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Structuring A Career In Challenging Times
While It May Be One Of The Oldest Of The Disciplines, Civil Engineering
Captures Spotlight With Renewed Demand.
By Anne Baye Ericksen
For your summer vacation, did you drive, fly, or hitch a ride on a train?
After all, these are our primary modes of transportation that take us
virtually anywhere we want to go. But have you ever stopped to think about
these extensive systems? Look at a map of the nation’s roads, flight
paths, and railways and you’ll see an intricate design that resembles
a complex spider web. It’s what supports travel, but also interstate
commerce, neighborhood growth, and basically our way of life—and
it’s easy to take it all for granted. That is until it starts to
crumble.
Structures such as highways, bridges, airports, energy grids, and water
or wastewater treatment centers combine to make up the nation’s
infrastructure. They are the core elements that keep us moving and functioning.
Unfortunately, much of the existing infrastructure has surpassed its intended
lifespan or is required to produce results well beyond original design
parameters. Additionally, there’s a void of facilities in some areas.
These are just a few of the reasons why the American Society of Civil
Engineers (ASCE) issued the country a near-failing D grade in its 2009
Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. The association conducts
the review every few years as an evaluation of current conditions and
need for future investment in 15 different categories.
To make matters worse, the cumulative grade basically remained unchanged
since the previous Report Card was issued in 2005. What have changed,
however, are the accumulating costs associated with the recommended repairs,
upgrades, and new projects. According to ASCE, it’ll take more than
$2.2 trillion to bring our infrastructure up to par.
The urgency of the situation hasn’t gone unnoticed. But economic
conditions continue to strain state, county, and city budgets, not to
mention privately owned operations. Funds for major endeavors, such as
bridge repair or levee retrofitting, seem to be slashed left and right.
Other projects are either scaled way back or shelved for the time being.
On a positive note, the President has identified infrastructure rebuilding
as a means to create jobs and help push the economy closer toward recovery.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), passed in February,
allocated more than $132 billion for infrastructure-based projects, including
roads, transit, high-speed passenger rail, and a smart energy grid. Economists
are hopeful the program will establish or sustain approximately 57,400
construction positions in addition to another 64,000 industry-related
jobs.
Another positive is the fact that any one of these endeavors will require
the know-how of civil engineers. It’s your experience that’ll
help bring the nation’s infrastructure into the 21st Century.
GINGER S. EVANS,
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT,
PARSONS
For 65 years, Parsons, an engineering, construction, and technical and
management services firm headquartered in Pasadena, CA, has assisted clients
to complete a plethora of design and building projects. More than 12,000
employees—who speak 75 languages and earned more than 5,700 degrees
and professional registrations—serve private and government customers
around the globe. They design, construct, plan, and carry out a full menu
of engineering offerings. One industry the company has excelled at over
the years is airport design, and it’s a field Ginger S. Evans, senior
vice president, embraced, too. “There are a lot of civil engineers
in aviation,” she comments. “I got into it by following the
market demand.”
Evans joined Parsons last year and brought with her more than 25 years
experience in airport development, design, construction, security, and
operations. In her current role, she manages the aviation division of
Parsons Transportation Group Inc., one of Parsons’s four global
business units. “I ensure projects are managed to meet their technical
and financial requirements, including quality and safety metrics, marketing
for new projects, compliance with internal policies and procedures, and
human resources,” she explains.
As passengers en route to business or vacation locales, the public tends
to view the actual airport surroundings as a temporary layover until we
get to where we’re going. But that just scratches the surface of
what an airport truly entails. For example, travelers never encounter
the luggage catacombs or the brains of the air traffic control centers.
“In fact, we like to refer to airports as small cities: They have
their own power plants, waste plants, backup power, maintenance, and food
suppliers,” states Evans.
Still, so many of these facilities show their age. The ASCE issued a barely
passing D grade in this category. Take runways as an example of the amount
of wear and tear these entities have placed on them around the clock.
They may look like simple paved roadways, but what’s asked of them
far exceeds the normal load withstood by city streets. Evans explains,
“Think about how planes flying at high altitudes and speeds of 650
mph need to slow enough to land and then brake to slow even further to
40 mph in order to turn off the runway toward the terminal. There is a
lot of stress that happens on the point of impact and on those turns.”
In order to raise aviation infrastructure’s grade to an acceptable
level, many runways need resurfacing. Also, to support the anticipated
3% annual growth in air traffic, many airports have to add to their cadre
of runways. “There are some that cost a billion dollars, and they’re
just massive,” Evans notes. Or, their designs must compensate for
out-of-the-ordinary demands. “Sometimes they are built on complex
sites, like in Seattle. They had to truck in millions of cubic yards of
materials because the area for the new runway was low in elevation relative
to the existing airfield,” she adds.
Multi-level security operations have become another major design element
engineers must incorporate. For example, Congress insisted 100% of airports
be capable of screening all luggage for explosives, and gave the Transportation
Security Administration (TSA), working with airports, one year after the
attacks of September 11 to make the appropriate changes. “They didn’t
have much time to integrate the scanning in lower level bag rooms, so
they plopped them down in the lobby by the ticket counters,” recalls
Evans. “Over time, though, most airports have constructed integrated
screening in bag rooms and removed the scanners from public view.”
