Casie Venable had a simple wish as a kid. She wanted to help people. She didn’t know what form that would take. She couldn’t know how her life would play out. But she did know she wanted to make a positive contribution to the lives of others. Ten years later, she’s stayed remarkably true to that instinct. Venable has made several service trips around the
Alexa Ducioame was one of only two women in most of her civil engineering classes in college. She’s working now to make sure that the women of future generations don’t find themselves in the same position. “We have an informal women engineers group here. I think we all realize it’s important,” said Ducioame, a project engineer for Moore Engineering, Inc. in West Fargo, ND. “We
It was just after midnight. Guillermo Díaz-Fañas, 14, awoke to a buzzing in his ears. He sat up and looked around. Surely, this was some kind of dream. The walls appeared to bend; everything was shaking. His immediate thought was of protecting his 12-year-old brother. “All I could think was, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do?’” Díaz-Fañas remembered. “I sheltered him with
Being a role model wasn’t really a choice for Aziza Amiri. It was a job she was born into. “I have so many little cousins, I’ve lost count,” Amiri laughed. “I’m one of almost 20 grandchildren, and I’m the oldest, so I’ve always been around young kids my entire life.” Amiri isn’t complaining. She loves serving as a role model – for both her family
If you have spent any amount of time in the field of civil engineering, you know that one’s ability to speak in public can play a huge role in their success in this industry, as well as the success of that person’s firm. I am constantly asked by engineers how they can improve their public speaking skills. Useful resources Here are five resources that I
Werner Gumpertz, co-founder of the Massachusetts-based engineering firm Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, and an Honorary Member of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section, has died at 99. Gumpertz, P.E., F.ASCE, was one of three Massachusetts Institute of Technology professors who together established SGH in 1956. He led its building technology group until 1993, and never retired. He was known for putting together creative and
Life Member John P. Bergson, a registered land surveyor and former president of the ASCE Duluth Section, whose works can be found across Minnesota, has died at 83. Bergson, P.E., M.ASCE, began his interest in civil engineering while working for the City of Duluth (MN) and Duluth Engineering during his college years. Following graduation, he worked briefly for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, then for
“Engineers need to be the stars of innovative projects and practices, not the politicians.” This was an idea shared at a brainstorming session at the Multi-Region Leadership Conference in Omaha, Nebraska, on how we can advance ASCE’s strategic goals. The quest to make engineers the stars of innovation is something ASCE champions through the Grand Challenge, which looks at improving resilience, innovation, life-cycle costs, and
ASCE Life Member Daniel L. Dornan, P.E., M.ASCE, is a special assistant to the director of the Prince George’s County (MD) Department of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement, a department he helped develop and launch in 2013. Prior to joining the public sector in 2012, Dornan served as a management consultant for 36 years with several major consulting firms, including KPMG, AECOM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Booz Allen.
(Part 1 of 2) If you have spent any amount of time in the field of civil engineering, you know that one’s ability to speak in public can play a huge role in their success in this industry, as well as the success of that person’s firm. I am constantly asked by engineers how they can improve their public speaking skills. In response to this
