In this episode of 21st Century Engineer, Dr. Dennis D. Truax talks with Katye Miller McGinnis, P.E. about the realities of civil engineering growth: the learning never stops, mentorship takes adaptability, and great projects require empathy inside the workplace and out in the community.
Katye shares lessons from healthcare and complex site development, including how to mentor interns and new hires, how field feedback sharpens engineering judgment, why innovation often starts with operations, and how community engagement can determine whether major public infrastructure funding succeeds or fails.
Key topics include: mentorship + communication, learning styles, field-to-drawing translation, workplace culture and flexibility, and building a “personal board of directors” for your career.
Katye’s path: healthcare + complex site development
Mentorship: teaching concepts → drawings → construction reality
Learning styles: how to support different people effectively
The “pump station moment”: why learning never ends
When training isn’t working: competence, ethics, and fit
Innovation in hospitals: deliveries, traffic flow, and operations
Workplace empathy and flexibility (especially for parents)
Community engagement: why bond measures pass or fail
Katye’s advice: build your personal board of directors
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