provoking civil engineering summer learning.

Becoming Leaders: A Practical Handbook for Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology, 2^nd Ed

This update of the popular handbook by F. Mary Williams and Carolyn Emerson provides professional women in engineering, science, and technology with timely information and practical tips for career success.

Engineering Legends: Great American Civil Engineers

This volume offers a unique, entertaining view into the professional achievements and personal lives of 32 great American civil engineers, from the 1700s to the present. Author Richard Weingardt, a structural engineer, delves into the motivations and challenges of a diverse set of professionals.

Don’t Throw This Away! The Civil Engineering Life

Ranging from serious discussions of suburban sprawl, technology run amok, and bridge aesthetics, to comical accounts of packrat habits, quacking moments, and engineering fashion, Brian Brenner’s entertaining collection of essays offers a distinctive combination of quirky humor and engineering right stuff.

Public Speaking for Engineers: Communicating Effectively with Clients, the Public, and Local Government

Go step by step through the process of preparing for a presentation, including speech planning, design and delivery and emphasizing the importance of understanding your audience. Author Shoots Veis knows both sides as a practicing engineer and a former city council member.

Adventures in Managing Water: Real-World Engineering Experiences

Water engineers share first-hand accounts of the challenges they’ve faced on projects as they worked to provide adequate, reliable, affordable, and clean water supplies to communities around the world.

(Bonus “read” — pop in your earbuds!)

Catch up on Season 1 of ASCE Plot Points podcast

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