Civil engineering isn’t a luxury it’s a lifeline. Dr. Dennis Truax sits down with Joe Dibbs (Applied Research Associates) to explore how growing up in Lebanon shaped Joe’s view of infrastructure as necessity, his unlikely start as a pastry chef’s aide, and his shift into pavement engineering and asset management. They discuss the leap from academia to consulting, why trust precedes innovation, capturing veteran expertise with AI, and how ASCE/APWA communities create belonging, leadership opportunities, and career durability.

You’ll hear about:

• Pavement fundamentals: surveys, design, budgeting at the network level

• Communities that accelerate careers (ASCE, APWA)

• Navigating early-career expectations and earning influence

• Knowledge capture to preserve “dinosaur” wisdom

• Making civil engineering attractive to the next generation

Guest: Joe Dibbs, Senior Civil Engineer, ARA
Host: Dr. Dennis Truax
Podcast: 21st Century Engineer Podcast