Am. Society of Civil Engineers

The 21st-century engineer; a proposal for engineering education reform.

Engineers did not hold the leadership positions during the 20th century that they held during the 19th and before, says civil engineer and management consultant Galloway. She attributes the decline to the failure of engineering education to keep place with the demands of the marketplace, and proposes a framework for reform that can be used by all engineering disciplines. Among the matters she sees needing reform are globalization, diversity, leadership, and a Master of Professional Engineering Management. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Interpreting construction contracts; fundamental principles for contractors, project managers, and contract administrators.

Thomas (civil engineering, Pennsylvania State U.) and Ellis (civil engineering, U. of Florida) present a teaching resource and reference text to assist engineers, contractors, and administrators in construction contract interpretation. Based on the careful examination of 500-plus judicial decisions, the authors define rules for construction contract interpretation for the most troublesome contract clauses. The rules have been organized in easy-to-follow flowcharts for use as a guide for decision making, and case studies are included throughout the text to reinforce points from the analysis process. Also included are some 70 discussion exercises and solutions. Written for the professional with little or no legal training, the text is designed to be easy to read and comprehend. The authors have limited the use of legal terms and concepts; where legal concepts are used, they have included many examples so the concepts are readily understood. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Natural processes and systems for hazardous waste treatment.

The Society has a committee on hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste, and that committee has a sub-committee on natural processes and systems for dealing with such waste. The information here is from the work of that sub-committee, reported by members. The approaches include couples of precipitation-dissolution and reduction-oxidation reactions, photolysis and photo-catalytic degradation, and wetlands. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)