Thoughts From Engineers: The Fight to Get the Lead Out
No issue captures the failings of our nation’s drinking-water infrastructure quite like the chronic and widespread problem of lead service lines (LSLs). Starkly highlighting racial disparities in the United States, LSLs can be found predominantly in poorer communities of color, all of whom are literally and figuratively on the wrong side of the pipes. We’ve long recognized lead’s toxic character—its ability to stunt mental and physical development and snuff out individual potential amongst the...
Transportation Troubleshooting: Five Steps to Build a Case for Road-Usage Charging
In the mid-1970s, the average fuel economy of a U.S. passenger car was less than 15 mpg. Thanks to regulations and advances in vehicle technology, that figure today is more than 25 mpg. With hybrid and electric-vehicle (EV) sales growing, we can expect that average to continue rising. This is a good thing for many reasons, including local air quality, climate change and the financial wellbeing of drivers. But because road and highway work largely is funded by motor-fuel taxes, better fuel effic...
Change Leader: Engineering and Nondestructive Testing Are Mutually Beneficial
This particular interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. You can watch a video of the full interview by visiting bit.ly/3Mvud7l. Ricky Morgan is director at large of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) and president of FlawTech America. With more than three decades of experience in the nondestructive testing (NDT) industry, Ricky Morgan knows that a key aspect of successful analysis is a positive relations...
Future Forward: Utilities Can Use Technology to Gain Holistic Views of Entire Systems
This particular interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. You can listen to an audio recording of the full interview above or by visiting bit.ly/3BjUwbG. Tiffany Gispanski is Schneider Electric’s national software strategic pursuits leader for the water/wastewater industry. Through her work in the water/wastewater industry, Gispanski knows the threat of climate change makes water management one of the largest challenges in th...
The New Hong Kong Palace Museum: A Brilliant Example of Outstanding Engineering in Service of Grand Architectural Vision
Heavy-duty steelwork taking place with one of the world’s finest (and most-expensive) views. The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM), a $450-million, seven-story, 30,000-square-meter architectural masterpiece designed by Rocco Yim and his firm, Rocco Design Architects (RDA), opened to great acclaim on July 3, 2022, and 115,000 visitors bought tickets and braved long lines in the opening month. The appeal is obvious; HKPM was designed and built specifically to display a highly speciali...
BrIM Bridges the Gap Over the Mississippi
The Third Avenue Bridge crosses the Mississippi River near Minneapolis. MnDOT Renovates Historic Third Avenue Bridge To learn more about this project from the engineers’ perspective, Todd Danielson, Informed Infrastructure’s editorial director, interviewed Keith Molnau, P.E., major bridge projects engineer with MnDOT Bridge Office; and Chris Hoberg, P.E., construction engineer with MnDOT Bridge Office, via webcam. To watch the full interview, visit bit.ly/3owhrgV ...
Executive Interview Series: Jack Dangermond, Founder and President, Esri
In February 2023, Informed Infrastructure Editorial Director Todd Danielson went to the GeoWeek conference in Denver where he interviewed Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. The full video interview can be viewed at bit.ly/41kfgvh but we also wanted to include some excerpts in this issue of the print magazine. Danielson: You just delivered the keynote address at GeoWeek. Can you provide a summary of some highlights? Dangermond: People in the geospatial world are making...
Sea to Sea on the Scottish Canals: Centuries of Infrastructure Innovation Culminate in the Ever-Changing Now
Creating a ‘Smart Canal’ In September 2022, Informed Infrastructure Editorial Director Todd Danielson went to the Autodesk University conference in New Orleans where he interviewed Colby Manwaring, vice president of water solutions at Autodesk. They discussed in detail the sensor and digital twin technology behind the Scottish Canals renovation, which created a “smart canal” that can protect against stormwater flooding. The full video interview can be viewed at bit.ly/3LXyfX4...
Wildfire Endangers Drinking Water: Lessons from Colorado’s Marshall Fire
Private wells are particularly vulnerable to contamination from wildfires. Whelton and his students spent a week in January 2023 conducting free water testing for these wells in the Louisville, Colo., area. Pictured is Kristofer Isaacson, a Purdue graduate student in Environmental and Ecological Engineering. (Purdue University photo/Andrew Whelton) Globally and domestically, wildfires can cause public health and safety risks and are increasing in intensity as well as the number of acre...
Letters from June 2023 Issue
Click Here to View the Letters from June 2023 Issue
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
