Time and memory tend to distort even in normal times.
So it shouldn’t be surprising that the very not-normal year of 2020 feels both like a very long time ago and just yesterday, depending on who you’re talking to or what you’re talking about.
Many people have lost loved ones to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many others have lost their jobs. Everyone has seen their lives changed.
Last spring, the ASCE Plot Points podcast featured 33 different civil engineers in 33 days, checking in on how the coronavirus was affecting their work and their communities.
Now, as we mark the anniversary of life in the United States turned upside-down (news broke that Tom Hanks had tested positive on March 11, 2020 – oddly enough becoming the cultural turning point), many of those same civil engineers from the podcast series checked in with Civil Engineering Source to reflect on how the last year has changed their lives.
Camilla M. Saviz
Ph.D., P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE
Professor and chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California
When we talked to Saviz last April, she was moving her college courses into an online model.
What’s been the most personally challenging aspect of the last year for you?
The past year has been hard for many people. The numerous challenges all around us compounded the effects of dealing with the coronavirus – people being separated from family and friends, students struggling, families lost jobs and loved ones, social inequity and racial injustice, wildfires, floods, and environmental challenges. Unfortunately, the list is long, but despite all that, our students’ empathy, resilience, and creativity give me hope for the future. I’m also hopeful because vaccines are being distributed quickly and the difficult lessons we’ve learned this past year have underscored the urgent need for positive change.
What’s been the biggest change in your work/career?
We’ve been teaching in remote mode since March 2020. Having to teach in this mode has made me rethink my courses, what I expect students to be able to do, and how I organize courses and materials to make it easier for students to learn. Technology has been a lifesaver, but I miss informal hallway conversations with students and being able to bounce ideas off colleagues. I’m not sure if this is a plus or minus, but the cats’ guest appearances in class and meetings was also new this year.
When do you see things returning to normal?
Our university president is hopeful that we can return to in-person instruction in the late summer, but the virus numbers in our region have been fickle. We’ll hope for the best, but I expect our return conditions will likely be different from pre-COVID conditions. We have definitely learned how to be adaptable and innovative in our approach!
What do you think is civil engineering’s role in a post-pandemic recovery?
Events of the past year have taught us a lot about the need for resilience, justice, and sustainability. Civil engineers are in a unique position to lead change, and advocate for – and implement – resilient, just, and sustainable infrastructure and systems. I hope we seize this opportunity!
Jacob B. Forrester
P.E., M.ASCE
Assistant manager, Starkville Utilities, Starkville, Mississippi
When we talked to Forrester last April, he was launching – virtually – the 2020 Report Card for Mississippi’s Infrastructure.
What’s been the most personally challenging aspect of the last year for you?
Surprisingly, I’m the odd type of engineer that thrives off of interaction with people and experiences. The most challenging thing for me has been slowing that to an almost non-existent state. We’ve had to get a little creative and host some things outdoors, online, or over the phone, but it’s not the same. I truly believe that humans are social beings, and I can certainly say it applies to me. I know that many people thrive in quiet and reflective situations, but it’s not for me.
What’s been the biggest change in your work/career?
I work in an essential industry – utilities. The biggest effect has been navigating the nuances of keeping people separated physically, masked, etc., but still performing work that requires interaction and teamwork. Also, there are many people who believe COVID is a farce, and encouraging/directing them to wear masks at all times when around other people has been a difficult undertaking as well. Ultimately, everyone has bought into the requirements, but I know most of my team is ready to resume a sense of normalcy again.
When do you see things returning to normal?
My expectation is that we’ll see things return to normal by the end of 2021. I’m very hopeful that it will come sooner. I’d really like to watch SEC football in person again very soon!
What do you think is civil engineering’s role in a post-pandemic recovery?
Civil engineers have a role in stimulating the economy in the immediate. We’ll be directly responsible for preparing public infrastructure projects and getting them to market once an infrastructure bill hits. It’s my expectation that “shovel-ready” will play a large role again, and I would recommend that any engineer working with a client in the pre-planning or planning phase be cognizant of what and when the bill(s) are coming. I cannot see that Congress won’t push for an economic recovery bill the moment they feel that the workforce and health officials can bear the push. An infrastructure bill has been needed for a long time, and it will almost certainly be the catalyst that allows our economy to maintain its dominance in the world economic market. I could be wrong, and if so, I’ll be disappointed, but the discussion has been ongoing for a decade now, and I really believe the Biden Administration will push hard for a package by the end of 2022.
