ASCE Plot Points Podcast

By American Society of Civil EngineersBusiness Careers Non-Profit

ASCE Plot Points Podcast episodes

April 23, 2024 Episode 162: Christopher Chini, on making a tangible difference
It's part two of the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute Environmental Health and Water Quality Committee’s sustainability mini-series on the ASCE Plot Points podcast.
Christopher Chini started his undergrad studies at Texas A&M majoring in computer science. But found he wanted to make a more tangible, direct impact on communities and on the environment.
Today, he’s a research scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Labs and a former chair of the EWRI Sustainability Committee.
And in episode 162 of ASCE Plot Points, Chini talks with guest hosts Brianne Duncan and Wendy Cohen about his sustainability work.
19 min
April 22, 2024 Episode 161: Emily Grubert, on sustaining the sustainability fight
This Earth Day, the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s Environmental Health and Water Quality Committee is a launching a sustainability mini-series on ASCE Plot Points.
Three podcasts this week; three different sustainability professionals discussing how they’ve navigated their careers to keep issues of sustainability at the forefront.
Up first is Emily Grubert, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, associate professor of sustainable energy policy in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame.
12 min
April 09, 2024 Episode 160: Lauren Taylor, on civil engineering leadership in a modern era
Is civil engineering leadership about people? Or is civil engineering leadership about technical expertise?
Yes.
Civil engineering leadership is all of that and more in 2024.
Lauren Taylor is a great example of civil engineering leader in the modern era, blending people skills with project management.
Taylor Taylor works for WSP, based in Austin, Texas, as the Texas planning and advisory services lead.
Last month, she was named an ENR Top 20 under 40 young professional.
In episode 160 of ASCE Plot Points, Taylor discusses her approach to civil engineering leadership and why she loves it.
22 min
March 18, 2024 Episode 159: Isabella Salgado, on connecting your work to something bigger
“We all want to do something that matters,” Isabella Salgado says.
She is a civil engineer for the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering and the social activities chair for the ASCE Los Angeles Younger Member Forum.
And one way she’s found recently to connect to something larger is advocating for the profession as part of the ASCE Legislative Fly-In.
In episode 159 of ASCE Plot Points, Salgado talks about her eye-opening trip to Washington, DC (including meeting one of her idols), and how she’s following in the footsteps of her civil engineering mother, Minerva Rodriguez.
17 min
February 13, 2024 Episode 158: Travis St. Louis and Michael Palmer, on why the future is modular
Travis St. Louis and Michael Palmer are evangelists of sorts for modular construction and design.
Each took their backgrounds in architectural engineering and moved into the modular construction practice from different angles – St. Louis on more of the civil engineering side as an enclosure engineer and associate principal for Simpson, Gumpertz, and Heger based in Oakland, California; and Palmer more on the business side as head of strategy and real estate for the Volumetric Building Companies, headquartered in Philadelphia.
In episode 158 of ASCE Plot Points, St. Louis and Palmer discuss all things modular, and why it might be the future of construction.
23 min
January 23, 2024 Episode 157: Alyssa Sooklal, on avoiding the trap of competing with other women in the civil engineering workplace
Alyssa Sooklal, P.E., M.ASCE, has accomplished a lot early in her career.
She works as a water resources engineer for McCormick Taylor in Baltimore, and serves as president of ASCE’s Maryland Younger Members Group.
But it hasn’t come without moments of frustration or insecurity.
Office politics are a real thing, especially when you’re a woman in the civil engineering industry – and especially if you’re a woman sensing competition with other women in your industry.
It’s not always easy to navigate.
In episode 157 of ASCE Plot Points, Sooklal discusses how she’s worked to avoid those situations and focused on building partnerships not rivalries.
23 min
January 16, 2024 Episode 156: Ravi Shah, on if it’s possible to achieve a perfect work-life balance as a parent and civil engineer
Can you be a good parent and a good engineer at the same time?
Ravi Shah thinks so. Or at least he’s trying his best to do both.
Shah is a longtime active ASCE member in Orange County, California, where also works as a senior project manager for Mark Thomas.
And more recently, he’s a father.
In episode 156 of ASCE Plot Points, Ravi Shah talks about work-life balance and what he’s learned about juggling priorities.
21 min
December 04, 2023 Episode 155: Rebecca Neilon, on winning the grant to help fund your project
Even in this era of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, every project can use more money.
It’s why grant writing is such a valuable skill in the world of civil engineering.
Rebecca Neilon is a senior transportation engineer in Dewberry’s Sacramento office.
And over the years she has developed a reputation of sorts as a go-to for grant writing. She has proven herself as someone who delivers the goods – she writes proposals and she wins grants.
In episode 155 of ASCE Plot Points, Rebecca Neilon outlines the skills it takes to consistently win grants to help fund your project.
15 min
November 21, 2023 Episode 154: What civil engineers are thankful for this year
In episode 154 of ASCE Plot Points, we celebrate the season of gratitude by hearing what civil engineers are thankful for this Thanksgiving.
13 min
November 07, 2023 Episode 153: Shofiq Ahmed, on the great civil engineering balancing act
Shofiq Ahmed was a 2023 ASCE New Face of Civil Engineering honoree.
So it’s clear that the traffic engineer for HDR, born in Bangladesh and now based outside Washington, DC, has made quite a name for himself.
But it hasn’t always been easy.
In episode 153 of ASCE Plot Points, he reflects on his journey and talks about how he’s adjusted his goals and plans along the way to stay on the path of success and happiness.
24 min