What civil engineers are reading this week

• Autonomous vehicles are here, and the transition will ‘happen faster than we think’

  Autonomous vehicles offer many benefits, but there are still challenges and skepticism around their adoption. How does it compare to our shift from horses to automobiles more than 100 years ago?

• Pacific Northwest under flood alerts as atmospheric river brings heavy rain

  The Skagit River is predicted to crest at more than 47 feet near the town of Concrete, north of Seattle, by the end of the week.

• AI pioneer and Ohio State engineering dean to be an ASCE2027 keynote speaker

  “I always say, ‘Imagination fuels engineering,’ and engineering is now fueling imagination.” Meet Ayanna Howard, the first of four keynotes coming to the new flagship event, ASCE2027: The Infrastructure and Engineering Experience.

• AECOM acquires Norwegian AI startup for $390M

  AECOM has acquired Consigli, a five-year-old company based in Oslo that develops AI-based tools for building and infrastructure design and engineering. 

• Pompeii house frozen mid-renovation reveals secrets of Roman cement

  Lime granules trapped in ancient walls show Romans relied on a reactive hot-mix method to making concrete that could now inspire modern engineers

• Ollie the Civil Engineer comes to life for children in new book

  Lisa Schleuter discusses Ollie, her career in civil engineering, and how she came to find herself as a newly minted author in the latest episode of the ASCE Plot Points podcast.