Jonathan Brower
P.E., M.ASCE
Associate, L.A. Fuess Partners, Dallas, Texas
When we talked to Brower last April, he was adjusting his K-12 outreach work in Dallas high schools to continue via online events.
What’s been the most personally challenging aspect of the last year for you?
I think for me the most challenging aspect has been maintaining intentional relationships with coworkers and colleagues during all this time working from home. Since we are not in the office, we miss out on the “water cooler talk” and short, but important, offhand conversations that happen as you walk by someone’s office/desk or pass them in the hallway. If you’re not careful, you can sometimes go a whole day or two (or week) without talking to someone about something other than “work.” Over time, this can really wear on you and on your company culture. I’ve found that while working from home you have to be very intentional about reaching out to people and scheduling time to just have a candid chat with someone. At first, it feels really weird to “schedule” a conversation that would otherwise happen randomly and naturally in an office setting, but I’ve grown to appreciate and respect the time we have to set aside to maintain these relationships.
Despite these challenges, I’ve really tried to embrace the unique opportunities of this season of life. My wife and I got to celebrate the birth of our son in May of 2020, and if there ever was a time to be forced to work from home it would be when you have a newborn baby. I got to see my son way more during the first three months of his life than I would have in a “normal” situation. I was home to help my wife as much as possible during the day, in between meetings and work, while she was on maternity leave. Now that my wife is back at work and our son is at daycare, I have the ability to prep our dinners and do chores around the house during the time I would ordinarily be commuting to and from work. There certainly are perks to working from home for me personally right now, and I think there will be another massive adjustment to how I plan out my day when I have to start going back into the office!
What’s been the biggest change in your work/career?
I would say the biggest effect has been on the growth of my digital communication skills. We have a couple of new college graduates on my engineering team at work, and it is my job to mentor and teach them as much as possible about structural engineering design. However, I now have to do it all over the phone and through a computer screen. I’m a huge hands-on learner and teacher – I love to sketch details and plans on paper, flip through the physical pages of a concrete or steel design code, write out calculations as we are working on them, and point to the computer screen or book as I’m teaching someone a new program or section of the building code. Transitioning all of this to a virtual platform takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of patience. However, I’ve definitely gotten better at it, and I’ve figured out various ways to use the digital tools at our disposal to help continue my personal growth as an engineer and the growth of the young engineers on my team.
Also, going back to the previous question about challenges of the past year, teaching new engineers in a virtual setting requires very important attention to one’s daily schedule. I have to be intentional about reaching out to engineers on my team throughout the day and week to make sure they aren’t wandering too far off-course or spinning their wheels. These types of check-ins would be easier and more natural in an office environment, but we now have to make sure we aren’t losing someone behind the computer monitors.
When do you see things returning to normal?
Haha – I have given up trying to predict when things will go back to normal. When we all first got sent home from work, I thought that being home for one whole month would be really crazy. If you had told me back then I would be working from home for a year plus, I probably would have fallen out of my chair. I honestly don’t know if there will ever be a complete return to normal, and I also don’t think that there is just going to be this single, celebratory day when the switch is “flipped” and we all just resume life as it was. I have a feeling that there will just be an incremental growth in normalcy with small luxuries and openings coming back but in modified and adjusted ways. All that being said, if you’re wanting me to put metaphorical money down at the betting table, I’d say that 2022 is looking like a pretty normal year (ooof, I’m going to regret that, aren’t I?)
What do you think is civil engineering’s role in a post-pandemic recovery?
I think like in any situation in human history, it’s civil engineers’ responsibility to be leaders during the post-pandemic recovery. Whether it be adapting our building designs to “COVID architecture” or re-thinking the way an urban core functions when half its workforce now has the opportunity to work from home, we need to be flexible and innovative with our engineering work to meet the changing needs of civilization. We also need to be leaders in our communities as we apply the personal and societal lessons learned over the past year. A lot of things happened between March 2020 and March 2021, the pandemic only being one (albeit large) part of those things. We all had to learn patience. We all had to learn empathy and understanding. We all had to learn to be flexible. We all were pushed out of our comfort zones. We can look back and be bitter about the time, opportunity, and experiences that were lost in this year, or we can choose to look back and see the things that were exposed and laid bare – not only in our society but in our own personal lives and how we grew out of those experiences. I hope that we as civil engineers do not take this year for granted, but rather that we carry forward the lessons learned from the past year into our personal and professional lives for the betterment of our families, society, and the civil engineering profession.
