Would you like to contribute to the newsletter of the oldest civil engineering association in the country? The BSCES Newsletter Editorial Board is seeking Society members who are willing to join the board and help solicit, write, and/or edit articles for publication in BSCESNews. Members of the editorial board participate in eleven 30-minute video conferences per year to develop the ten issues of the newsletter that are published annually.

The editorial board also encourages members to submit articles for publication in BSCESNews. These can be related to an issue’s theme or on any topic of interest to civil engineers. Click here to view article submission requirements.

Email BSCES Newsletter Editorial Board Chair Gus O'Leary, for more information.

BSCES President's Report

By Katie Swanson, PE, Project Manager - Water Resources Engineer, CDM Smith

October was an exciting month for BSCES! We had a full slate of technical seminars with A Roundtable on Embodied Carbon in Design and Construction hosted by the Committee on Sustainability, the 2025 Arthur Casagrande Lecture: Seismic Slope Stability hosted by the Geo-Institute, Guided Tour of the Charles River Dam hosted by the Construction Institute, and the NHI Safety Inspection of In-Services Bridges two-week training course put on by the BSCES Continuing Education Committee. ... Read more

SEI Boston Chapter Update

By Bob Niccoli, PE, SE, Practice Area Lead – Structures, TEC, Inc. & SEI Boston Chapter Chair

The Boston Chapter of the Structural Engineers Institute (SEI) serves as a hub for structural engineering professionals seeking to advance their technical knowledge, build meaningful connections, and contribute to the future of the profession. As part of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES), our chapter provides continuing education opportunities, member engagement programs, and networking events that strengthen both individual careers and the broader engineering community. ... Read more

Enhancing Mobility and Safety: The 495/90 Interchange Improvement Project

By Josh Cone-Roddy, PE, Director of Highway, VHB

The I-495 and I-90 interchange is one of the busiest and most critical junctions in Massachusetts, serving as a vital link for commuters and freight traffic. However, it has long been plagued by congestion and safety issues due to substandard geometry and a bottleneck at a defunct toll plaza. Recognizing the need for improvement, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) embarked on a transformative project to enhance mobility and safety at this interchange. ... Read more

Rinsing the Cottage Cheese

By Brian Brenner, PE, F.ASCE, Professor of the Practice, Tufts University

A corporate efficiency advisor, Jim Collins, blogs about ways to achieve excellence at work. He discussed the approach of rinsing one’s cottage cheese before eating it. The idea was to remove any excess fat and salt to better optimize diet and athletic performance. Collins thought that rinsing cottage cheese (both the actual activity and the metaphor) was a way of getting better performance out of cottage cheese and life in general.

Strangely enough, this idea is related to bridge design. But before we discuss that, first let’s further examine the approach of rinsing the cottage cheese. ... Read more

2025 ASCE Presidents and Governors Forum and Leader Orientation

By ASCE National Leadership

On September 14 and 15, 110 Section and Branch Presidents, Region Governors, incoming Society Directors, Technical Region Leaders, and Presidential Officers from around the world participated in the 2025 Presidents and Governors Forum and Leader Orientation at ASCE Headquarters. This event, hosted by the Leader Training Committee, provided opportunities for attendees to learn about ASCE resources and initiatives, network with other ASCE leaders, discuss best practices, and enhance their leadership skills. BSCES President Katie Swanson attended on behalf of the Section. ... Read more

Announcements

Become a 2025-2026 BSCES STEM Friend or STEM Outreach Program Sponsor!
BSCES Younger Member Group Now Accepting Applications for their 2025 Student Scholarship

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Get Involved

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Contributor

Email BSCES Newsletter Editorial Board Chair Gus O'Leary, for more information.

Submit Member News

Help us build the BSCES community by sharing your news. Have you recently been recognized for a professional accomplishment, or been promoted to a leadership role? Has your employer been recognized for an achievement or acquired another company? Send your news to BSCES membership associate Michelle Monette at mmonette@engineers.org.

BSCES Civil Engineering Practice Journal Needs Your Help

Are you working from home? You can use the time you're saving by not commuting to perform a household chore or better yet, write an article for the BSCES Civil Engineering Practice journal. ... Read More

Suggest a Seminar Topic

If you have a topic that you would like BSCES to feature in an upcoming seminar, send your suggestion to BSCES Continuing Education Committee Chair Antonios Vytiniotis, PE, PhD from Geocomp at b sces@engineers.org.

Learn about the Continuing Education Committee

2025 - 2026 Society Sponsors

BSCES Newsletter Editorial Board

Chair: Gus J. O’Leary, PE

Anna Beheshti-Rhodes, PE

John T. Books, PE

Michael T. Sullivan, PE

Kathryn Swanson, PE

2025 - 2026 BSCES Board of Government

President: Kathryn Swanson, PE

President-Elect: Richard A. Matson, PE

Secretary: John T. Brooks, PE

Treasurer: Gregory L. Mirliss, STS

Senior Vice Presidents: Antonios Vytiniotis, PhD, PE; Anuja Kamat, PhD

Vice Presidents: Rishabh V. Iyer, PE; Elizabeth A. Clark, PE

Past President: Christopher P. Hersey, LEED AP

Western MA Branch Vice President: Vacant

Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute Boston Chapter Chair: Vacant

Construction Institute Boston Chapter Chair: Jamie Johnston, PE

Engineering Management Group Chair: Craig M. Steigerwalt, PE, PSP, PMP, CCM

Environmental & Water Resources Institute Boston Chapter Chair: Emanuel D. DeAndrade, PE

Geo-Institute Boston Chapter Chair: Jorge E. Fuentes, PE

Structural Engineering Institute Boston Chapter Chair: Bob Niccoli, PE

Transportation & Development Institute Boston Chapter Chair: Nicholas Manz, EIT

Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute Boston Chapter Chair: Cory A. Cormier, PE

Younger Member Group Chair: Justin Cadima, PE

2025–2026 BSCES Program Sponsors

Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section/ASCE

One Walnut Street, Boston, MA 02108

Phone: 617/227-5551, Fax: 617/227-6783

Email: bsces@engineers.org, Website: www.bsces.org

The BSCES newsletter, BSCESNews, is designed to provide information and opinions in regard to the subject matters covered. BSCES and its Board assume no responsibility for statements made or opinions expressed in this publication. It is published with the understanding that the Board and the authors are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The Newsletter Editorial Board encourages reproduction of BSCESNews with appropriate acknowledgment. © 2025 BSCESNews.