Civil Engineering Practice Journal
Civil Engineering Practice, published by Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section/ASCE (BSCES), is one of the oldest civil engineering publications in the US. BSCES has published over 100 issues of this journal since 1914.
Known as a practice-orientated journal that was sent to BSCES members and subscribers worldwide, Civil Engineering Practice has been transformed from its familiar orange covered publication into an online journal. Looking to make Civil Engineering Practice a more effective tool for BSCES member professional development, the journal editorial board has also broadened the journal’s scope and contents to include topical articles, presentation slides from recent BSCES programs, and even videos of premier BSCES- sponsored lectures, as well as the peer-review articles the journal has been known for throughout its long history. Learn more about us
BSCES Civil Engineering Practice Journal Needs Your Help: Call for Papers: Fall/Winter 2022
Social distancing? Stuck at home? Go clean out the garage or better yet, write an article for the reborn BSCES Civil Engineering Practice Journal. The Journal, in production for nearly 100 years, will restart publication this year as an online-only publication. I need your help to make it a reality.
The Journal’s editorial board invites submission of articles describing interesting and innovative projects and practices, research papers, reviews, reports, and other manuscripts within the scope of BSCES. Journal editors are all well-published scholars and engineering industry professionals, available to assist you in communicating your findings.
President of Boston Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE Section (2021-2022)
Shallan Fitzgerald, PE
Shallan Fitzgerald is the Infrastructure Manager at the Harvard Allston Land Company, where she leads a diverse group of consultants and internal stakeholders to implement Enabling Infrastructure in support of the Enterprise Research Campus Phase A development. She began her career in construction on Boston’s Central Artery Tunnel Project, continued in design on local and state municipal roadway and water resources projects, and progressed to project management for state and institutional clients. As a consultant, Shallan provided construction management and program controls services for several large infrastructure projects including the MBTA Greenline Extension Project (GLX), MIT’s Investment Management Company and Harvard University’s Capital Projects Group.
In addition, Shallan is an active member of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers (BSCES), serving as President of the Section for FY22. She is registered Professional Engineer (in MA, NH, NCEES), a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a certified Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.
Message from the President:
“Into the Unknown”
The future is, by definition, unknown…what is still to come but not yet. These days it seems as though the mystery of that later time is stretching back to overshadow the present. Traditional approaches to classic problems have always been challenged by subsequent generations, fostered by human ingenuity to be faster, easier, more efficient. But now, better begins to mean more informed, more conscientious, more resilient. We most likely started with a focus on sustainability but seem to have lost some of that attention along the way.
We, as engineers, work to establish solutions to critical system concerns. According to Merriam-Webster, we carry through an enterprise by skillful or artful contrivance. And our calling is most often born out of necessity. Many of a community’s basic needs are fulfilled by civil engineering works, including access to clean water, proper sanitation, safe transportation, and reliable communication. All the systems we design and contribute to require expertise to support, operate and maintain. They require continuous investments in time, energy, and resources. And they require competent leaders to champion those efforts.
But the empirical “constants” that our predecessors have employed to solve for their desired variables are changing. The tools have evolved through exponential advances in technology. How we work has been altered by the threat of pandemic disease. The factors that affect change are taking new shapes. So, too, must we adapt and improve. We have a duty to utilize the vast foundation of knowledge that those who came before us have painstakingly built and advance our own understanding of the impacts we effect on the natural environment and ourselves.
As we embark on this second edition of the third incarnation of the Civil Engineering Practice Journal, there are many hopeful signs on the horizon. With President Biden’s $1.2 trillion-dollar Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (H.R. 3684) recently passing the Senate and House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress, we are on the eve of one of the largest federal investments in our nation’s roads, bridges, airports, and waterways. Building on the long history of surveying wastewater for viruses, civil engineers are currently collaborating with biological engineers to track SARS-CoV-2 and generate actionable information.
As evidenced by the thoughtful articles that follow, our local community is striving to share the valuable lessons they have learned on improving design accuracy, managing cost, and providing observed data to support future innovations. We also pay tribute to one of our brightest whose legacy lives on.
And lastly, many thanks to our Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Gautham Das and the volunteer editorial board for all their tireless efforts to produce this next issue of the journal. Your dedication and generosity set an example for the rest of us to follow.