Collaboration as a Product of Communication and Mutual Understanding
Ryan Kelly, EIT
AECOM
Germantown, MD
In 4 years preceding my transition into stream restoration design, I gained experience in field engineering, construction oversight, and site design. I found that the opportunity to pore over the site's measurements in Civil 3D’s pinpoint precision fostered an intimate familiarity with field elements derived from topographic surveys and historic as-builts. Though it’s wholly inaccurate to claim complete knowledge of a project area and its quirks after spending any number of hours sitting behind a desk. A valuable perspective is gained after stepping out of the office, and in my recent experiences, into a stream.
I found a similar phenomenon in building my knowledge base on natural channel design principles, starting from a layperson's perspective, albeit daunting. While there is a near infinite amount of field data to capture, there’s a greater importance in collecting the ‘right’ data, including much that can only be observed in person. It was through quick learning and reflecting on my prior standing that better informed some design considerations and the composition of presentations for clients. Presence in the field fostered learning, and had established strong better understanding of what is feasible to construct given a site’s sometimes unseen constraints.
Construction is tenuous. Murphy’s law invokes itself with uncharitable frequency. Experience reasons that the best results are achieved when strong communication channels are established and maintained from concept through post-construction. This is produced out of a welcoming and consideration of alternate backgrounds and experience levels that can contribute to a project’s ability to succeed.
About Ryan Kelly, EIT
Mr. Kelly has over 4 years of professional experience (2021-present) in designing, assessing, and monitoring a range of civil engineering projects aimed at on-site stormwater management, flood elimination, and regrading targeting ecological benefits. As a Water Resources Engineer for AECOM’s Stream Restoration Design team, Mr. Kelly brings his site inspection expertise to stream, site and wetland assessments to support bank stabilization and stream restoration initiatives. His work offsets and mitigates unavoidable impacts on aquatic resources through innovative and sustainable solutions. Mr. Kelly has provided design support for a variety of stream restoration projects with solutions based on natural channel design principles across 4 states in the Eastern region. His knowledge enables minimal impact, low-maintenance, and cost-effective solutions that generate necessary mitigation.”