Shobuz A. Ikbal PE PMP

https://lnkd.in/gJkpmKg7 The Parties vs The People is one reason we don't have High-Speed Rail in the US. Another is misplaced spending priorities. A final is the Koch Brothers exposed. Let's take the first one. The Political Parties are more interested in "playing King of the Mountain" than doing what their constituents want. That would explain the single digit approval ratings. The Democrats have championed the framework of High-Speed Rail projects under the Obama Administration. This became the number one target of the Republicans as it was deemed the ultimate example of government waste. #highspeedrail #civilengineering #transportationplanning #trafficengineering

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Are you aware of the challenges that come with the Professional Engineering Civil Engineering Transportation Exam? One such challenge is that the exam is being dominated by qualitative questions. These questions may seem simple at first glance, but they require a thorough understanding of the manuals listed by NCEES as design standards. https://lnkd.in/gGyVAr66 Knowing your manuals is the key to success, as time management is the #1 reason people fail the PE exam. It is crucial to be able to find information in the manuals quickly and efficiently. To help you with this part of your exam preparation, I will be posting various qualitative questions on a regular basis to help you gauge how well you know your reference manuals. If you are not familiar with the manuals listed by NCEES, it's important to start studying them now. On exam day, you will have access to each of the manuals, but if you wait until then to open them (in electronic format), you are likely in for a long and disappointing day. Stay tuned for my upcoming posts, where I will be sharing example qualitative questions and their solutions to help you prepare for the PE exam. Remember, knowing your manuals and managing your time effectively is the key to success. #PEExamPrep #CivilEngineering #TransportationEngineering #NCEES #EngineeringSuccess #TimeManagement #ProfessionalEngineer

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Being sad and hurt by others is a leading cause of death.ng, mechanics and electricity, there is a lesson called statics, and the summary of the story is that for a structure to stand and not fall, the sum of the forces acting on that structure in three directions X, Y, and Z must be equal to zero. This course is a prerequisite for the "Resistance of Materials" course and it is also a prerequisite for the "Structural Analysis" course. Several years ago, a bridge collapsed in the state of New York, after 32 years, experts reported that the cause of the collapse was fatigue. The whole science of "strength of materials" has nothing interesting, except for the subject of fatigue, i.e. the fatigue of the structure due to intermittent loading. None of these loadings alone are beyond the capacity of the structure, but it is their continuous and intermittent nature that makes it tired, run out of strength and collapse. This is exactly the reason that most people die for it, for the repetition of small loads that do not finish but finish us! We mostly die from fatigue, the only problem is that in the death report, no one writes that the cause of death was "fatigue"! In my opinion, not only one day they should finally link the science of "resistance of materials" to the science of forensic medicine, but it should also be linked to psychoanalysis because it is not very important what they write in the death report of each person, I just wish that there is a formula for measuring There is a structure's resistance to fatigue, and there was a formula to measure the resistance of every human being. Then maybe a warning system could be installed on anyone to give this message to the people around them in critical times, after enduring alternating pressures: Warning! The man in question is approaching fatigue, please, if you love him, give him some rest so that he can discharge the fatigue of intermittent loads and then be ready to continue, otherwise you will see him collapse and die." Please be careful of the extra and intermittent load on our loved ones so that their structure does not collapse due to fatigue. 💐 have a good time and a happy day 💐

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What are mapping limits? Why are they important to determining the cost of a survey? When should they be defined? I answer these 3 questions in this latest video from Redefined Horizons! Have you seen a problem in an infrastructure project because of confusion about the mapping limits for the design survey? Please tell me about it in the comments below! #RH #redefinedhorizons #mappinglimits #getitsurveyed #builditright

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🌉 New Data Initiative to Inform Future Bridge Investments 🌉 A collaboration between Replica, Alta Planning + Design, and HEAVY.AI has enriched the National Bridge Database, providing a fresh perspective on the condition and criticality of the nation’s bridges. This project focuses on equitable access for disadvantaged communities and introduces a Criticality Score for each bridge. Key Insights: Higher rates of Poor condition in bridges located in Areas of Persistent Poverty. Increased walking and biking trips on bridges in Poor condition. Texas, Louisiana, and California lead in bridges with high Criticality scores. For a comprehensive look at the data and its implications for infrastructure investments, explore the detailed blog post. 🌐🔎 https://lnkd.in/grcEEcJc #DataInnovation #Infrastructure #Equity #UrbanDevelopment #BridgeSafety

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12 May is a very important day for me. It marks the anniversary of "Why" I became a civil engineer. Back in 2008, my final year of high school, an earthquake (measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale) struck the Wenchuan (汶川) county in Sichuan (四川）Province in China. The fatalities and destruction were immense. I remember seeing the reports on the news and feeling so helpless sitting at home in South Africa. One thing that struck me was the reports that questioned the structural integrity of the schools, the designs and the construction quality. This led to me researching whether buildings can be "earthquake-proof", then who designs "earthquake-proof" buildings and the search led to Civil Engineers. Not really knowing what Civil Engineers do aside from they can design earthquake-proof buildings and control the quality of structures being constructed. I decided to apply for Civil Engineering at the universities; and the rest is history for another day. When work gets stressful and I falter about my career choices, I take a breath and think of my "Why". Why do you do what you do? #STEM #Engineering #why #knowyourwhy #earthquake #512 #womenengineers

