5 Questions with an Expert: Fernando L. Aponte-Rivera

Meet Project Manager and Geotechnical Engineer Fernando L. Aponte-Rivera, P.E.! In this interview, Fernando shares his passion for civil engineering, the power of communication, and why creative problem-solving is a skill that he uses daily.

1. How did you get started in this field, and what inspires you most in your work?
I have always been curious about how things work around me. As a child, I became fascinated with skylines by questioning how tall structures can stand on their own. This curiosity and fascination led me to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering. After twelve years of working as a civil engineer, I am still in love with the profession, mainly because of the impact my work has on the community. It is very rewarding to know that your contribution as an engineer helps improve the quality of life for others.

2.    Please share your role at HVJ. What do you consider essential for success in this position?
I am currently a Project Manager in HVJ’s Houston Geotechnical Department. I oversee multiple infrastructure projects, including but not limited to pavement reconstruction, large water line installation, bridge replacement, retaining wall analysis and design, as well as channel and detention basin improvements. One of my favorite aspects of my role is the opportunity to solve problems collaboratively. I enjoy working with staff engineers through sharing ideas to find solutions. This collaborative approach is essential for providing sound and feasible recommendations to our clients. It also fosters a learning environment where the staff engineer and project manager can learn from each other.

I believe that communication and commitment management are two skills essential for becoming a successful project manager. Every action begins with a conversation with your project team. A good project manager should be able to make clear requests to team members to facilitate progress and prevent misunderstandings. Likewise, team members should communicate effectively and ask questions when a request is unclear. A good project manager must also manage his or her commitments by properly assessing workload capacity before making promises to clients. Managing workload capacity and identifying resources to assist in fulfilling commitments are crucial responsibilities in this role.

3.    Could you briefly describe one of your recent projects and what you found most interesting or rewarding?
One recent project that I enjoyed involved widening an existing highway. This expansion required constructing new bridges and retaining walls to support additional traffic lanes. The most interesting part of the project was designing a retaining system that allowed the construction of the new retaining walls while keeping the existing ones in place. Our team's extensive expertise enabled us to develop a combined soil nail wall and a Shored Mechanically Stabilized Earth (SMSE) retaining wall that maintains the stability of the existing wall without compromising it. The soil nail wall supports the on-site soils beneath the existing wall, while the SMSE retains the new backfill material placed between the existing wall’s face and the new retaining wall.       

4. For someone new to the field, could you explain the role of geotechnical engineering and how it differs from other disciplines within civil engineering?           

Geotechnical engineering involves studying soil's physical and engineering properties beneath the ground surface for engineering purposes. Simply put, the main goal is to determine if the soils can support planned structures and will not compromise their integrity.

Geotechnical engineering differs from other civil engineering fields because it requires field exploration and laboratory testing programs. Field exploration usually involves drilling boreholes to collect soil samples and test soils in situ. The samples gathered are then tested in a laboratory to determine their physical and engineering properties, which help geotechnical engineers classify the soils and estimate their strength. 

5.   Which other disciplines do you frequently collaborate with on projects? What do you consider most essential for successful collaboration? 
As part of a project design team, I collaborate with individuals from various disciplines. These include civil engineers,  architects, structural engineers, and surveyors, to name a few.  The most important factor for successful collaboration is communication. It is crucial to speak a common language or use consistent terminology. Sometimes, I need to adjust geotechnical terminology to explain soil behavior clearly, ensuring the other person understands my point. For that reason, it is a core skill for all of us at HVJ to learn how to translate all of our knowledge and experience into clear, practical guidance for our clients and other disciplines on project teams.