Resilience takes many forms. Interconnected city systems. Smart infrastructure. Or, in the case of Florida’s Nassau County last week – amateur “ham” radio. As Hurricane Irma lashed the county with rain and wind, ASCE Fellow Bill Brumund, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE(Ret.), joined a group of like-minded ham radio enthusiasts to provide critical communications services. It’s an interesting mix of retirees with doctoral degrees in psychology, an
Word has reached ASCE of the passing of Fellow and Life Member Sigmundo Golombek, founder of Brazil’s first and most prominent engineering consulting firm Consultrix, who has died at 93. In 1953, Golombek started Consultrix, which has produced approximately 11,000 projects in Brazil, including office buildings, bridges, shopping malls, hospitals, and industrial complexes. In addition to his ASCE membership, Golombek belonged to Ibracon, the Engineering
ASCE Fellow John V. (“Jack”) Christiansen, a pioneer of thin-shelled concrete design and structural engineer of the Seattle Kingdome, once the world’s largest concrete dome, has died at 89. Christiansen, P.E., F.ASCE, was celebrated around the world for creative structural designs that embraced the connections between engineering, architecture, and construction. In 1952 he joined the consulting engineering firm W.H. Witt, which continues today as Magnusson
Survey says …? Bright futures for civil engineers. Results of the 2017 ASCE Salary Survey find that the median pre-tax income for civil engineers was $101,000 in 2016. Base salaries, meanwhile, have risen between 4 and 5 percent each year since 2014. “It’s an exciting time to be a civil engineer,” said Norma Jean Mattei, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE. “As professionals, we take pride in
George M. Filz, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, a recognized leader in geotechnical engineering, has been named to the 2017 class of ASCE Distinguished Members for his outstanding contributions to deep soil mixing. Filz is currently a professor and director of the Center for Geotechnical Practice and Research at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Through his work in research and practice, he has improved design
It’s always somewhere else until it’s not. And even a flood expert like Gary Struzick, P.E., M.ASCE, isn’t immune. “I thought for years, watching all these disasters across the country in different areas, I’m thinking, ‘Why don’t these people get out of the way? They know it’s coming,’” Struzick said. “And now it’s happened to me.” Struzick’s Buffalo Bayou neighborhood flooded Sunday after Hurricane Harvey
Texas Section Second Year Director-at-Large Kate Osborn, EIT, A.M.ASCE, has been working on little to no rest all week. The ASCE Southeast Texas Branch President-Elect and project engineer for Schaumburg & Polk Inc. has long been committed to helping her hometown of China, TX. She’s a city councilwoman there and a founding member of the China Community Action Group. So when Hurricane Harvey rains arrived
Andrew Wells, EIT, M.ASCE, president of ASCE’s Southeast Texas Branch, and an engineer for Collins Engineering in Port Arthur, TX, had hoped the worst of Hurricane Harvey was over Tuesday morning in his hometown, about 100 miles east of Houston. Then the rains came back. “I think something about the flooding is that it caught everyone by surprise. In southeast Texas we saw the flooding
ASCE members in Texas are sharing their experiences as the region contends with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The Texas A&M ASCE Student Chapter is one of many groups who have already organized relief efforts. The students are collecting supplies to send to hurricane victims. ASCE Fellow Stan Caldwell, P.E., SECB, F.AEI, F.SEI, lives in Plano, TX, 250 miles northwest of Houston, where – oddly
This week, my three kids are each in different camps again, which will make for scattered mornings (and a crazy week overall). It’s easier to stomach now, though, because I know it is all coming to an end soon. In about a week, all three of them will be back in school, which means we’ll all be back to a regular routine. I remember being