Sophie Lipomanis
S.M.ASCE
Student, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville, Kentucky
When we talked to Lipomanis last April, she had just returned home to New Jersey, driving cross-country after COVID-19 began spreading in Seattle, where she was doing an internship.
What’s been the most personally challenging aspect of the last year for you?
For me it has been really psychologically difficult as a college student from the remote standpoint. My once in-person internships are now operating remotely, which was really nice at first – not having to dress up nor deal with a commute or relocating. But now I feel like it made it so I did not get the full intern experience. From a college perspective, I have not been able to see anyone nor participate in events as we used to. No more in-person ASCE student chapter meetings nor student council. That makes it a rather lonely pursuit, not just personally, but from a recruitment perspective, it is hard to make someone inspired to join a group when you cannot meet in person, nor [at a] table.
What’s been the biggest change in your work/career?
I would say the biggest effect has been the remote transition.
When do you see things returning to normal?
Honestly, I see universities returning to normal sooner. After all, they provide a college experience and need to make sure they offer it, or else there would have to be tuition reductions. However, with work? I am not sure. I think long-term remote working has proved to be a legitimate option. It’s cheaper than prime office space, and without tedious commutes and office distraction in some cases, I think people are more effective subjectively. However, most importantly with COVID, society has proved it can function and still meet and mediate the challenges of distanced communication, so I think there will be more online events in the future and much more remote working.
What do you think is civil engineering’s role in a post-pandemic recovery?
Civil engineers connect communities. We need to make sure that we are improving what we can with our various departments of transportation. Never before have so many people been off the roads, and never before have emissions been lessened to this extent. I think now is an excellent time for civil engineers to imprint the importance of sustainable options, and it is also the best time to work toward solutions-oriented thinking.
Alfredo Ignacio Falcon
EI, A.M.ASCE
Project manager, LUSEO Group, Barcelona, Spain
When we talked to Falcon in April, he was making a conscious effort to bring a positive attitude to his structural engineering work in Miami.
What’s been the most personally challenging aspect of the last year for you?
For different reasons, including the pandemic, the issuance of new H1-B visas (a non-immigrant work visa) was cancelled for the year 2020. After living in Miami for more than five years as a student and later as a civil engineer, I could no longer stay in the United States under my student visa. Due to the cancellation of the H1-B visas (my company’s main plan for keeping me in the country), it was time for me to leave. Luckily enough, my firm – LUSEO Group – offered me the option to move to their office in Barcelona, Spain. That is how during the summer of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I moved my entire life to another country I had never lived in before.
Moving is to me the most literal sense of “getting out of your comfort zone.” But getting out of your comfort zone is also rewarded with new opportunities and exciting challenges that lead to growth. The eight months I have been in Spain are not the exception to the rule. From touring the beautiful city of Barcelona, to eating the delicious Spanish food, to working closely with the company’s founders, I have been rewarded with an abundance of opportunities and experiences that have allowed me to see things from a new and more global perspective.
Which does not mean it has been easy! Moving in the middle of a pandemic makes everything way harder: the lack of travel and housing options, all entities and government agencies partially working and the higher level of care one must maintain, adds an extra layer of stress to moving. But what I have lived is beyond anything I would have ever dreamt. What seemed like a punishment at the beginning, has certainly become one of the best experiences of my life.
What’s been the biggest change in your work/career?
Besides all the obvious effects related to the moving, my work has shifted in scope. On one side, my firm in Miami has grown quicker than expected, requiring me to help in multiple areas. Originally hired as a project manager to coordinate internal work with the clients, I have had to do design and administrative work at different times. The catch is that although LUSEO Group is a building engineering firms that does MEP, civil, and structural work (what my background is in) all around the world, in the United States, we have a core business on MEP and fire protection engineering. So, I have had to go back to square one and learn the basics of mechanical, electrical, and even plumbing engineering design, so I can be of more help to my company.
On the other side, my responsibilities have changed in that I now work closely with our offices in Europe and Africa, in non-technical areas of the engineering business: administration, business development, marketing, strategic planning, etc.
When do you see things returning to normal?
Unfortunately, I think it will be a long and very unequal path to getting back to normal. I believe “first-world” countries will be operating normally by the end of 2021, with the effects of the pandemic being felt only by the people traveling, or involved in the areas of trade, hospitality, etc. For poorer or underdeveloped countries, it will depend on how fast vaccines are produced and distributed to them. And even then, many countries will still be in an economic crisis – a product of the pandemic. In short, I think that we will be living a normal situation within the next 6-18 months, but the effects of the pandemic will most likely be felt for years to come.
