What civil engineers are reading this week

• Johns Hopkins’ ‘breadth of expertise’ secures ASCE sustainable solutions title

  With Johns Hopkins University’s unusually small civil engineering department – only 10 students in the team’s co-captain’s graduating class – winning required a wide range of specialties. 

• Engineers solved an airflow mystery that was hidden nearly a mile underground

  A hidden underground airflow mystery was traced to an unlikely culprit: falling rainwater powerful enough to push vast amounts of air through deep mine shafts.

• How value engineering creates long-term value in water infrastructure projects

  Rather than focusing solely on upfront costs, value engineering seeks to optimize project life cycle, balancing expenditure, efficiency, reliability, maintenance requirements, and future adaptability.

• How Virginia became the world’s data center capital and how things are going

  From AOL’s arrival decades ago to the artificial intelligence boom, Virginia is the backbone of the internet economy. Lawmakers are debating how to manage soaring energy demands and economic influence.

• ASCE Beach Reads for 2026: For those eager to learn

  Now here’s a novel vacation reading idea: ASCE’s Manuals of Practice offer practical guidance that will make you better when you return to work. Which of these five timely MOPs will be worth your time?

• Federal Highway Administration seeks public input on future of interstate system

  The initiative invites feedback on new routes, major upgrades, and emerging transportation needs, including issues that could affect public transit and motor coach operations.