Welcome to A Dam Conversation - With Amanda Hess!

This is an Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) podcast sharing the stories of leaders and innovators in the dam safety community. 

Today, we welcomed Amanda Hess, Hydrology and Hydraulics Group Member of Gannett Fleming with over 25 years of experience. Amanda, thank you for your stories and advice!

Key Takeaways from This Episode

• 1:25 – Amanda’s first experience with engineering was a High school trip to Carnegie Melon
• 8:00 – Graduate level coursework in hydraulics required students to learn the theoretical equations within HECRAS, helping Amanda to have a better understanding of the software
• 9:33 – Some factors to consider when deciding to pursue a Master’s Degree include funding opportunities, difficulties with working full-time while taking coursework, and other professional related motivations
• 13:20 – Motivations for staying at the same firm for so many years include relationships (very important!), remote work was not an option and her location wasn’t a large city with many options working in dam safety, Gannett Fleming was very flexible when Amanda had young children
• 18:55 - As a hiring manager – “The thing that usually impresses me the most is excitement about their work… I don’t expect people to know all the answers… Communication is also very important… someone who isn’t afraid to ask questions”
• 21:42 – ASDSO is a great way to “Get Involved” as a young professional 
• 27:40 - Understanding potential failure modes can be a great way to better understand risk in dam safety
• 30:00 - Advice to younger self – be yourself, be genuine, and don’t worry so much about the perception (don’t need to be polished in your first presentation!)
• 32:15 – On what’s next… “Have an open mind and put yourself out there a little bit”
• Amanda is one of the authors of FEMA’s Selecting and Accommodating Inflow Design Floods for Dams (Selecting and Accommodating Inflow Design Floods for Dams (fema.gov))

We want to hear from you! Send us a message at [[e-mail]] and let us know what questions you may have for our leaders and innovators.

Get Involved!

Association Membership

In addition to free resources for the Dam Safety community, membership with ASDSO provides the following list of benefits and more! Follow this link to join! https://www.damsafety.org/basic-page/become-member  

• Member discounts on all training and products
• Unlimited access to full ASDSO conference papers
• Online member directory
• Miscellaneous surveys archive
• Journal of Dam Safety

.Committee Membership

Consider joining one of the many ASDSO committees and Interest Groups. Find the full list at the following link:  Committees and Interest Groups | Association of State Dam Safety

Upcoming Training Opportunities

Find upcoming training opportunities, including on-demand webinars, live webinars, seminars, and past content in the Training Center! Training Center | Association of State Dam Safety

ASDSO Toolbox

The ASDSO Toolbox (www.damtoolbox.org) is intended to be a one-stop shop for current guidelines and regulations of the dam safety industry. The content is growing but we need your help to further the momentum! Consider volunteering as a moderator, proposing new content, or suggesting additional resources.