PODCAST · business
ASCE Plot Points Podcast
by American Society of Civil Engineers
ASCE's News and Information Hub
Episodes
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Episode 192: Thomas Murphy, on the bridge that connects American history with its future
Amid all the America’s 250th anniversary celebrations this summer, the Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Bridge marks its centennial. Thomas Murphy, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., a senior vice president and chief technical officer at Modjeski and Masters, is the perfect person to talk about the bridge’s...
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Episode 191: Rory Linehan and Elizabeth Losos, on the secret to success for smaller cities to build resilient infrastructure
Infrastructure resilience is in a very enticing spot here in 2026. It’s arguably never been more important to ensure that your community’s infrastructure remains resilient. But the good news, meanwhile, is that you could make the case that it’s never been easier to make your infrastructure...
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Episode 190: Xavi Fonoll Almansa, on getting creative with resource recovery
Earth Day 2026 finds the ASCE Plot Points podcast celebrating with a conversation between Xavi Fonoll Almansa, an assistant professor of environmental Engineering at the University of Texas, at Austin, and guest host Kuang Zhu of the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s…
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Episode 189: Kristin Schultheis, on working across the watershed
Kristin Schultheis is a senior project planner at the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. And that likely conjures images of urban areas, working across the biggest city in Wisconsin. And that would be accurate. But Schultheis' work encompasses a much larger area than the city proper with...
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Episode 188: William Gonwa, on the power of numbers
This week, in recognition of Earth Day, the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute's Environmental Health and Water Quality Committee is bringing three conversations to the ASCE Plot Points podcast. The first, in episode 188 of ASCE Plot Points, is with William Gonwa, Ph.D., program...
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Episode 187: Meet ASCE’s new CEO, Peter J. O’Neil
Something is happening this week at the American Society of Civil Engineers that hasn’t happened in nearly 12 years. ASCE has a new leader at the Headquarters building in Reston, Virginia. Peter O’Neil officially started as ASCE’s new chief executive officer March 30. This is big news for not…
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Episode 186: Manage your risk
Civil engineering risk management is not only an important topic, it can be a nebulous one. Gray areas, assumptions, communication breakdowns, in other words: a real mess. So ASCE has launched a new Risk Management Community of Practice – a space for engineers to share and learn and compare notes...
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Episode 185: Give your infrastructure a low-salt diet
It’s snow season in a lot of places right now – which means salt season. And salt season isn’t great for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is contaminated water. So, Connie Fortin and Tim Olson have a new idea. They call it low salt design – a way of reducing the need for salt from the...
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Episode 184: Meet Ollie the Civil Engineer
After more than a decade of experience building teams that build airplanes, Lisa Schleuter has added a new job title to her resume: children’s book author. Schleuter has published a new book called Ollie the Civil Engineer aimed at entertaining and inspiring young children. In episode 184 of ASCE...
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Episode 183: Better understanding the AI impact on the AEC industry
AI takes up a lot of oxygen in the room right now. But when it comes to specific impacts, do we have a strong industry-wide understanding? Does anyone know? Mark Coates, vice president of the Infrastructure Policy Advancement team at Bentley Systems, set about finding out. His group helped lead a...
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Episode 182: Civil engineering as giving thanks
This Thanksgiving week we’re reminded of the deep connection between civil engineering and community service. Which of course means the civil engineers who have made that kind of generosity a way of life. Aleesha Toteja is one such civil engineer. A project manager for Halff in Austin, Texas,...
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Episode 181: Jerry Cavaluzzi and Dan Harpstead on managing risk
Infrastructure is risky business. The money is big. The stakes are high. And it’s not something that always gets talked about, but issues of risk mitigation can be some of the most important aspects of a civil engineer’s career – learning how to navigate potential pitfalls and start the right...
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Episode 180: Anna Lisonbee, on why leadership doesn’t have to wait
Anna Lisonbee is a water resources professional engineer in training for Hansen, Allen, and Luce in Sandy, Utah. And while she is admittedly still early in her career, Lisonbee is not simply passing time waiting until she’s much older so she can assert herself as a leader. She’s doing so right…
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Episode 179: Akhtar Zaman, on finding a civil engineering home
There are a lot of ways to get your message out to the masses in 2025. Social media, videos, podcasts. But not everyone can say they’ve shared their love for community and civil engineering with a mural. Akhtar Zaman did exactly that. Born and raised in Bangladesh, Zaman found a home in northwest...
