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Taking a look back at Vision 2025 and exploring what’s ahead

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Topics Column Media

Utility & Pipelines Engineering

SunZia Wind and Transmission project brings sustainable power to southwest US

It crosses more than 550 miles and will be the largest venture of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Ethics

Exercise judgment in disagreements with other engineers

Conflicts with colleagues should never devolve into personal attacks.

Photo of Supreme Court facade by Ian Hutchinson on Unsplash

Construction Engineering & Management

Subcontractor blame can be avoided through explicit contract negotiations

All parties need to know their scope of responsibility.

Rendering shows five cylinder-shaped pods stuck on poles and inserted into the sea floor.

Coasts, Oceans, Ports & Waterways Engineering

New desalination tech could bring freshwater to California residents

Hands hold up a ball that has the continents on it.

Profession & Practice

Build with us for a better tomorrow

Photo by Sara Kurig on Unsplash

Career Development

She felt her geotech degree was not enough

More from the magazine

Man checks his computer while standing among power transmission lines.

The challenges of repairing aging, active substation foundations

Two case studies illustrate how this was done: careful design and early...

Transmission towers and wires stretch across the land, including one large prominent tower.

Steel piles replace concrete for electrical infrastructure foundations

The benefits of steel pile foundations make them an attractive alternative.

A network of power lines highlighted in blue stretch across an evening sky.

Digital twin technology bolsters electric utility engineering

3D photogrammetry technology allows engineers to simulate repair work to obtain critical...

Image shows a power line structure almost submerged in water.

Seasonal washouts of a riverine transmission line necessitated new design

Hydraulic analysis and geotechnical study came together to aid in the process...

From the archives

Sepia-toned photo shows a cable-stayed bridge that spans a body of water. Cars are on the bridge.

Engineers and historians share their thoughts on their favorite structures

From tunnels to bridges, find out what inspires these individuals.

Sepia-toned photograph shows a tunnel being built with its timber supports.

San Francisco’s hidden engineering feat: How a tunnel helped rebuild a city

Building the sewer required innovative technologies.

Photograph shows a multiple-arch dam set amidst trees and hills.

The Mountain Dell Dam in Salt Lake City turned around an engineer’s career

Building it helped John S. Eastwood prove an engineering concept — and himself.

Photograph of a long concrete bridge over water that has many arches.

Pennsylvania’s Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge has endured for 95 years

It was once the world’s longest multiple-arch reinforced-concrete highway bridge.

Image shows a four-lane parkway. Autumn-colored trees dot the landscape in the background.

New York City parkway showcased beautiful, nature-like leisure spaces

The Bronx River Parkway provided a model for future traffic development.

Image shows a rooftop facility consisting of a multistory building, two domed structures, and housing. A road leads to the top of the mountain.

San Jose’s Lick Observatory took telescopes to new heights

Getting the main refracting telescope to the facility was an uphill battle.

Photo shows a steel bridge with concrete piers. The bridge spans a river.

Huey P. Long Bridge in New Orleans solved a big transportation problem

Completed in December 1935, the bridge combines a highway and railroad tracks.

Photograph shows a structure with tall steel columns that taper in near the midsection with a saucer-like top lit up at night and surrounded by other buildings. The columns are connected to a central core.

Engineers and steel took Seattle’s Space Needle skyward

1962 World’s Fair attraction turned catalogue-ordered beams into a 600 ft icon.

Photograph shows the interior of a subway station—its tracks and decorative ceiling tiles.

The first New York City subway delivers speed

Innovative construction brought the rail to life.

Picture shows a black and white image of water rushing over the edge of a dam.

Ingenious design helps California’s Crystal Springs Dam stand strong

Its interlocking concrete block system enhances concrete’s structural stability.

Long reads that dig deep

A small, snow-covered building sits amidst snow-covered trees.

What does it take to engineer under snow and ice?

Civil engineers face many challenges when working beneath the northern hemisphere’s frozen...

The Elizabeth Line moves heavy rail beneath London

It features 42 km of tunnels and underground stations as much as 40 km deep.

Palm trees and community buildings line the Babcock Ranch lakefront.

How Florida’s Babcock Ranch survived Hurricane Ian

When the storm tested the town, it aced the test, exceeding expectations.

A night-time wildfire is burning up homes.

New computationally efficient model will ‘tame’ fire

Its ability to capture the likelihood of building damage in a wildfire...