Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

A study in Trinidad and Tobago explored civil engineers' perceptions of leadership preparedness. Surveying 114 engineers, it found most felt only moderately prepared for leadership roles. Participants emphasized the importance of leadership training and strongly supported integrating it into engineering education. They also expressed optimism about the benefits of expanding leadership and management training. The findings highlight a clear need for academia, industry, and professional societies to enhance leadership development within engineering, aiming to cultivate more capable and influential civil engineering leaders.

This study explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can support green building construction by reducing carbon emissions and utility costs. AI techniques, including Random Forest (RF) and Genetic Algorithms (GA), analyze site data and optimize decisions affecting quality, safety, and sustainability. Statistical tools like MAE, RMSE, and RMSLE evaluate model accuracy. Results showed over 96% prediction accuracy, with GA models achieving an R² of 0.96 for CO₂ prediction. Cross-validation was used to ensure reliability and prevent overfitting, demonstrating AI’s strong potential in sustainable construction.

Introduces an innovative machine vision-based safety monitoring and warning system for civil engineering construction sites. Designed for all-weather, real-time use, it enhances image clarity in both daytime (using a new de-hazing algorithm with guided filtering) and nighttime (via infrared imaging and noise-reduction filters). A key feature is its image anomaly detection framework, which identifies dangerous behaviors through posture rotation and color deviation recognition. The system significantly improves safety by automatically detecting and warning of hazards, with experiments confirming the effectiveness of its recognition algorithms in low-visibility and low-light environments.

This article explores the integration of technologies like BIM, IoT, and digital management in civil engineering, which has improved project efficiency, reduced costs and timelines, and enhanced safety through automation and real-time monitoring. While global adoption shows strong benefits, Latin America faces challenges such as limited infrastructure, training, and regulation. The article recommends public policies, professional training, R\&D investment tailored to local needs, and sustainability-focused practices to support broader adoption. Technological convergence is seen as essential for addressing present and future challenges in civil engineering.

Explores how public procurement can stimulate innovation, especially in large civil engineering projects. While much research exists on innovative procurement for goods and services, there's limited guidance on strategies suited to specific innovation types. The study develops a typology and practical guideline linking procurement methods to factors like technology readiness, client-contractor collaboration, risk tolerance, and support mechanisms. This helps public clients choose effective procurement approaches to foster innovation and meet broader societal goals.

Examines the social identity experiences of female engineering students at a South African TVET college. Using interviews and focus groups with 11 participants, it found that classroom materials and discussions often favored male representation, leading to feelings of exclusion. Female students rarely saw themselves reflected in examples, project roles, or problem-solving scenarios. The study, framed by Social Identity Theory, recommends that lecturers incorporate more inclusive teaching practices, such as using female figures in materials and allowing female students to lead classroom activities, to foster equity and belonging in engineering education.