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Episode 178: Rod Jones, on generous leadership
Rod Jones is a project manager for Holder Construction in Ashburn, Virginia. But even as he is progressing in his own career – ENR named him a Top 20 Under 40 in 2024 – he’s acutely aware of attracting more people to the profession and helping others follow his path. He’s an adjunct professor at...
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Episode 177: Isamar Escobar, on the perks of NOT being a wallflower
Isamar Escobar joined ASCE as a student several years ago. And since then, she not been a member in name only. She’s ranked among the most active of active ASCE members, planning this event, chairing that committee. So much so that even as a younger member she joined the ASCE Board of Direction…
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Episode 176: Duncan Griffin, on integrated sustainable design
With the AI revolution upon us, it’s easy to see technology and human beings on opposite sides of a spectrum. But for Duncan Griffin, director of sustainability for HDR’s Health Design Practice, technological developments only enhance the possibilities for human healing and comfort. In episode…
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Episode 175: Rossana D’Antonio, on what we need to know about the aviation industry
ASCE members know Rossana D’Antonio as a member of the Society’s Board of Direction. She is the executive director for NV5, a global consulting firm. Prior to that, she was the deputy director of the Los Angeles Department of Public Works. And she's been very active throughout ASCE - especially…
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Episode 174: Tania Stewart, on how she pursues two careers at once
Tania Stewart is a transportation engineer for the Maryland Department Of Transportation State Highway Administration. Tania Stewart is a professional photographer whose work has taken her across the globe. Both things can be true. The multitalented Stewart has been able to pursue both careers –...
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Episode 173: Isabella Salgado, on what happens when a wildfire rips through your neighborhood
The ASCE member mother-daughter team of Minerva Rodriguez and Isabella Salgado celebrated buying a new house last June in the very nice Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles. Rodriguez, P.E., PMP, M.ASCE, the mentorship chair for the ASCE Metropolitan Los Angeles Branch; Salgado, A.M.ASCE, the...
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Episode 172: Isaac Kontorovsky, on the surprising parallels between civil engineering and IRONMAN racing
It goes without saying. IRONMAN triathlons are intense. Cold-water swimming for 2.4 miles, followed by 112 miles on a bike, and capped off with a 26.2 marathon run. It takes someone special to conquer such a challenge. Perhaps someone like a civil engineer? Isaac Kontorovsky is a principal and…
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Episode 171: Jean-Louis Briaud and Knut Eriksen, on the power of giving back
This ASCE Day – coming up next week, Nov. 5 – will mark ASCE’s 172nd anniversary. And that’s a very long time. For an organization to last for so many years, it needs great leadership and great leaders who give back. Jean-Louis Briaud and Knut Eriksen are two such leaders. Each is a member of the...
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Episode 170: Maxwell Fletcher, Mariana Vega, and Cing Kim, on the coolest part of being a civil engineering student in 2024
A new school year is upon us. That is a very exciting proposition for civil engineering students worldwide, for ASCE, and for everyone lucky enough to use and enjoy the infrastructure these young engineers will design and build in the future. But what’s it like being a civil engineering student…
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Episode 169: Ayanna Howard, on how AI is changing civil engineering right now
Artificial intelligence is changing the way civil engineering gets done. Ayanna Howard, Ph.D., serves as the dean of The Ohio State University College of Engineering and has been on the cutting edge of AI research for more than three decades. Named one of the most powerful women engineers in the...
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Episode 168: Christine Rice, on what happens when a civil engineer goes on a game show
Christine Rice, P.E., M.ASCE, is a project engineer for Wood Rodgers in Sacramento, California, and former governor for ASCE’s Region 9. But as of last week, her resume might have a new top line: game-show contestant. Rice competed on the June 3 episode of “Weakest Link,” hosted by Jane Lynch on...
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Episode 167: Marsia Geldert-Murphey and Jon Phillips, on if America is an attractive market for infrastructure investors
May in Washington D.C., means United For Infrastructure Week. ASCE marked the occasion by releasing a new economic study called Bridging the Gap, analyzing the additional potential costs to both the U.S. GDP and the American taxpayer if IIJA levels of infrastructure investment aren’t continued...
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Episode 166: Diniece Mendes, on bringing the cities of the future into today
Diniece Mendes is director for freight mobility at the New York City Department of Transportation and serves on the ASCE Transportation and Development Institute’s Board of Governors. She’s also – as of this spring – a movie star. Mendes is one of five ASCE members to feature in the new IMAX film...
