ASCE Plot Points Podcast

By American Society of Civil EngineersBusiness Careers Non-Profit

ASCE Plot Points Podcast episodes

June 21, 2022 Episode 122: Danny Rotter, on how scenario planning will ensure our clean water future
Big-picture thinking, long-term planning - they seem to be at a premium these days.
But not in Reno, Nevada.
Not when it comes to clean water.
Danny Rotter is an engineering manager for the Truckee Meadows Water Authority in Reno, and he works as part of a team that is using scenario planning and detailed data analysis to ensure the region's clean water future all the way out to the year 2100.
On episode 122 of the ASCE Plot Points, Rotter talks about how that process works and why it's so important.

15 min
June 14, 2022 Episode 121: Sam Potts, on the benefits of the medium-sized firm
Civil engineering careers can take many shapes.
You can work for a giant firm. You can work for a smaller firm.
But what about those medium-sized firms?
On episode 121 of the ASCE Plot Points, Sam Potts, a transportation engineer in Los Angeles, California, details the benefits of working for a medium-sized firm.
16 min
June 07, 2022 Episode 120: Marsia Geldert-Murphey, on the near-death experience that only made her stronger
Society members recently voted Marsia Geldert Murphey as the ASCE 2023 president-elect.
Clearly, her accomplishments and vision for the organization spoke volumes.
But what many members might not know is that six years ago, Geldert-Murphey wasn’t running for ASCE office; she was just hoping to get out of bed, after an accident left her in a coma.
In episode 120 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, Geldert-Murphey reflects on how that accident changed her life and her journey into ASCE leadership.
14 min
May 31, 2022 Episode 119: Ryan Carrusca and Natalia Hoeppner, on the 2022 concrete canoe competition
The ASCE Society-wide concrete canoe competition returns this weekend for the first time since 2019 – June 3-5 at Louisiana Tech University.
In episode 119 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, two senior project leads – Ryan Carrusca and Natalia Hoeppner or the University of British Columbia and Lipscomb University respectively – talk about their teams’ journeys and hopes for the competition.
12 min
May 24, 2022 Episode 118: Doug Taylor, on civil engineers and wildfire resilience
May is National Wildfire Awareness Month.
Doug Taylor knows. The former president of both the ASCE San Francisco Section and Fresno Branch spent six years as the Region 9 disaster preparedness chair. He's helped get civil engineers trained and certified to serve as site inspectors in the aftermath of wildfires.
In episode 118 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, Taylor talks about how wildfires continue to affect his homestate of California and what civil engineers can do to help.
14 min
May 17, 2022 Episode 117: Holly Piza, on advancing your career in water resources
Holly Piza, P.E., M.ASCE, is the research and development director at Mile High Flood District in Denver and the 2022 president of ASCE’s Environmental and Water Resources Institute.
In episode of 117 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, Piza talks with guest hosts Brianne Duncan and Wendy Cohen of the EWRI Environmental Health and Water Quality Committee about her career path.
17 min
May 10, 2022 Episode 116: Tara Cavalline, Dennis Morian, and Clifford Schexnayder, on why quality control matters in construction more than ever
As project design and construction continue to develop and change, the importance of quality control only increases. Tara L. Cavalline, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, Dennis Morian, P.E., M.ASCE, and Clifford J. Schexnayder, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, have authored a book to help engineers keep pace with changing construction landscape. It's called "Construction Quality in the Alternate Project Delivery Environment," and, in episode 116 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, the authors discuss some of the key points from their research.
14 min
May 03, 2022 Episode 115: Heng Wei, on disruptive emerging transportation technologies
ASCE’s Transportation and Development Institute’s Technical Committee on CAV Impacts has prepared a new ASCE publication called Disruptive Emerging Transportation Technologies.
In episode 115 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, one of the book's co-editors Heng Wei, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, a professor of transportation engineering at the University of Cincinnati, discusses some of the key technologies and their implications for civil engineers.
18 min
April 26, 2022 Episode 114: Tanesa Kassa, on the power of lifelong learning
Tanesa Kassa is a structural detail designer for the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
That wasn't exactly where her career started, though.
She's been adding new skills and learning new technology for two decades, adapting her skillset to the changing engineering environment.
In episode 114 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, Kassa shares her journey and discusses the importance of being a lifelong learner.
12 min
April 19, 2022 Episode 113: Elyssa Dixon, on coping strategies for civil engineers and stress
Elyssa Dixon, P.E., M.ASCE, is an environmental engineer who is very active in ASCE – she is the chair of ASCE’s Committee on Younger Members and the presidet-elect of the Seattle Section. And more recently her focus has been on mental health. She started her own business – called Fleece and Forests – to share her training as a mindfulness and meditation coach.
In episode 113 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, Dixon discusses stress in the civil engineering profession and some straegies specifically geared for civil engineers to help mitigate anxiety.
20 min