What do you think is civil engineering’s role in a post-pandemic recovery?
I believe that not only civil engineers, but the entire AEC industry plays a key role in the post-pandemic recovery. As vaccines are rolled out and countries switch to focusing on the economic situation, many governments might opt to invest in infrastructure as a measure to stimulate the economy and create jobs – putting us engineers in the spotlight. It is not only our job but our responsibility to make sure that we focus on solutions that benefit not only our own companies but the greater interests of the people.
Vivian Chong
A.M.ASCE
Civil analyst, Kimley-Horn & Associates, Los Angeles
When we talked to Chong in April, she was wrapping her head around the idea of spending her final semester of college in lockdown and preparing to start her career in the middle of a pandemic.
What’s been the most personally challenging aspect of the last year for you?
I’m going to be honest — out of most people, I’ve faced very minimal challenges and changes in 2020. The biggest challenge of 2020 was that I realized I didn’t really know who I was without other people. Pre-pandemic, I was constantly surrounded by other people and kept myself busy with schoolwork or events. I loved the fast-paced, jam-packed social schedules I would have every week, but with social distancing and quarantine mandates, spending time with others was no longer possible. The excess amount of time I had for myself was overwhelming at first. I felt the need to continue to be productive with all the extra time and hated wasting my days doing absolutely nothing, because all I knew was to be constantly stimulated for the sake of feeling like everything I was doing could amount to something important. However, I realized that the days where I could just watch Netflix all day would be rare to come across in the future, so I gave in and allowed myself to enjoy doing completely nothing. I also started going to therapy, not because I felt like I was in an unhealthy mental state but to learn more about myself and why I am the way that I am. And it has been incredibly insightful to delve deeper into my own thoughts when previously they would be ignored or even go completely unnoticed. I’m grateful for 2020 because it gave me the time to figure out who I was when no one else was around.
What’s been the biggest change in your work/career?
Having less traffic during my commute in Los Angeles is absolutely a blessing. On a more serious note, I was very lucky to have joined a company that did not face severe negative impacts due to COVID-19. The company reassured me that I should not be worried about losing my job when the pandemic started, and I started my career in the fall as planned.
I absolutely love where I work! My team is incredibly supportive, and I feel empowered by the number of women and people of color who work at my office. The biggest change is going to work at a mostly empty office and wearing masks, but I feel safe going out to work at an office with people who are taking the safety precautions as seriously, if not more seriously, as I am. Soon, as restrictions in Los Angeles County are lifted, more people will be coming back to the office. I’m excited to see more faces!
When do you see things returning to normal?
Hopefully by summer with vaccines finally rolling out. It will definitely be strange not wearing a mask in public or eating at a restaurant for the first time when things return to normal and will definitely take some time to get used to again.
What do you think is civil engineering’s role in a post-pandemic recovery?
2020 was an eye-opening year for everyone. I took time to educate myself about the struggles and challenges many communities of color have faced on a daily basis even before the pandemic, and recognized how it ties in with civil engineering and infrastructure as a whole. The systems and laws put in place heavily shape the way our industry functions. Post-pandemic, I hope that many current and future civil engineers will take a second to educate themselves so we can (literally) build an equitable future.
Jarred R. Jones
P.E., M.ASCE
Executive director, North Charleston Sewer District and North Charleston District, South Carolina
When we talked to Jones last April, he was working to ensure his community noticed as little change as possible.
What’s been the most personally challenging aspect of the last year for you?
At the beginning of the pandemic, information was changing so rapidly. It was difficult to give accurate information to employees. Personally, it was challenging managing family. My wife started working from home and we had to take care of a 1- and 2-year-old at the same time. Along the same lines, there were several employees who had childcare issues, and we worked with them as much as we could.
What’s been the biggest change in your work/career?
Although all our staff returned to normal hours in June (we did three months of shift work where everyone worked about 20 hours a week in case there was a major outbreak), we discovered a few positions can effectively work remotely if needed. The core functions – such as service calls, accounting, IT, and purchasing – were easy, and we will periodically practice performing some tasks remotely in case the situation arises again. Only about 10% of our workforce has the ability to work remotely, so balancing that desire with the rest of the company who cannot is our next challenge. We are creating guidelines for a limited work-from-home plan for those few employees.