Perhaps the most promising development is the proposed incorporation of
the NextGen air traffic control system. “That system is satellite-based
rather than ground-based technology and it is an improvement because it
allows for decreased spacing between aircraft, more direct flight paths,
and higher fuel efficiency. It’s proven technology, but the government
has been slow to implement it until now because of the scale of the U.S.
airspace system,” says Evans.
For individuals pursuing civil engineering paths in today’s tight
marketplace, Evans suggests readjusting your goals, at least in the short
term. “My first project out of college was surveying a route for
a bike path in a national forest. Engineering is a field that respects
and promotes those willing to take on any project and take ownership of
it no matter how small,” she advises.
Also, apply creativity to where you’d like to develop your career.
If aviation—or transportation in general—is where your interest
lies, reach beyond the local authorities. “Look to federal programs—Amtrak
and the TSA are examples of agencies that received an increase in funds,”
says Evans. “Public agencies are a great place for young engineers
to get excellent technical experience as well as the opportunity to manage
larger projects.”
And while it may take some time before we see the ARRA effect on civil
engineering job creation, Evans holds out hope for a bright future. “Investment
in infrastructure over the next 30 years will remain a high priority,”
she concludes. “I would still rather be a civil engineering major
coming out of college today than any other discipline.” Find out
more about Parsons at www.parsons.com.
LEANNE ABE,
SENIOR ENGINEER,
PBS&J CORPORATION
If you’ve spent anytime in the Southwest over the past few years,
then you probably heard news stories warning about drought conditions.
For example, in Los Angeles, residents run the risk of incurring hefty
fines for excessive lawn watering during midday hours. Think that’s
tough? Well, there are other areas that have suffered even more devastating
dry spells, like last summer in Georgia. Some communities in the state
had only a few hours with access to running water. This year, farmers
in Texas worry about debilitating crops losses due to far-lower-than-normal
rainfalls.
It’s hard to imagine life without the luxury of walking to the nearest
faucet, turning on the tap, and pouring yourself a refreshing glass of
H2O. Clean water is definitely something most of us take for granted.
Few give much thought to how that life-sustaining liquid is delivered
from source to tap unless you’re a civil engineer who concentrates
on water infrastructures.
According to the ASCE report, the country’s drinking water and wastewater
systems are near failing—they each earned a D-. Not only are reservoir
levels in some regions dropping, but also again, age is a contributing
factor. Many systems are several decades old and experts agree that upgrades
will cost billions. It’s a lot to deal with, especially when available
monies are shrinking. It’s Leanne Abe’s, PE, duty to help
developers and city officials address these conditions. “For example,
our water supply in the San Diego area is at stage two drought restrictions,
and that involves looking at what the city has allocated for areas where
new developments are proposed. The results are either they have the water
planned for it or they don’t. It’s our job to say, ‘Here
are your options,’” she says.
Abe actually didn’t envision herself as a civil engineer when she
entered college. Rather she chose to study environmental engineering.
“I thought it was interesting enough and offered a good combination
of chemistry, science, and number crunching,” she notes. But the
job market when she graduated nine years ago proved to be a bit tough
for the discipline. Abe followed the traditional job-search steps, but
they didn’t produce results. At that point, she rethought her expectations
and her approach. “Eventually I went through the Yellow Pages looking
for civil engineering consulting firms to cold call,” she remembers.
“Sometimes I got through to human resources or engineering managers,
and sent them my résumé.”
However unconventional her strategy may have been, it worked. Abe landed
her first professional position, and her introduction to water systems.
The team she was assigned to drilled wells and tested soil samples and
water quality as well as designed pipelines and water treatment centers.
“After a while, many of the engineers I worked with moved on to
other companies or went in different directions. Those vacancies opened
opportunities for me and I became a project manager,” she says.
After a while, though, Abe found herself facing a similar choice. “Eventually,
I ran out of mentors at that company, and there was only so much I could
learn on my own,” she says.
So little more than three years ago, Abe joined the PBS&J Corporation,
working out of the San Diego office. The consulting organization boasts
nearly 50 years of customized engineering services, including civil and
sanitary engineering, highways, and bridges. Today, the Orlando, FL-based
corporation employs nearly 4,000 experts in its four subsidiaries: PBS&J,
PBS&J Constructors Inc.; Peter R. Brown Construction Inc.; and PBS&J
International.
As senior engineer, Abe’s daily responsibilities have evolved during
her short tenure with the company, mainly due to the crashing real estate
markets. She explains, “When I started here, my primary client market
was skewed toward residential and commercial developers, and then the
market dropped. We came to a standstill. Then the government agency side
came about needing updated planning documents or updated facilities. We
built up our project base again.”
