Madison's Everyday Engineerin‪g‬ IT Media Team

Operating a backhoe, designing a street, wiring an entire floor of lighting or designing a building: they’re all jobs in the trades and construction industry. These positions are also historically, held by men, however, the industry is changing and the number of women in the construction industry is increasing thanks to some of the pioneers who blazed the trail for other women, and also men helping create space for women to benefit as well. The City of Madison Engineering Division is celebrating women in the construction industry with a week-long profile campaign to align with the Nationally-recognized week: Women in Construction March 7-13, according to the National Association of Women in Construction. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts President and CEO of CLE Consulting Dawn McIntosh and Madison College Construction and Remodeling Instructor Allie Berenyi talk all things Women in Construction, the hurdles still in the way, and other obstacles that no longer are in sight when it comes to women not only sitting at the table, but leading.

A bike path with ice and snow is no good to ride on, unless you have the right equipment or if Engineering crews make a pass through, which is the case even if on weekends and holidays. The City of Madison Engineering Division works with the Parks Division to make sure bike paths are clear in the City of Madison. The city also has a very active bike community, and once the snow falls, Engineering crews move into snow removal mode immediately to make sure to support riders and safe paths. In this episode, Engineering Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts City of Madison Common Council District 15 Alderman Grant Foster and Engineering’s Ryan Schmidt to talk about snow clearing strategy, the expectations from the bike community and so much more as part of winter biking in the City of Madison.

For municipalities to operate efficiently, the Fleet Service Division is often the backbone that keeps the fire department trucks tuned up, police cars up to date with oil changes and engineering’s dump truck tires filled with air. However, the work of Fleet means so much more, especially to the mechanics and team doing the hard work. At the City of Madison, a brand new fleet building was built, and the team gets to enjoy the state-of-the-art facility, while Engineering can proudly say the project was a success. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts a candid conversation between Fleet’s Superintendent Mahanth Joishy and Engineering’s Jon Evans to share why not only should you care about the brand new Fleet resource but the process that goes into pushing through a successful energy-efficient project and building.

When we hear the term “Soil Amendments,” the first thought that comes to mind may not be an easy fix in the front yard. However, in this podcast episode, engineers explain simply how not only are soil amendments easy to do in your yard, but they have huge impacts to helping mitigate flooding if that’s an issue for your neighborhood. City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts engineers Phil Gaebler and Jojo O’Brien as they explain how residents should learn about soil amending, especially if they’ve never heard about it. They explain what tools residents need (not many) and how soil amendments make a huge impact.

Solar is at the center of conversation around the world, no matter if you’re a homeowner, developer, engineer or installer. GreenPower is a program at the City of Madison where trainees who have little to no electrical experience learn how to install solar, which then helps the City reach its sustainability goals. In this episode, City of Madison Engineering Division Public Information Officer Hannah Mohelnitzky hosts GreenPower Program Leader and City of Madison Engineering Division Master Electrician Matt Parks and City of Madison Sustainability Coordinator Stacie Reece to talk about all things solar. From basics of solar and solar terms to how investing and buying into this idea is pushing the City of Madison toward a more carbon neutral operation environment, it’s all here in this 20 minute episode.