What civil engineers are reading this week

• 7 for Seattle: Must-sees at the ASCE 2025 Convention city

  With the Society’s annual flagship event headed for Seattle this fall, a list of reasons to go could not be kept to a top 5, so here are 7 ways civil engineers can connect with the city.

• With apologies to that first little pig in the fable, building with straw has lots of upside

  A new housing development in Oregon is leveraging straw bale construction to make the residences there more eco-friendly and energy efficient. What does the future hold for this material?

• Shrinking urban canopy? New AI tool can help

  An open-source artificial intelligence model helps cities monitor vegetation loss in real time and plan smarter greenery investments based on population density and vulnerability.

• This EV battery fully recharges in 18 seconds – it just got green light for mass production

  The British VarEVolt battery has been granted the certification needed so it can be manufactured on a large scale, meaning more electric vehicle makers can use it in their cars.

• Fire evacuees begin returning to some communities in Manitoba after wet weather

  Cool, wet weather has allows Canadian fire crews to get an upper hand in parts of northern Manitoba to clear the way for some of the 21,000 or more evacuees to start returning home.

• Could changing the message help attract more to engineering?

  While there is more than one way to become a civil engineer, firms can struggle to reach interested people outside the standard bubble. Here's some inspiration from three leading civil engineers.