Advertise on podcast: ASCE Plot Points Podcast

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 in hopes of removing some of the confusion around risk. Bill McAnally and Mitch Winkler are members of the ASCE Committee on Infrastructure Risk Management and together they have been the driving force to establish the new CoP. They’ve even developed a Risk Management Primer, to help simplify risk management for civil engineers. McAnally is a water resources engineer in Columbus, Mississippi. Winkler is a structural engineer by training with decades of experience in the oil and gas industry in Houston. In episode 186 of ASCE Plot Points, McAnally and Winkler talk about risk management. Listen to the episode above, and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. SUBSCRIBE IN APPLE PODCASTS SUBSCRIBE IN SPOTIFY And join the ASCE Community of Practice on Risk Management today and start sharing.

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 very start of the project. Fortin is a low salt strategist and Olson a water resources engineer, both for Bolton and Menk in Minnesota. In episode 185 of ASCE Plot Points, Fortin and Oloen discuss low salt design and why the solutions might be even simpler than you ever imagined. Learn more about low salt design, including a free download with suggested solutions. And dive deeper into the concepts in an article Fortin and Olson wrote for the ASCE Journal of Cold Regions Engineering.

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 Plot Points, Schleuter talks about Ollie, her career in civil engineering, and how she came to find herself as a newly minted author.

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 global study to better understand the topic, looking at AI in three main areas: readiness, risk, and returns. In episode 183 of ASCE Plot Points, Coates discusses the survey and what the results suggest about the future of the industry.

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, Toteja devotes countless hours to help a variety of causes both through her employer’s outreach programs, the ASCE Austin Branch, and her day-to-day public works projects. In episode 182 of ASCE Plot Points, Toteja talks about her her generous spirit and why maybe it’s a characteristic that a lot of civil engineers share. And next week on #GivingTuesday, when you donate to the ASCE Foundation, your generosity will go twice as far. Every gift to the ASCE Foundation made on Dec. 2 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000 by ASCE leadership. Learn more at ASCEFoundation.org.

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 conversations at the right time. Part of that skillset starts with having the proper risk mitigation tools at your disposal. Jerry Cavaluzzi and Dan Harpstead, members of the ASCE Committee on Claims Reduction Management, recently wrote an article for Civil Engineering Source about project management tools that you can use to help mitigate risk. In episode 181 of ASCE Plot Points, Cavaluzzi and Harpstead bring that article to life in podcast form, discussing risk mitigation tools and why they’re essential to making any infrastructure project work.

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 now – at work, among staff, on projects, and with ASCE. Lisonbee is the president-elect of the Utah Section and has become a front-facing leader among younger members in the entire organization. In episode 180 of ASCE Plot Points, Lisonbee talks about her perspective on leadership, how standing front-and-center wasn’t necessarily part of her original career vision, and why she’s come to see passivity when it comes to leadership as not an option for her.

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 Indiana. He’s a principal engineer for Advanced Engineering Services in Hammond, Indiana – just outside Chicago. And when the company moved into a new building with a parking lot that bordered a blank wall, Zaman had an idea. In episode 179 of ASCE Plot Points, Zaman talks about his community, his profession, and how he brought this mural to life.

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 his alma mater, Morgan State University, and his online “Rod the Builder” lifestyle brand – through YouTube and social media – inspires young professionals and students to find their passion in the STEM fields too. In episode 178 of ASCE Plot Points, Jones talks about how he found his way into construction management and why it’s so important to him to share that story with others.

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 as an at-large director. With ASCE Election season nearly here (voting opens May 1), Escobar talked on the ASCE Plot Points podcast about all her community engagement, how it’s helped her, and why your engagement as an ASCE member and participating in the ASCE Election go hand in hand.

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 176 of ASCE Plot Points, Griffin talks integrated sustainable design and why a holistic approach to potential outcomes is essential to infrastructure.  

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 in sustainability and advocacy efforts. But what you might not know is the tragedy that struck her family nearly two decades ago when her brother - a professional pilot - died in a plane crash. D'Antonio found purpose in her grief. She spent years investigating the crash, learning about the aviation industry, and working to ensure similar accidents never happen again. And now she's telling her story in a book. "26 Seconds: Grief and Blame in the Aftermath of Losing My Brother in a Plane Crash" publishes on May 12 and is available for pre-order today through Simon & Schuster. In episode 175 of ASCE Plot Points, D'Antonio talks about brother, the book, and what we need to know about aviation safety.

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 – civil engineering and photography – at the same time. In episode 174 of ASCE Plot Points, Stewart talks about how she makes it work and why each of her passions tie into and help the other. Learn more about Tania's photography business. Watch Tania talk about her dual careers. Tania's first solo art exhibit, "Black Joy," opens Feb. 1 at 2100 L Street NW in Washington, DC.  

  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 social chair. Both professional civil engineers. It was a storybook situation. Until last week.  The Eaton Fire – part of a devastating series of wildfires in Los Angeles County – forced the family to leave their home abruptly last Tuesday night. Salgado shared her story with ASCE over the phone Saturday morning from a hotel room where the family was camped out for the time being. And in episode 173 of ASCE Plot Points, Salgado talks about what it’s been like to reckon with wildfires way closer to home than she ever imagined.

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 vice president for BKF Engineers as well as vice president of the ASCE San Diego Section, and he recently took on IRONMAN California. Swim, cycle, run – all of it. And he found a lot of common ground between his civil engineering career goals and the challenge presented by the most grueling of endurance sports. In episode 172 of ASCE Plot Points, Kontorovsky talks about the why and how of his IRONMAN experience and why it might be more relatable to civil engineers than most realize. Learn more about Isaac and his journey at his website.