Brian Brenner

Offers a celebration of life as a practicing civil engineer. In this book you'll learn valuable skills, like egosurfing and how to use tribbles in a meeting to tell the engineers from the contractors. Brenner also invites you to consider serious subjects, like the transition from student to professional engineer and the growth in girth of engineering standards.

If you've ever been asked to calculate the live load for a herd of elephants...If you've ever built a sand castle to study soil mechanics...If you've ever had to choose between your date and your favorite bridge...Brian Brenner has written the book for you. "Bridginess: More of the Civil Engineering Life" finds Brenner turning his pen and his signature wit to the subjects of urban sprawl, airport infrastructure planning, and, of course, bridges. After reading this collection, you will know bridges from more angles than a through truss. You will think twice before placing a salad on the roof of your car. And you will know just what makes a truly great college response letter. These essays range from humorous to informative, autobiographical to historical. They encompass the full range of Brenner's talent as a writer, as well as an engineer. With his charming and fluid style, Brenner makes civil engineering funny, interesting, and at times, even glamorous.