Am. Society of Civil Engineers
Becoming leaders; a practical handbook for women in engineering, science, and technology.
Williams, the Director of Canada's Institute for Ocean Technology, and distinguished consultant Emerson go far beyond the usual heap of tips about getting along with the boys and concentrate instead on developing communication and leadership skills women can take with them on their way up. They cover strategies for undergraduate and graduate students, job hunting, career development, personal networks and mentors, work-life balance, family support, time management, media appearances, tenure strategies, public service, sexual harassment, organizations, commonly asked questions and sample answers, and promotion of women's participation. Their strategies could also work well of women academics and professionals not in engineering, science or technology. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Characterization, monitoring, and modeling of geosystems; proceedings.
Papers from a March 2008 conference, 135 in all, are presented here, reflecting recent work on mechanical and chemical soil behavior, testing, and modeling. Coverage includes innovations in subsurface characterization and monitoring, characterization of rocks, problematic soils and waste materials, and sensor technologies. Recent developments in numerical and computational geotechnics are discussed, along with transport modeling, uncertainty modeling, and micro- and environmental geomechanics. Some specific topics examined include electrical conductivity of soil and soil properties, a new density measuring device with laser techniques, characterization of compost amended soils, and shearing behavior of sands in terms of compressibility mechanics. Other topics are data representation, characterization of recycled materials for geotechnical infrastructure design, and numerical simulation of T-bar penetration in soft clay. A few b&w photos are included. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Civil engineering body of knowledge for the 21st century; preparing the civil engineer for the future, 2d ed.
This second edition was refined in response to stakeholder input and developments in engineering education and practice, seeking to provide a guide and a vision for civil engineering in 2025; stakeholders in the civil engineering community are asked to study and utilize this report as they carry out their responsibilities. The report is sectioned into five chapters: introduction; body of knowledge (incorporating knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for entry into professional practice); fulfilling the body of knowledge; guidance for faculty, students, engineer interns, and practitioners; and the next steps. Multiple appendices are included, such as the emergence of the body of knowledge, the body of knowledge outcome rubric, and explanations of outcomes, humanities and social sciences, sustainability, globalization, and public policy. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Civil engineering heritage Scotland; highlands and islands.
The last of the Civil Engineering Heritage series for the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, this work inventories historical engineering works of the Scotland Highlands and Islands. The authors (both of the Institution of Civil Engineers, UK) describe 213 structures, offering brief historical and engineering commentary and details on location, scale, and the names of engineer and contractor where known. Structures are often illustrated with black and white photographs, engineering schematics, and other materials. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Earthquake-actuated automatic gas shutoff devices.
This document contains the most recent revision of the American Society of Civil Engineers' standard for earthquake-actuated automatic gas shutoff devices. The research underlying the standard focused on dynamic testing of current devices to quantify performance characteristics and investigation of the 1994 Northridge (Los Angeles) earthquake data on ground motions, structural damage, fire initiation, and actuation of existing earthquake shutoff devices. Performance characteristics of devices tested were determined and evaluated for both discrete dynamic loads and complex motions such as simulated earthquakes. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
From research to practice in geotechnical engineering.
In recognition of John Schmertmann (emeritus, civil engineering, University of Florida), the first third of this volume reprints 16 of Dr. Schmertmann's papers representative of his contributions to the geotechnical engineering literature. The 28 invited papers present the results of centrifuge tests modeling rigid circular piled rafts lying on sand, small-scale testing conducted on mechanically stabilized earth walls reinforced with geogrids, and analyzing post- installation dynamic load test data for capacity evaluation of deep foundations. Other topics include foundations for a wind turbine, the axial pile capacity of large diameter cylinder piles, seepage through rockfill dams in narrow valleys, and failure of a New Orleans street canal levee. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Geosustainability and geohazard mitigation; proceedings.
The second of three volumes from the March 2008 congress tackles the challenges of sustainability in geotechnics, reporting new developments in sustainable materials and infrastructure, the impacts and mitigation of geohazards, and risk-based analysis and design. The congress highlights recent advances, new directions, and opportunities for sustainable engineering to protect the natural environment and infrastructure. Topics of the 148 papers include the design and testing of prestressed square concrete piles, the performance of expanded clay shale as an embankment backfill, the mechanical properties of an asphalt mixture with bottom ash aggregates, and modeling instruction in an environmental geotechnics course. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Geotechnics of waste management and remediation; proceedings.
The first of three volumes from the March 2008 congress collects 106 papers on new and conventional remediation technologies, design and operational aspects of bioreactor landfills, innovations in covers and liners, management of mining wastes, and recycle and reuse of waste materials. Several of the papers investigate geomechanical and hydraulic properties of waste, chromite ore processing residue, reactive and hydraulic vertical barriers, solidification and stabilization of contaminated solids, and the physicochemical properties of contaminated soils. Topics include the creep and shear behavior of municipal solid waste, cemented quarry fines as a pavement base material, transport and speciation of heavy metals in soils during electrokinetic remediation, and characterization of fly ash stabilized with lime and gypsum. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Offshore technology in civil engineering; Hall of Fame papers from the early years; v.3.
This is the third volume in a series containing classic papers from the early years of the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), an event encouraging development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection. The book collects 10 papers that have won the award for OTC's Best Paper of the Year in Civil Engineering, and which were inducted into the Hall of Fame for OTC Papers in the Civil Engineering Arena in 2008. Even though these papers were presented at OTC conferences 25 years ago or more, they still form the core of current practice worldwide. The engineering methods published in these papers have proven their value through widespread use, and have been incorporated into codes, standards, guidelines, and engineering software. Ten papers are presented in full, and abstracts are given for an additional 27 papers. There is no subject index. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Plan, build, and manage transportation infrastructure in China; proceedings.
Papers from a May 2007 conference, 85 in all, are presented here, highlighting recent research and experiences in Chinese transportation planning and policy, traffic operation and safety, and infrastructure and pavement. Some specific subjects examined include traffic distribution forecast of urban external traffic hubs based on uncertainty, bus transit service optimization, predicting peak holiday travel, a driving fatigue identification method based on physiological signals, and performance measurement on arterial roads in real time. Other topics examined include a modified heuristic search algorithm for pedestrian simulation, an asphalt pavement statistical temperature prediction model, a new method for production of homogenous and storage-stable polymer modified asphalt, and analysis of strain in asphalt pavement using FRP-OFBG sensors. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Risk and variability in geotechnical engineering.
This work presents techniques for characterizing, quantifying, and modeling geomaterial variability, and describes methods for quantifying the influence of this variability on the performance of geotechnical structures. It includes refereed journal papers by leading international researchers along with written and informal discussions on a selection of key submissions that were presented at a May 2005 symposium held at the Institute of Civil Engineers. There is also an additional paper that was published in the journal Géotechnique in August 2005. The papers consist of both theoretical and practical guidance, and include case histories and discussion of applications in foundations, retaining structures, slopes, and soil-structure interaction. Hicks is head of geotechnical engineering at the University of Manchester. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Transportation and development innovative best practices 2008; proceedings.
These 86 academic papers were a result of the Transportation and Development Innovation Best Practices symposium held in Beijing in April 2008, and document Chinese research into managing and improving integrated transportation development. Edited by Cohn (U. of Louisville), these studies show how continuous research and development have resulted in important innovations in highway safety, asset management and road construction. This volume is designed for anyone in the transportation engineering field, especially in densely populated areas. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
