Ben Walpole

Ohio, Washington, D.C., United States

Director at Civil Engineering Magazine

Writer/Editor ASCE

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Articles

ASCE’s Top 10 Best Places to Be a Civil Engineer in 2025

1 week ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

Brenan Pool isn’t bragging when he talks about his commute. He’s simply stating facts. “Yeah, it’s about 10 minutes each way,” Pool said. Must be nice, right? Pool, E.I., LEED AP, A.M.ASCE, is an architectural engineer at Engenuity, living and working in suburban St. Louis. Having grown up in rural Illinois with a high school graduating class of 23 students, St. Louis is big-city living for Pool.
ASCE membership elects Haddock, supports simplified member grades

2 weeks ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

Every election’s end marks the start of a new era. At ASCE – with the 2025 Society election ballots officially tallied – that next era will be led by Carol Ellinger Haddock. Haddock, P.E., MPA, F.ASCE, a professor at Rice University who recently completed a seven-year stint as director of public works for the city of Houston, has been elected as the Society’s next president-elect by participating ASCE voters.
ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships set for the California sun this June

4 weeks ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

SOCIETY NEWS 5/23/2025 3 MIN READ Something big is headed for the California coast. The 2025 ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships comes to the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, June 27-29. “I just wanted to do something big,” said Nick Mackechnie, S.M.ASCE, a graduating senior at Cal Poly SLO and the host committee chair.
Engineering’s workforce challenges signal need for a ‘culture’ shift

1 month ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

It’s 2025, and the engineering workforce crisis that truly revealed itself during the COVID pandemic is still with us. If anything, the challenges are only growing. “We all know we have a problem,” said Leslie S. Richards, former Pennsylvania secretary of transportation who is now teaching as a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania. “Hiring is harder than ever.
ASCE stands up for research, essential federal agencies

1 month ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

ASCE joined with fellow Founder Societies to send a letter to Congressional leadership last week highlighting the importance of research funding.
President-elect official nominees answer your questions

2 months ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

The 2025 ASCE Election opens May 1, with member votes accepted through June 1. This year’s official nominees for 2026 president-elect (and 2027 ASCE president) are both experienced leaders with a passion for ASCE: Carol Ellinger Haddock, P.E., MPA, F.ASCE; and Kenneth H. Rosenfield, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE. So, to help voters learn more about where each official nominee stands on different issues and ideas, Haddock and Rosenfield are engaging in Q&A sessions for members.
ASCE board works to stay ahead of ever-changing 2025 civil engineering landscape

2 months ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

Brad Kubiak, ASCE’s Region 1 director, was speaking specifically about Society governance reframing options at the March board of direction meeting in Washington, D.C. But in the process, he may as well have been summarizing the key motivator for the ASCE Board of Direction’s actions in the last two-plus years. Beware, Kubiak said, the seven most expensive words in the industry: That’s the way we’ve always done it. The message was clear.
Tragedy strikes as Myanmar earthquake again highlights importance of resilience

2 months ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar Friday was another sobering reminder of the importance of resilient infrastructure. The earthquake’s epicenter was located just outside the city of Mandalay with deaths and damage throughout Myanmar and extending into neighboring China and Thailand. A high-rise building under construction in Bangkok collapsed. The overall death toll from the quake rose above 1,600 over the weekend.
Legislative Fly-In take investment message to the Hill Whats your infrastructure story

2 months ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole |Ireland Degges

Rep. Sam Graves from Missouri spoke at the ASCE Solutions Summit March 25 in Washington, D.C. From the stage, the Congressman essentially gave ASCE members the playbook for bringing their infrastructure message to Capitol Hill. “If you have a personal story, make sure you share it, because that has as much impact as anything,” Graves said. “When you talk to those members of Congress, just tell your stories.”Storytelling is what advocacy is all about. Facts and figures are critical parts of the case.
5 key takeaways from the ‘2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure’

2 months ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

ASCE released its 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure this week. The cumulative GPA for America’s infrastructure was a C, the highest mark since ASCE started releasing report cards in 1998. Beyond the top-line grade, the complete report card provides a treasure trove of information about America’s infrastructure – grades across 18 infrastructure sectors and recommendations on how to improve that GPA and make infrastructure more resilient.