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An investigation of belief-free DRL and MCTS for inspection and maintenance planning. https://lnkd.in/gjeYV_ke #OneComponentDeterioratingSystem #MaintenancePlanning #PartiallyObservableMDP #DeepReinforcementLearning #NeuralNetworks #MonteCarloTreeSearch #JIPR #newPub

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Drafted by CMAP in collaboration with community-based organizations, a new guide titled “Integrating Equity in Flood Resilience Investments” shows engineers, planners, and decision makers why investments must be made equitably, outlines key considerations for integrating equity (from planning and design to maintenance and funding), and highlights successful examples. Input was provided by the MWRD Stormwater Division and Environmental Justice Section. Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning #MWRD #CookCounty #stormwatermanagement #stormwater #community #collaboration ➡️ https://lnkd.in/diSBXc4Y

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Murray Reservoir, a 4,644 acre-feet water trove in San Diego was formed in 1894 by constructing an earthen dam, and it was known as La Mesa Reservoir. Following the great flood of the San Diego River in 1916, the dam was enlarged in 1919 to increase the reservoir's capacity to serve as the city's principal source of water. A major dam failure would be catastrophic for downstream communities. Using drones to capture more than 25K images of the exterior surfaces and enclosed vaults, HDR developed a high-resolution photographic record of the dam’s condition. The photographic data was then tied into the lidar and survey control to create a geolocated digital twin of the dam. The project team used the digital twin to perform digital inspections, complementing the work of rope access inspections, and serving as a baseline for analysis to predict future problems. Artificial intelligence and machine learning also enabled them to automatically detect problems such as cracks and subsidence to support inspection operations. The digital twin will continue to enhance the quality, safety, and sustainability of inspection work at the dam.

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So I'm working on a book called "Ultra High-Speed Ground Transportation Systems - Brining Cities Together to Foster Face-to-Face Collaboration". I'm contemplating Best Practices. There is a broad spectrum of performances. Pastor Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life sold so many copies that he reverse-tithed - gave 90% and living off of the remaining 10%. On the other hand, I've seen authors in the hole for upwards of $10,000.00 and garages full of books. Here are some principles I was able to come up with regarding successes: 1. Speak to a significant need of the audience; 2. Include color graphics throughout the book to increase the appeal (This will result in a more expensive product); 3. Get universities, associations, and museums on board during the actual drafting process, because once it's in print, it's too late; 4. Know that the book in and of itself will not sell itself based on its cover - Marketing is absolutely essential; and 5. Once published, give a complimentary copy to each of your points of influence including professors, museums, associations, and high-level government officials who will have an interest in the content of your book. Anything else to add? #civilengineering #transportationplanning #trafficengineering #highspeedrail

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Comprehensive article by Ann Redmond on the nature-based design to Lake Eva and Lake Henry Restoration Project. She outlines alternatives, analysis, and approach to #groundwater recharge, #nature-based solutions, minimum flow levels, and #water quality compliance. Flip to Page 6. https://ow.ly/Y9U150RY3LI

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https://lnkd.in/gsyamVrZ This is a "Shout Out" for the LeadershipITE program. In a nutshell, it is a multi-moth leadership course for Transportation Professionals on Leadership "through the lens" of Transportation. I still need to sign up. While the total program cost is $3,000.00 (what I made in Calendar Year 2012), scholarships and sponsorships are available. Don't let the $3,000.00 get in the way. Apply for scholarships, or ask public and private sector organizations to sponsor you in exchange for doing a presentation on what was learned at LeadershipITE.

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How are advancements in Artificial Intelligence helping engineers and transportation project planners? Hear from two HDR experts on how AI is being applied in transportation decisions and how industry organizations can adapt and prepare for future advancement. https://lnkd.in/gjNcivp9 #Transportation | #AI

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Join us for a TRB #webinar on 📅 Tuesday, July 16, 2024 🕥 Time: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Eastern Time, if you are interested in methods and tools for analysis of #transportation networks and the social and economic impacts of their failures.   I am excited to present our recent work at Grid Engineers on developing an evidence-based flood impact assessment methodology for transport infrastructure. This methodology, now integrated into a #tool for analyzing transport network #losses and #climate adaptation #investments, has been successfully deployed in various countries, including Asia, Africa, and the US. I look forward to participating in a panel with Zizhao He, from New York State Department of Transportation, Dan Murray, of the American Transportation Research Institute, and Rahil Saeedi, M.Sc., PE, from CPCS. Webinar Agenda: ▶Methodology and Process of Assessing Statewide Crash Data – Zizhao He, NYSDOT ▶Analyzing Truck Travel Pattern Changes After Critical Infrastructure Failure – Dan Murray, ATRI ▶Assessing Flood Impacts on Critical Infrastructure Using Field Evidence – Marianna Loli, Grid Engineers ▶Q&A Session Moderated by Rahil Saeedi, CPCS For more information and to register, visit: https://lnkd.in/dvmjyWyR

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Test your knowledge of engineering ethics.

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What can drinking water utilities learn from those who have been through the process of treating for #PFAS, and how can the industry cost-effectively comply with the new regulations given the limited funds available? Join AMWA, in partnership with CDM Smith, for a webinar on Wednesday, May 15th to address these questions. My colleagues Susan Crawford and Mark White will be speaking!

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