ASCE Plot Points Podcast

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.

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 ASCE Foundation’s 1852 Society, a very select group of people who have generously given more than $100,000 to the Foundation during their lifetimes. In episode 171 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, Briaud and Eriksen talk about their career trajectories and how they came to find that giving back was the best way forward.

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 in 2024? What’s the most exciting part? “Being a civil engineering student at any time had to be amazing, but being a student, particularly in 2024, is fantastic because of all the new opportunities and technology out there,” said Maxwell Fletcher, a third-year civil engineering student at the University of Florida. “We try to push the boundaries of what’s possible with what we know. So being able to use new technology, new modeling software, and even AI to improve our work is truly incredible.” Fletcher is one of 27 ASCE Student Ambassadors this school year, ready to share with the world all the coolest parts about being a civil engineering student in 2024. ASCE Student Ambassadors represent ASCE on their campuses and through social media, promoting Society events and resources that can help their fellow students advance their careers. It’s an exciting group of future leaders and an exciting time to be a civil engineering student. “We’re in an age where civil engineering is, honestly, boundless,” Fletcher said. “I’m very excited for what the future holds for my career and everyone else I’m in school with.” Fletcher joined fellow ASCE Student Ambassadors Mariana Vega, a civil engineering and surveying student at New Mexico State University, and Cing Kim, a civil engineering student at Illinois Tech, on the ASCE Plot Points podcast to discuss their favorite aspects of 2024 civil engineering student life.

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 world by Business Insider and a top 50 woman in tech by Forbes, Howard also will deliver the keynote at the ASCE 2024 Convention Oct. 6-9 in Tampa, Florida. In episode 169 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, Howard talks about her history researching AI and what civil engineers can expect from the technology now and into the future.

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 NBC. She brought all of her civil engineering knowledge and experience with her. Would it be enough to prove that she was not the weakest link? In episode 168 of the ASCE Plot Points podcast, Rice details her “Weakest Link” experience and explains how being a civil engineer turns out to be a huge help on a game show.

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 beyond 2026. Infrastructure Week also is a great opportunity for collaboration. Case in point: ASCE and the Global Infrastructure Investor Association, an organization representing the private sector on a global scale. In episode 167 of ASCE Plot Points, ASCE President Marsia Geldert-Murphey talks with Jon Phillips, CEO of GIIA, about the effects of IIJA on America's infrastructure and where the United States stands on the global stage in terms of attracting private investment dollars.

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 Cities of the Future, playing on giant screens around the world. In episode 166 of ASCE Plot Points, Mendes talks about the movie experience, living and working in New York, and what she sees as the most important things that civil engineers need to do to bring the cities of the future to life.  

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 engineering associate for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and president-elect of the ASCE Los Angeles Section, has some answers. In episode 165 of ASCE Plot Points, Purasinghe talks about, yes, what makes Los Angeles such a great place for civil engineers.

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 episode 164 of ASCE Plot Points, Shavel talks about growing up around his mom’s civil engineering projects as a kid and why he thinks now is a golden age for civil engineering.

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 and Water Resources Institute Environmental Health and Water Quality Committee’s sustainability miniseries, Novini discusses her career, her work, and how she sees sustainability playing in the corporate space.

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.