From Sundaes to Space Stations

For some, a job is just a way to pay the bills. But when a career fits one’s passions and personalities, work can be a source of great satisfaction and success. From Sundaes to Space Stations is designed to help you discover the wealth of opportunities within civil engineering. Brockman’s upbeat and engaging writing explains the differences between civil engineering and architecture; engineers, scientists and inventors; and what it means to be a civil engineer today in practical terms.

For some, a job is just a way to pay the bills. But when a career fits one’s passions and personalities, work can be a source of great satisfaction and success. From Sundaes to Space Stations is designed to help you discover the wealth of opportunities within civil engineering. Brockman’s upbeat and engaging writing explains the differences between civil engineering and architecture; engineers, scientists and inventors; and what it means to be a civil engineer today in practical terms. You will learn: 1. About the many different types of civil engineers, 2. What civil engineers do everyday, 3. Areas of specialization within the field, 4. How civil engineers apply the engineering design process, and 5. How to get started in this exciting career. The inspiring real-life stories of civil engineers passionate about making change in the world can help you match your interests to one of the myriad of civil engineering pathways, and find a lifetime of gratifying work and success.

Reed Brockman is a Senior Structural Engineer and Inspection Specialist in Boston, for AECOM, a large engineering company who is very patient with his obsession about pre-college engineering education. At the time of this press release, Reed is the Senior Vice President of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers (BSCES), a section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) that started in the mid-1800’s. He is past-chair of their Infrastructure Technical Group and the longtime standing chair of its Committee of Pre-College Outreach. He regularly makes presentations at schools, runs and designs activities with them, and takes them on field trips. He is co-founder of ThinkFest, founder of the Ralph Salvucci Online Bridge Design Contest (which is a local contest within the West Point Bridge Design Contest), and he is the New England Regional Coordinator for the Future City Competition. He is also on the ASCE Committee on Volunteer Community Service and the ASCE Committee on Pre-College Outreach. ASCE has presented him with the Edmund Freeman Award for Professional Recognition and the BSCES has given him the Citizen Engineer Award and its President’s Award. The outreach program he runs through the BSCES has received numerous awards over the past decade for both outstanding public service and its diversity efforts. Mr. Brockman is also a board member of the DOME Foundation and the Metro-North Regional Employment Board, and has participated in numerous panels promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in schools. Really, Reed is a big kid, and he is very grateful that his wife, Larisa, puts up with his constant involvement in schools. He has three kids, one big and two still little, as well as fish, frogs and a very loud cockatiel. He grew up as a big fan of “Games” magazine. There may or may not be hidden contests in this book.