Meet Yan Linwood PE, Structural Engineer / Project Manager, WSP USA Inc.

October 19, 2020

ASCE Texas Section Board of Direction members are asked to fill out a questionnaire so Section members can get to know them a little better. Let’s hear from Director at Large Yan Linwood PE:

When did you first get involved with ASCE at any level (student chapter, local branch, section)?

The very first time I heard about ASCE was when I was still in college at Purdue University – West Lafayette in Indiana. My dad had always encouraged me to be active and to get involved in organizations to not only build my network, but also to learn how to serve and lead among my peers.

As soon as I joined the Civil Engineering Department, I immediately got involved and served in ASCE as one of the Purdue University Student Chapter Board Members. From then on, as I moved forward with my career, I kept staying involved to maintain my relationship with the ASCE family and to build a wealth of network through ASCE.

How has ASCE helped you in your career?

ASCE has been paramount for my career in terms of growth, professional development, and networking. I personally feel that serving in ASCE has helped me learn to manage my time and work more efficiently. To be able to deliver excellent quality product between work and professional organizations, it is imperative to have systematic and methodical organizational skills. I learned that by keeping everything documented properly, it helps me stay efficient and focused on the work that I do now and in the future.

As a Professional Engineer, maintaining professional development hours is extremely crucial to stay relevant and trusted by our client and community. As an ASCE member, I have access to an endless supply of continuing education opportunities from experts in the industry at my fingertips.

It is undeniable that ASCE events also help us build our personal and business network. I have personally made lifelong friendships through my involvement with ASCE. This really hits home for me when I lost my job due to a company layoff in Florida. I was fortunate enough to be able to reach out to friends in my network to help me look for a couple of open positions at their firms immediately after. Through this unfortunate experience, I have learned firsthand the importance of building genuine relationships and I look forward to paying this forward to other peers that may be less fortunate in the future.

What is your favorite thing about ASCE?

The people and the events! I cannot wait for the pandemic to be over so we can all carry on with our regular in-person meetings and events.

Give us your best 2-3 sentence piece of advice for the next generation of civil engineers:

Our largest responsibility as Civil Engineers is public safety.

When in doubt, do not be afraid to ask questions. A teacher once said, “If you ask a stupid question, you may look stupid for 5 minutes, but if you don’t ask, you may stay stupid for fifty years”.

Everyone has 15 seconds of fame (at least), where have you “spent” or “earned” yours?

I was a guitarist and a singer for a college band when I used to live in a college town in Malaysia. We would play at almost every organization’s event in college to entertain our college peers.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Lately, I have been spending a lot of my free time learning about woodworking, fixing, and building things around the house. My latest project was replacing the carpet flooring in all 3 bedrooms with new laminate floorings.

How do you order your eggs?

Over-easy with a pinch of salt and pepper on top.

Mountains or beach?

Both! I am originally from Indonesia and we have the best of both worlds!

Give us your best (clean) joke:

The average person is really mean, but rarely irrational.