What civil engineers are reading this week

• It helps to assert yourself early if you’re driven to succeed, young engineer says

  For water specialist Anna Lisonbee, standing front and center wasn’t in her original career vision, but she found passivity and leadership don't mix. Hear her advice in a new ASCE Plot Points podcast.

• Rats in Boston are spreading a disease potentially fatal to humans

  The vermin are spreading a harmful bacteria that can cause a potentially life-threatening illness in humans, a six-year Tufts University study finds.

• Using a dishwasher to clean plastic containers leaches microplastic pollution

  Washing household plastic containers in a dishwasher releases nanoplastic and microplastic pollution into wastewater, University of Queensland researchers find.

• With goal of advancing fusion power, largest tritium facility underway in England

  The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and a private company have partnered to build the UKAEA-Eni H3AT Tritium Loop Facility in Culham, England. What will it mean in the push for fusion power?

• 14,000 years ago, the most powerful solar storm ever recorded hit Earth

  Scientists find evidence of the most powerful storm in history, which hit Earth 14,300 years ago. It would cause mayhem in today's technology-dependent world.

• Locally brewed beer prone to ‘forever chemicals,’ researchers discover

  Many beers, especially those from small craft breweries, are brewed with water containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a new study finds.