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Episode 165: Ruwanka Purasinghe, on what makes Los Angeles the best place for civil engineers
Los Angeles is No. 1 on the 2024 list of ASCE Best Places for Civil Engineers. That’s three straight years for L.A., if you’re keeping track at home. So what’s the city’s secret to success? What’s so special about the civil engineering scene there? Ruwanka Purasinghe, P.E., M.ASCE, civil...
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Episode 164: Aaron Shavel, on following his mother into a ‘golden age’ of civil engineering
Aaron Shavel is New York through and through. Born and raised there – and now works as a project manager for TCE, specializing in rail infrastructure. And New York breeds a certain kind of toughness. Where did Shavel learn his civil engineering toughness? From his civil engineering mom. In…
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Episode 163: Erin Novini, on tracking sustainability progress in the ‘environmental, social responsibility, and corporate governance’ world
Erin Novini has blended chemical engineering with environmental engineering as an engineering specialist for consulting firm Trihydro since 2005. And in that nearly two-decade span, she’s seen sustainability develop in the corporate world quite a bit. In the conclusion of the ASCE Environmental…
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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…
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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...
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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…
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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.
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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...
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Episode 152: Craig Davis, on the 8 elements of infrastructure system resilience
A new book from ASCE Press called IRP 8, Infrastructure System Resilience: An Engineering Framework for Assessment, Management, and Governance, breaks the big picture of system resilience into interlinked elements, making application much easier for practitioners. It's a strong case for…
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Episode 151: Nalah Williams, on how knowing who you are unlocks your career
The best thing you can do for your career is to make consistently smart, thoughtful decisions that align with what you are trying to accomplish in this life. But what exactly are you trying to accomplish? What makes you happy? Who are you? Nalah Williams is still early in her career, but she’s...
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Episode 150: Paul Lee, on his role in the new Cities of the Future film
ities of the Future, a new film for IMAX and giant screens, is on its way. The second in a partnership between ASCE and MacGillivray Freeman Films, following 2017's rousing success Dream Big: Engineering Our World, the film is scheduled to premiere in early 2024. Cities of the Future, inspired in...
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Episode 149: Julia Williams, on how to be a changemaker in academia
Julia Williams has never done anything exactly as you might expect. So when she got her Ph.D. in English, she took a professor job at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and has spent the past decades teaching writing and communication skills to STEM majors. And now she’s written a book about...
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Episode 148: Matthew Low, on finding your path to leadership
Matthew Low is the chief operating officer for Hoyle Tanner and Associates, based in Manchester, New Hampshire, and with regional offices in Florida and throughout New England. But he didn’t always have his eye on leadership. He grew into it – learning where his specific interests and talents lay...
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Episode 147: Donn Digamon and Ahsha McQuain, on motivating and innovating with the Georgia Department of Transportation
The competition for civil engineering talent right now is well-documented. And in an industry still coming out of the pandemic shake-up, that means innovation and efficiency are paramount. In episode 147 of ASCE Plot Points, the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Donn Digamon, a state bridge...
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Episode 146: Jordan Kubenik, on turning student success into a career springboard
The 2023 ASCE Architectural Engineering Institute International Student Design Competition challenged student teams to consider a real building – the five-story Kaleideum North in Winston-Salem, North Carolina – and innovatively design it as a living building as it is retrofit into a new…
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Episode 145: Jose Abinazar, on his not-so-simple civil engineering journey
It’s another week of work for Jose Abinazar, a project designer for Gannett Fleming in Miami, Florida. But the journey to get to this work week wasn’t so simple. His civil engineering college experience in Venezuela was interrupted; his family fled political turmoil and moved to Miami; Jose had…
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Episode 144: Eric Steward, on that time he promised to get a concrete canoe tattoo
With the first ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships approaching this weekend, June 10-12 at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville, there is an interesting drama playing out with the University of South Alabama concrete canoe team. Longtime faculty adviser for the South Alabama ASCE...
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Episode 143: Christopher Seigel, on if civil engineers really can do their jobs from home
As noted in a recent Civil Engineering magazine article, the civil engineering industry is still sorting out whether work-from-home arrangements established at the outset of the COVID pandemic remain viable as life moves forward into something like normalcy. For Christopher Seigel, a civil…
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ASCE's News and Information Hub
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American Society of Civil Engineers
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