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110th Floor. Going Up.
From the construction of the first steel framed high rise building in Chicago in 1885 to the Empire State Building in 1931, 10 towers held for some time the distinction as world’s tallest. Then...
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Many Ways to Win
It would be hypocritical of me to advise patience in career advancement. Recently, however, I’ve developed a little bit of perspective by watching the Tour de France. It occurred to me that the race...
View ArticleC is for Calculus
You don’t need to be a math wiz to be an engineer. If you passed calculus with a C, congrats! You have met the bar. Now sell back those math books, because there’s a good...Read More >>
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If You’re Wealthy, Then Flaunt It?
It’s the night of a premiere – a star-studded event. A candy-apple-red Saleen S7 pulls up. The scissor doors open slowly, and a gentleman wearing a fine Italian cut tuxedo emerges. He tosses the...
View ArticleEthics is Real!
The new revelation that Volkswagen has been cheating on their emissions tests really irks me. It seems this is just the latest in a history of automobile manufacturers risking public welfare and...
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The Future is Now, Again
New technologies are fueling a wave of innovation in building design and construction. But are these really break-through technologies that will have lasting affect on the shelters in which we live and...
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Best High Limit Room in Vegas
At 550 feet tall, the High Roller is the highest Ferris Wheel in the world. That’s 245 feet taller than the statue of liberty and 400 feet taller than the former wheel on Chicago’s Navy...Read More...
View ArticleTrump’s Priority
Now that I have your attention, I want to talk about the card game Euchre and a little about setting priorities. Euchre is played with just the “9” and higher cards in each suit of...Read More >>
View ArticleSome Kind of Einstein
Did you know Einstein was an accomplished civil engineer – Hans Albert, that is. Albert’s son. In Hans Albert Einstein: his life as a pioneering engineer, available on ASCE press here, we are given...
View ArticleLeaders needed to fight the extraterrestrial threat!
I haven’t been writing blogs lately because I’ve been busy saving the world from alien invasion. Now that humanity’s future has been secured, but forever altered, I’d like to explore the leadership...
View ArticleMr. Manners on Office Etiquette
There’s probably no confusing your graduate curriculum with finishing school but a few hours of study on office etiquette might be the best spent time for a successful career. Office managers,...
View ArticleThrowing Stones at the Glass House
The large stock of high rise buildings built during the 60s and 70s are nearing their planned retirement. Many would argue that these buildings have many good years ahead and that the notion of...
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Where does my water come from?
Adjacent to Chicago’s Navy Pier, the Jardine water purification plant is the largest capacity water filtration plant in the world. It delivers almost a billion gallons of potable water daily, serving...
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Vibrancy to Vacancy and Back Again
Approximately 1.5 million tourists visit the Willis Tower Skydeck each year. Few of them will glimpse the original Sears tower. The North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago was once home to Sears...
View ArticleA Great Personality but We Couldn’t Connect
Identifying and responding appropriately to the different personality types of colleagues and clients is important as your career advances. Initially I viewed personality assessments as one half-step...
View ArticleMakin’ It Rain Jobs
The most dreaded transition in most engineers’ careers is bearing down on me – soon I will be equally responsible for bringing in work as in executing projects. The two roles seem at odds in...Read...
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Beans, beans the more you eat… the more important your local farmer’s...
Chicago’s city elders once resisted the establishment of train routes to service regional farmers. They feared that the local economy would collapse if the farmers didn’t travel to the city to sell...
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A little data goes a long way in business development
I prefer to collect as much information as possible before making plans and decisions. Most engineers are data fiends when it comes to their technical projects. I was surprised then when I started...
View ArticleStress Management Fail?
Four deadlines, two vacations, and one business trip to San Francisco makes for one hectic week. It was a perfect storm that might have seemed avoidable. Two key members of my team had actually...
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San Francisco the 24 Hour Treat – Part 1
A few weeks ago I attended a meeting in downtown San Francisco. Of course I was pleased to participate in the meeting, but I was equally interested in visiting San Francisco for the first time....Read...
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If You’re Going to San Francisco for a Day – Part 2
If you have a second day to explore San Francisco, hop in a vehicle and get to the Golden Gate Bridge. Actually, I’m a little embarrassed that I didn’t visit on day number one. The...Read More >>
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Engineering Beer
Give a man a beer, waste an hour. Teach a man to brew, and waste a lifetime! (Bill Owen) That’s a little harsh. Beer is one of the oldest prepared beverages and may have been...Read More >>
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Get the Band Back Together!
ASCE is offering a $5,000 grand prize for the 2014 Music Video Contest for Students and Younger Members (payable to your Student or Younger Member Group). All you need to do is perform and...
View ArticleSignal and Noise in Engineering Practice
I recently finished reading Nate Silver’s excellent 2012 book titled, The Signal and the Noise:Why So Many Predictions Fail — but Some Don’t. The book is a must read for aspiring statisticians and...
View ArticleComputers are our friends?
Authorities from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Stephen Hawking have forewarned us of the dangers of intelligent machines. Yet we persist in further integrating computers in our life. Debating the role of...
View Article2014, Year in Projects
Shh! Don’t tell my clients, but I split my effort on about 35 projects in 2014. They’ve ranged in scope and complexity. Not a single one involved a stadium or a high rise – the...Read More >>
View ArticleWhy did I have to take so many environmental classes?
Civil engineering is a uniquely broad field. Should CEE curriculum eschew the broad basis for more coursework in discipline? My position has evolved. This past week students from the University of...
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Engineer Walks the Highline
The Highline offers a soul charging experience for walkers through the Chelsea and the West Village. An old elevated train line was converted into a public park and walking thoroughfare. Simple as the...
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Draft Day
I believe it’s fair to compare the relative skill difference between a graduating civil engineer and a 10-year PE (or SE) with the difference between a tennis hobbyist and a pro. The hobbyist and...
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Why Are Modern High Rises More Curvy?
Some recently proposed skyscraper designs seem to feature more twists, turns, and curves than historic buildings. Does this represent a natural progression in design, adopting more naturalistic designs...
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