Peter Alastair Dickson, an international geologist and water resources engineer who worked for more than 40 years for an employee-owned consulting company based in Chicago, has died. He was 70. With a worldly intellect and an aptitude for languages, his overseas work came naturally. Dickson, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE, was born in Grootfontein, Namibia, to a nurse and a mining engineer. He followed a lifelong interest in
Severo Esquivel, a California engineer and city manager who applied his aerospace experience to major projects including freeways, airports and baseball stadiums, has died. He was 81. When he was hired by Boeing, it was to work on a spaceship called the “DynaSoar.” That program soon went extinct – but not so Esquivel’s talent. He was immediately assigned to the Minuteman ICBM program, and later
Building your career often comes with a variety of challenges. Whether it’s transitioning to a new position or staying on top of the latest industry trends, navigating your career path is not always a straight road. Finding your footing can be especially difficult in an ever-changing profession. The breadth of required knowledge is constantly expanding. And the next generation will have to know far more
ASCE has honored Colin Atkinson, Ph.D., with the 2020 Maurice A. Biot Medal for outstanding contributions to the development of fundamental mathematical solutions to problems in fracture mechanics of fluid-saturated porous media, and for linking these contributions to the successful applications in energy resources recovery sectors worldwide. Atkinson has made groundbreaking research contributions to analytical developments in poromechanics, fracture mechanics, elasticity, hyperelasticity and applied mathematics.
Infrastructure is the foundation of society. It keeps communities connected and enables them to thrive. Our roads, water systems and energy grid are critical structures that protect the public’s health and safety, especially during this coronavirus pandemic. ASCE advocates for proposing practical solutions to maintain and modernize America’s deteriorating infrastructure. Although, the global health crisis has intensified this already challenging task. Now, ASCE is urging
ASCE Reads is a regular series on ASCE News highlighting the latest titles from the ASCE Library, giving you an in-depth look at cutting-edge research and innovations in the civil engineering industry. Life-cycle analysis of infrastructure, by its very nature, requires time. “We’ve made significant progress during the past decade, but there’s a long way to go,” said Dan Frangopol, Sc.D, P.E., F.EMI, F.SEI, Dist.M.ASCE,
ASCE has honored LTG Todd T. Semonite, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, with the 2020 ASCE Presidents’ Award for the prominent role he played in the Corps’ nationwide effort to build backup hospitals as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. The vision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is “Engineering solutions for the nation’s toughest challenges.” General Semonite assumed the office of Chief of Engineers
ASCE has honored the writing team of Beena Ajmera, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE; Thomas L. Brandon, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE; and Binad Tiwari, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, with the 2020 Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award for the paper “Characterization of the Reduction in Undrained Shear Strength in Fine-Grained Soils Due to Cyclic Loading,” which appeared in the May 2019 issue of Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. The degradation
ASCE has honored Brock E. Barry, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, with the 2020 Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award for extraordinary service and leadership as a civil engineering educator and practitioner and as a significant contributor to the ethical practice of engineering, serving his profession and community by inspiring future engineers to technical, professional and ethical excellence. Barry is a gifted and articulate leader dedicated and
Kate Simonen favors a metaphor about the moon when she talks about her work as director of the Carbon Leadership Forum. It goes something like “If you want to land on the moon, there’s no sense in aiming halfway.” It’s an apt comparison, because her organization’s goal of decarbonizing the built environment is certainly universal in its scope. And the CLF is not aiming halfway
