April 2021 Letter from the Editor
By Katie Swanson, PE, Water Resources Engineer, CDM Smith, BSCES Vice President and BSCESNews Editor
How do we keep connected in this on-going virtual world? I miss the days of water-cooler conversations, friendly morning catch-ups with my coworkers, and in-person post-work events. Don’t get me wrong, I do very much enjoy the time spent with my “furend” in my home office, but I know I’m not alone in missing the camaraderie of the workplace. (However, my almost-daily lunchtime walks with my corgi, Scout, have tipped the scale considerably and have led me to get quite comfortable with remote work, for now).
We’re over a year out from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and wide-scale shift to socially-distanced life, and boy have we learned a lot. One thing that stands out to me (besides the fact that many of us in the civil engineering world can work effectively and remotely for at least part time) is how remarkable the human spirit is in the face of great challenges. So many people adjusted rapidly to a virtual, socially-distanced way of life.
My team at CDM Smith has kept the spirit alive, virtually, through a shift to video-call Wednesday Breakfasts and several game nights (Code Names, Picture-Sentence-Picture, and Family Feud to name a few). It almost feels like we’re all together, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing the other creative sides of my coworkers.
CDM Smith Boston Water Resources Group Virtual Outing
In this issue, we have several stories from different groups that all adapted to remote-life. Mark Ruberti gives us an update from one of BSCES’s most active groups (Younger Members Group) in his report. Virtual life didn’t stop this year’s Canstruction, Future City and Model Bridge competitions. And the Boston Chapter of the Engineers Without Borders and CDM Smith’s volunteer group, CDM Smith Cares, have been busy!
Also in this issue is an update of BSCES society news in Bruce Jacob’s President’s Report. Patrick Sheehan and William Hadge from GZA GeoEnvironmental recount stories from Don Goldberg’s incredibly accomplished life in their tribute article.
I hope that these stories of volunteerism and community engagement bring as much joy to you as they brought to me. As always, feel free to reach out with thoughts, questions, and ideas. Send us an email at Newsletter.Board@BSCES.org, or engage with BSCES on our social media pages (LinkedIn: BSCES LinkedIn Group or Twitter: @BSCESNews or @BSCES). And don’t forget to post your Photo Contest submissions.
Happy reading!