One more important change is our communication directly to the employees. Before the pandemic, we had already given all employees email and put up message boards for general announcements. Over the past year, we have installed additional message boards, and I have sent out five video messages since Christmas. I think this is a good way to get messages out with some personal touch. We will be increasing these in the future with other executive staff sending out messages relating to their work or issues.
When do you see things returning to normal?
My operations are essentially normal besides the distancing and mask-wearing. I think the United States will be close to normal by the end of summer, as I am looking forward to getting rid of the mask requirements.
What do you think is civil engineering’s role in a post-pandemic recovery?
I think the design of buildings and technology will forever be changed. You need to prepare for this scenario and have many options ready to go instead of the scramble that took place last spring. We are in the process of creating additional meeting spaces to promote distancing. We are also doing an A/V upgrade to our Commission Chambers to allow remote meetings and trainings.
Peyton Gibson
EIT, A.M.ASCE
Associate program officer, Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, Washington, D.C.
When we talked to Gibson last April, she had just moved across the country to start a new job based in Washington, D.C.
What’s been the most personally challenging aspect of the last year for you?
I moved to D.C. in February of 2020. I didn’t really know anyone here before moving, so my in-person human contact has been pretty abysmal for the last year. I still feel very lucky to have kept up with my support network, albeit virtually. My boss and work have been fantastic throughout the pandemic in respecting boundaries and being flexible. I’ve also been able to learn a lot about my community through work with Mutual Aid and local government committees and projects, which I wouldn’t have otherwise.
What’s been the biggest change in your work/career?
I began my job with the National Academies remotely and had already been working from home a few days a week when the pandemic started, so none of that was “new.” However, a lot of my work involves workshops or multi-day consensus meetings that are a lot more conducive to doing in person. We have adapted and I’ve connected with so many new people during this time, but I’m looking forward to working with these people in the same room again.
When do you see things returning to normal?
I’m not really sure what “normal” will mean going forward. I hope people keep wearing masks in public when they’re sick for … forever. I’m also considering moving to Philadelphia after I’m vaccinated and commuting via train to D.C. for the “big” meetings I’m needed for (don’t tell my boss yet). Philly’s cost of living is way lower (and I’m in love with the city). I don’t think this would have flown in the “before times” but I think I could get my boss to sign off on it now.
What do you think is civil engineering’s role in a post-pandemic recovery?
The pandemic exacerbated inequities and disparities that have existed in this country for centuries. I think for many Americans, the past year was a rude awakening or at the very least an ugly reminder. Within the past 12 months, we’ve not only seen the Navajo Nation and other communities of color get ravaged by the virus but witnessed massive protests for racial justice sparked by the murder of George Floyd.
The built environment has played an enormous role in segregating America racially and economically. Although it is encouraging that the new administration’s USDOT is looking into policies to “reverse decades of discriminatory [infrastructure] planning,” the engineering industry must do more. The main reason I left the engineering industry was because of the discrimination and “old-school” mentality I saw (and received). These attitudes permeate the design and construction of infrastructure. We need to have a larger conversation about the “most important” canon in the code of ethics; “first and foremost, protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.” My hope is for engineers to advocate for and create projects that strengthen communities instead of opting for exciting, profitable, and oftentimes damaging ones.
Anthony Cioffi
P.E., F.ASCE
Professor emeritus and adjunct professor, Department of Construction Management and Civil Engineering Technology, New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn
When we talked to Cioffi last April, he was in the middle of one of the country’s first coronavirus epicenters, continuing to work as assistant resident engineer for the Kew Gardens Interchange Phase 4 project.
What’s been the most personally challenging aspect of the last year for you?
Staying healthy and safe in a COVID-19 world while trying to maintain a somewhat normal and professional life. It has been an ongoing challenge to keep our staff healthy and safe while trying to move a large transportation project forward. On such a large project, we had to continually monitor the contractor and subs for symptoms and test results. We were responsible for monitoring approximately 150-200 workers each day to ensure that everyone was following the mandated COVID-19 protocols. It can get very stressful at certain times, especially when a colleague or a worker tested positive for COVID-19. You’re always concerned about your family and friends. Will you bring this virus home today? Is this the start of something bad? If you or a colleague tests positive this could begin a snowball effect resulting in the virus being transmitted to your family and friends. I lost a very close college friend to COVID-19 this past year. A lack of one-to-one or personal contact this past year creates within you a feeling of neglect and uncertainty. You tend to reevaluate your life and what is important. Each day brings with it new challenges. Plans are constantly in flux and changing. Uncertainty is part of the new normal. Staying safe is always on your mind.
