Getting to know Mary Vancura, AET leader, Building Performance, Forensics and Testing (PFT)

Q&A with Mary Vancura

Describe your role and technical expertise?

MARY I am a civil engineer by trade, and?I manage AET’s Building Performance, Forensics, and Testing (PFT) group. My background is in concrete materials engineering with experience in structural, civil site design, environmental, and thermal control engineering and project management. I typically assist owners, engineers, and contractors to assess why concrete cracks or scales.?I can also provide customers with a concrete service life analysis.?

Occasionally, my role shifts to construction engineer, which means that I assist contractors in troubleshooting repairs for low rebar cover, concrete mix design changes, and concrete property changes that impact strength or durability.

How has your experience at AET been so far?

MARY I’ve been at AET for almost 2 years, and my experience has been amazing so far. I’ve enjoyed building the Building Performance, Forensics, and Testing team and learning and teaming with so many at AET who are at the top of their trade.?

How did you end up being a concrete SME?

MARY A previous supervisor introduced me to concrete materials.?I learned a lot from him and taught myself what I didn’t know and asked and still ask questions of others. I think that my ability to communicate effectively with contractors and engineers has helped me gain the trust of clients.?I’ve also learned that both humbleness and self-confidence are necessary to succeed in this industry.?Humbleness to know what I don’t know and self-confidence to know when I’m right and make decisions.

Describe your role and technical expertise?

MARY A previous supervisor introduced me to concrete materials.?I learned a lot from him and taught myself what I didn’t know and asked and still ask questions of others. I think that my ability to communicate effectively with contractors and engineers has helped me gain the trust of clients.?I’ve also learned that both humbleness and self-confidence are necessary to succeed in this industry.?Humbleness to know what I don’t know and self-confidence to know when I’m right and make decisions.?

How do you collaborate with AET Team members?

MARY I rely on our talented petrographers and material testing crews and project managers to investigate why buildings materials fail or succeed.?By proxy, I’m learning a lot about geotechnical engineering from my colleagues.?I value and communicate with our staff who make the world go round:?PA’s, marketing, HR, safety, finance, accounting, leadership, maintenance, and billing.?

Update us on trends in the construction and concrete industry?

MARY Changes in wood design codes, attention to CO2 emissions, and valuing construction projects based on upfront costs instead of long-term durability, have allowed wood to replace concrete in the multi-family housing and mid-sized commercial building projects.?This means the Building PFT crew is doing more wood framing inspection and fire-stop inspections than previously.?The concrete industry is in transition too. The search is underway for a cementitious binder for concrete that reduces our reliance on portland cement, which requires a very energy-intensive manufacturing process that emits high CO2. This poses opportunities for AET to support the transition with research and development of alternative materials in the course of our regular project work. ?

Tell us about an interesting project that you worked on?

MARY I’ve been working on the New Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi Texas since 2016. This project followed me to AET.?It is a segmental bridge with miles of approach work and is TxDOT’s first design-build bridge project. ?

The bridge is being built to accommodate larger ships entering the Corpus Christi port. Larger vessels have been making their way to the Panama Canal, which was reconstructed to make this possible. There is a 170-year service life requirement on the non-replaceable bridge components.?I am serving as the concrete service life engineer and thermal control engineer.?So far, I’ve helped the contractor make, test, produce, and evaluate concrete mixtures that are both placeable and meet the service life requirements.

What career advice do you have for people who are coming up in this field?

MARY —Curiosity and hard work are more valuable than book smarts.?Don’t spend the day looking at your phone. Don’t be afraid to try out a few jobs and companies. Though as a manager, I hesitate to offer that advice, I can say it helps you develop professional knowledge and skills.??