OLDER, EXPERIENCED engineers have likely been through at least one economic downturn before the one currently being caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the most recent significant recession having taken place just a little more than a decade ago. So they know what to expect and how to keep their focus on recovery.
But younger engineers—those hired after the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009—have...
This hypothetical situation is modified from an actual case that was considered by ASCE’s Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC).
Situation
AN ASCE MEMBER maintains a personal Facebook page on which he regularly shares humorous graphics, videos, and popular memes. As evidenced by his postings, the member’s sense of humor runs the gamut from innocent to salacious, with topics ranging from family and home life to current...
CIVIL ENGINEERING is a sought-after profession with excellent job prospects. Data provided in the report Civil Engineers in the United States* indicate that employment for civil engineers is projected to grow by 12 percent between 2018 and 2028. However, global uncertainty and an unprecedented level of upheaval because of the COVID-19 pandemic could impact this promising trajectory.
But change—whether in the form of new technologies,...
Abby Cowser has one last assignment to complete as a college student.
She needs to figure out what she wants for graduation dinner.
“My mom said she’ll cook me whatever I want, so that’s a plus,” Cowser said. “I might pick chicken parm – that’s one of my favorites. Or maybe something to go with cheesy potatoes.”
Cowser, A.M.ASCE, graduates from Penn State University on Saturday, May...
FOR ENGINEERS with several decades of experience, the current economic crisis wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic is, in some ways, a familiar challenge. Experienced engineers who weathered the economic downturns of the early 1990s; the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; the Great Recession caused by the financial crisis of 2008; and other national and international crises have learned from the past.
Yet...
Every day in April, ASCE Plot Points is calling a different civil engineer from around the world to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting their life, their community, their work and the civil engineering profession.
Thirty days. Thirty phone calls. Plus an extra three.
Community Call 33 closes the series, and fittingly it features ASCE President K.N. "Guna" Gunalan. The president discusses his philosophical...
Every day in April, ASCE Plot Points is calling a different civil engineer from around the world to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting their life, their community, their work and the civil engineering profession.
Thirty days. Thirty phone calls. Plus an extra three.
Community Call 32 reaches out to David Wieller, president of ASCE's Lehigh Valley Section and the water and municipal regional leader...
Every day in April, ASCE Plot Points is calling a different civil engineer from around the world to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting their life, their community, their work and the civil engineering profession.
Thirty days. Thirty phone calls. Plus an extra three.
Community Call 31 goes to Camilla Saviz, a professor and chair of civil engineering at the University of the Pacific...
ENGINEERS, architects, and other designers are rapidly working with health-care experts on a range of efforts to help expand the nation’s supply of hospital beds. These endeavors are in addition to those being undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is converting several public spaces into care facilities in some of the United States’ hardest-hit cities.
One of the chief emerging strategies involves...
ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, and construction (AEC) forecasters are struggling to comprehend the economic hardship that is likely to arise from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and resulting market influences. Although signs of a mild slowdown were prevalent before the pandemic, previous forecasts can be “thrown out the window,” says Richard Branch, the chief economist at Dodge Data & Analytics, of Bedford, Massachusetts.
Several recent surveys of industry...
