In 2012, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), the University of Cincinnati (U of C), and the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) began to work on a new sizing technique 80 years in the making. The main drivers were Dan Cole (IAPMO) and Steve Buchberger (U of C), and later Toju Omaghomi (U of C). As part of this effort, hundreds of thousands of data points were taken and evaluated to determine actual human behavior and plumbing fixture use in residential homes.

In creating Hunter’s Curve, the beauty of what Dr. Roy Hunter did was to take an incredibly complex problem in probability theory and make it simple — so simple, in fact, that all it required was basic arithmetic.

After four grueling years at the Virginia Military Institute, upon graduation as an engineer, I decided to follow my own prudent path: I would find the best paying job in an area with the lowest cost of living that afforded me training opportunities. I knew myself well enough that I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk; I desired interpersonal contact. I always aspired to be an engineering leader — and felt consulting would be the best route to that end.

“It couldn’t happen where I live.” Many in the United States probably thought that when watching the horror occurring in Flint, Michigan, from 2014 to 2016.

You would expect water in a hospital to be safe. But, far too often, water in hospitals and other health care facilities can put patients at risk of severe illness or death.

As the year comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the past year, one filled with challenge and growth for me. In order to grow, we have to learn how to overcome challenges. 

An electrician walked into the equipment room to diagnose and repair an electrical problem in the school. It didn't take long for the carbon monoxide inside the boiler room to fell the man. The source of the carbon monoxide leak was a faulty boiler installation. 

I worked for a manufacturers’ rep when I was first learning about hydronics. A guy I worked with was 15 years older than me. He knew that I had absolutely no training as an engineer so he took a different tack with my education.

Over the last year, during several webinars and in-person events, I've spoken about the idea of systems-based thinking, which incorporates the ideas of strategic thought in the form of focus (“saying no”) and identifying and executing on coherent actions. In many ways, systems thinking (a.k.a. strategy) incorporates pattern identification.