Learning from Rust
Travel to a 22-acre field in West Lafayette, Indiana and you’ll find six dozen steel bridge sections and 3 complete bridges. Used as a university lab, bridge inspection training facility, and an eclectic museum, the Steel Bridge Research Inspection Training and Engineering Center (S-BRITE) is a world unto itself. Check out the story behind it all. – Shannon Warchol, […]
FEATURED TESTIMONIAL – I Felt Prepared for the Exam
“I signed up for the DTC review in preparation for the PE exam. I spent 35-40 hours per week pouring over the material provided. I was pleased with how succinctly the information was presented. The lesson plans helped me stay organized and motivated as I checked off each item. The lesson videos were straight forward […]
Push to Cross – Not Always
Many cities struggle to find the appropriate balance between prioritizing vehicular or pedestrian traffic. If you’re curious why an intersection does or does not have a push button and what it does or does not do, check out this article about Washington, DC’s pedestrian crossing system. You’ll also learn about other treatments at intersections that can be […]
Shareable Electric Scooters – For or Against?
As the saying goes, “There are two kinds of people.” When the topic is shareable electric scooters, the line between “for” or “against” is clearly defined. Not many people are on the fence. A recent ASME article summarized the arguments for both sides very nicely. In fact, it might serve as a starting document for taking a fresh […]
FEATURED TESTIMONIAL – The Best Method to Help Me Prepare Well
“I passed the Civil Geotechnical PE Exam with a score of 79. Thank you for providing excellent tools for taking the test. It really was the best method to help me prepare well. I will be telling my colleagues about your course and how well it worked for me. Thanks again!” – PE, Texas Civil […]
Earthquake Hydrogeology
A new study shows earthquakes can shake up permeability and change groundwater behavior. Groundwater systems generally are made up of layers of permeable rock called aquifers separated by low-permeability layers called aquitards. When an earthquake shakes things up, the structure of these layers can change and cause an increase in stream flow as water is […]
Cactus to the Pollution Rescue
Could the humble cactus be the solution to our plastic waste problem? Chemical engineering professor Sandra Pascoe Ortiz is beta-testing an edible, biodegradable packaging material made from the juice of prickly pear cactus leaves. The juice “is a natural polymer that can be improved by combining certain substances to give it a similar appearance and […]
Concrete – The Most Popular Man-Made Material on Earth
I’m not surprised that concrete is the most used building material, but I was surprised to find it’s the second most used substance behind water. I don’t think I’ve ever had a construction project where we didn’t use concrete. A fascinating article talks about the past, present and future uses of concrete. – Jason Savage, DTC […]