In essence, Abe went from consulting on water distribution choices, such
as new pipelines versus reclaimed or recycled water, to presenting studies
before city or county water boards. “It’s very political,”
she admits. “I am fortunate to work with engineers who have been
in the business for a long time and who have developed relationships with
agencies.”
Like many technical professionals, she discovered that public speaking
wasn’t necessarily her forte. That changed recently thanks to Abe’s
position as president of the ASCE’s San Diego Younger Member Forum
(YMF). “I hated public speaking, but when you do it every month,
you get used to it. I am better at speaking in front of people now because
I have to present the meeting agenda before the members every month,”
says Abe. “What I do with the organization definitely trickles down
into what I do professionally.”
Abe also appreciates her responsibility to paint a diverse portrait for
other young women. “It’s been an amazing opportunity to be
in a leadership position,” she states. “It’s been fun
and I have met many people who I probably would not have met in other
venues.”
Her expanded network, of course, includes a growing number of women. “When
I started working, there were many male civil engineers,” Abe explains.
“Now I meet more women in leadership roles, and that is positive.
It’s reassuring to see females in positions that you can aspire
to be.” Check out what else PBS&J Corporation is involved with
at www.pbsj.com.
KELLY STINSON-BAGBY,
PRINCIPAL OPERATIONS ENGINEER,
ITT WATERMARK
Water concerns aren’t solely a domestic issue. In fact, clean water
is a scarcity in many communities around the world. Without suitable potable
H2O, residents’ sanitation, and consequently their health, is at
risk. The solution doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive, but
it does require engineering know-how. Several nonprofit organizations,
such as Engineers Without Borders, place technical volunteers in environments
where they can change people’s lives with their designs. Last spring,
Kelly Stinson-Bagby seized the opportunity to witness first-hand how the
demand for safe drinking water and sanitation can be answered. She was
the ITT Night Vision representative on a fact-finding mission to Quiché,
Guatemala.
Professionally, Stinson-Bagby functions as a principal operations engineer
at ITT Night Vision, a division of the White Plains, NY-based ITT Corporation.
She joined the company three years ago after spending a few years conducting
research. In her current job, Stinson-Bagby oversees projects transitioning
from research and development to manufacturing and operations. While she
acknowledges the work keeps her interested and challenged, when the opportunity
to travel outside her normal surroundings arose, she jumped in at the
head of the line. “It was advertised throughout the company that
ITT Watermark was looking for volunteers from the workforce. I was immediately
excited,” she recalls. “The first day the company accepted
applications, I applied.”
ITT Watermark is the corporation’s signature philanthropy that works
to make a sustainable mark in the world by providing safe water and sanitation
to children and families in need. Partnering with Water For People and
Mercy Corps, ITT Watermark has already helped finance the construction
of new water and sanitation infrastructures in water-stressed regions,
with a keen eye to aid schools and assist after a disaster. To date, more
than 36,000 school children, their families, and their communities have
benefited. ITT Watermark has declared a goal to support an additional
100 schools and another 80,000 students by year’s end.
The trip was a chance for Stinson-Bagby to apply her materials science
and green engineering education in a new environment with a civil engineering
slant. “I do see that civil engineering fundamentally has a green
aspect,” she comments. “You have to understand wastewater
and environmental issues. Also, materials science intersects with many
disciplines. If you’re going to build a bridge, you need to know
about the materials.”
In Quiché, the team set out to appraise new sites and assess how
well previously installed systems functioned. “We needed to evaluate
whether or not the community has the will to maintain a sustainable system.
Would it be able to finance repairs? Are there people interested in learning
how to make repairs?” explains Stinson-Bagby.
“It was obvious there was a desperate need. When we asked the children
if they knew how and when to wash their hands, they didn’t know,”
she observes. “We noticed the students had to carry their water
to school. Some used soda bottles or old oilcans as vessels. We asked
one of the elders to take us to the closest well, which was several kilometers
away, and in questionable condition. But it’s where they got their
water for eating, cooking, and cleaning.”
She continues, “Finally, we went to schools that had been helped
last year. This was the first visit back to see how things were going.
We did the same evaluations as with the new sites in order to have a comparison
from which to make changes. The ultimate goal is for all the schools to
have access to sustainable clean water.”
It was also important for the team to enlist residents’ feedback
if long-term participation was going to be gained. “One of the first
things organizers told us was to forget about our Western concepts. We
learned about methods to collect solid and liquid wastes,” says
Stinson-Bagby. “One of the options the community chose for its homes
was to separate the wastes. Liquids are left to ferment and become fertilizers;
solids become compost and turn to dirt. In fact, the waste could become
a small source of income.”
The data Stinson-Bagby and other team members collected will be reviewed
to determine where and how improvements can be implemented. Although she
has yet to clarify her future involvement with ITT Watermark, the experience
confirms her belief that in order to progress as a technical professional,
you must seek out varied opportunities.
“Don’t just stick with civil engineering as the only thing
you can do,” Stinson-Bagby advises. “Keep developing different
skills whether that’s in project management or leadership.”
Learn more about the ITT Watermark project by logging on to www.ittwatermark.com.
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