What’s been the biggest change in your work/career?
Personal contact with our staff. Face-to-face meetings were prohibited. Social distancing was the new norm. Business had to be conducted virtually. The downside is also a positive, as you can engage more people. It opens up new opportunities for communication. Colleagues from different time zones could now meet and share information using a virtual environment. Virtual meetings before COVID-19 were not the norm. Most of us are used to face-to-face meetings. Socialization also became different. Interacting with others via a computer screen was new and not without its challenges. Adjustments were required as with anything new. As a former ASCE Region 1 director, the Region 1 board had to make adjustments and compromises. In-person meetings were not prudent. The Region 1 board was a very closely knit group. We prided ourselves on our ability to create interest and excitement in ASCE and Region 1. The region had to think outside the box for new ways to interact. How do we hold a Virtual Assembly? How do we engage our students? How do we make it interesting and provide value to our members? Personal contact is always better.
When do you see things returning to normal?
I am not sure back to normal will ever occur – at least in the foreseeable future. There is a new normal that will need to be embraced. We will need to change the way we have done things in the past. Things will never be as they once were. COVID-19 has changed our profession and personal lives forever. Maybe some of it is actually for the better. We can hope that the vaccines will work and that an effective treatment protocol, including new medicines, can be developed to stop the suffering and dying. We have conquered many illnesses and diseases in our lifetime. We must remain hopeful that this too shall pass. Sometimes new is better. Normal is a relative term.
What do you think is civil engineering’s role in a post-pandemic recovery?
The future is bright for the profession. The world is now paying closer attention to deficient infrastructure. Projects have emerged over the past year. The COVID-19 recovery will be driven by an investment into our aging infrastructure. We need to put people back to work. History has shown us this. The 2021 ASCE Report Card for America’s Infrastructure brings to light that investment is needed. America’s infrastructure was given a C-, which is an improvement over the last grade of D+. But $2.59 trillion is required over the next 10 years. Civil engineers will be front and center in this effort. We will have a large role in the recovery as design and construction services will be needed. New construction methods will be developed. New materials and new technology will be developed and used to create a sustainable and resilient infrastructure.
Maryam Takla
EIT, A.M.ASCE
Project engineer, Turner Construction, Long Beach, California
When we talked to Takla last April, she was returning to the work site for construction on the new Los Angeles Rams football stadium.
What’s been the most personally challenging aspect of the last year for you?
The most personal challenging aspect of the last year would have to be the inability to participate in activities I love and that would alleviate my stress. Whether it was from work or classes I’m taking in my master’s program or anything really, that release and reminder that I’m more than my day-to-day responsibilities was a key factor to my confidence and mental health.
What’s been the biggest change in your work/career?
I see the construction branch to be one of the more interactive branches in civil engineering. We have so many social interactions with our teammates, subcontractors, inspectors, architects, and clients. These social interactions/team-building meetings are so crucial to build that sense of camaraderie and, ultimately, the project. I’ve felt that it can be difficult to maintain or even establish (depending on the phase of the project), connections due to switching meetings to a web platform or waving to greet someone instead of giving them a handshake. Nowadays, it’s become a little easier, but I remember the awkwardness and confusion when these customs were still being implemented in the beginning.
When do you see things returning to normal?
To be honest, it’s so hard to tell. I don’t think we will ever be able to have everything go back to the way they were before the pandemic. I’ve seen companies that have advanced from the pandemic by learning to make working-from-home the new normal and don’t intend to bring back pre-COVID work life. I’m sure once everyone, or at least the majority of the population, has been vaccinated, we will all be able to return to the things we need and love. But in the big picture, we also have to consider the recovery after the pandemic has been resolved. People have taken hits financially, have lost family and friends, and other things. I don’t know when we will be able to consider the pandemic a thing of the past.
What do you think is civil engineering’s role in a post-pandemic recovery?
We should focus on the areas that made COVID difficult to avoid due to a faulty infrastructure. An example of this is public transportation. For highly dense areas, it can be difficult to maintain the recommended six feet when your means of moving is public transportation. The caveat with this situation is with the varying populations and city landscapes, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. For some countries, another example would be availability of clean water. At first, when I thought about this question, I didn’t really think there would be much relation between civil engineering and the pandemic. I had always seen the pandemic in some sort of political, medical, or financial way. However, it is more evident now than ever that this is a team effort, and if there is anyone who has the means to improve the quality of life, it’s going to be us.
