Public Speaking

Steve Ressler is an accomplished public speaker who engages audiences with presentations on engineering, architecture, history, ethics, and professionalism. His presentations are characterized by enthusiastic delivery, high-quality visuals, and extensive use of physical models and demonstrations.

To arrange a speaking engagement, please contact Steve.

Recent Speaking Engagements

• “Engineering the Panama Canal” – Four-part lecture series presented aboard “New York Times Journeys”–a Holland America cruise through the Panama Canal, sponsored by Insight Cruises (February 16-March 1, 2020)
• “Roman Aqueducts” – Keynote speech for the Tennessee Tech Living and Learning Villages Legacy Series (October 28, 2019)
• “Washing the Unwashed Masses: The Roman Bath as Social Institution & Technological System” –  Marblestone Memorial Lecture (October 24, 2019)
• “Public Speaking & Soft Skills” – Presentation to the ASCE Student Chapter, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA (April 17, 2019)
• “History of the Suspension Bridge: An Engineering Perspective” – Presentation to the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers (PSPE), Bethlehem, PA (April 9, 2019)
• “My Brief Career as an Engineering Nerd TV Star” – Keynote speech at the annual banquet of the Fritz Engineering Research Society, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA (February 7, 2019)
• “Reflections on the Greatest Generation” – Keynote speech at the Lehigh University Veteran’s Day Luncheon, Bethlehem, PA (November 9, 2018)
• “Amazing Engineering Achievements of the Ancient Romans” – Keynote presentation at the annual conference of the Structural Engineers Association of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC (October 11, 2018)
• “Nervi’s Great Domes: A Marriage of Form, Function, and Structure” – Public presentation at the National Museum of Industrial History, Bethlehem, PA (May 20, 2018)
• “Engineering the Panama Canal” – Four-part lecture series presented aboard “Bright Horizons 34”–a Holland America cruise through the Panama Canal, sponsored by Insight Cruises (January 20-February 4, 2018)
• “Great Engineering Works of the Adriatic from Antiquity to the Renaissance” – Five-part lecture series presented aboard “Bright Horizons 33”–a Holland America cruise of the Adriatic Sea, sponsored by Insight Cruises (October 2-14, 2017)
• “Civil Engineering Education for Afghanistan” – Keynote address at he Lehigh Valley ASCE Annual Holiday Banquet (December 8, 2016)
• “Engineering in the Ancient World” – Five-part lecture series presented aboard “Bright Horizons 29”–a Holland America cruise of the eastern Mediterranean, sponsored by Insight Cruises (May 6-18, 2016)
• “Building in Stone: The Greek Temple” – Invited seminar presentation at the Fellowship retirement community in Whitehall, Pennsylvania (April 15, 2016)
• “Reconstructing the Trireme” – Invited seminar presentation at the Senior Monday program, DaVinci Science Center, in Allentown, Pennsylvania (February 8, 2016)
• “The Sociology of Professions and Engineering Ethics” – Invited presentation at “Do the Right Thing: How to Encourage Ethical Behavior and Practice,” a conference at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (September 24-25, 2015)
• “Seeing Structure in Architecture” – Five-part lecture series presented aboard “Bright Horizons 26”–a Holland America cruise to Norway and Iceland, sponsored by Insight Cruises (August 1-15, 2015)
• “The Arch” – Invited seminar presentation at the Senior Monday program, DaVinci Science Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania (November 10, 2014)
• “Conceptual Models of the Professions and Professionalism:  Application to Civil Engineering” – Presentation to the Board of Direction, American Society of Civil Engineers in Stowe, Vermont (July 12, 2014)
• “When the Drums Begin to Roll” – Keynote address at the Hanover Township, PA, Armed Forces Day commemoration (May 22, 2014)
• “Seeing Structure in Architecture” – Four-part lecture series presented during the inaugural Great Courses Cruise, developed in collaboration with Insight Cruises (November 4-17, 2013)
• “The Greek Temple” – Presentation to 50 attendees at the Stonebridge retirement community in Princeton, New Jersey (October 19, 2013)
• “Engineering Education at West Point” – Presentation to the Rotary Club of White Plains, New York (April 15, 2013)
• “The Quebec Bridge Failure: A Case Study in Engineering Ethics” – Keynote address at the Order of the Engineer Initiation Ceremony, West Point, New York (April 25, 2013)
• “Using Questioning to Enhance Student Engagement” – Keynote address at “Shaking the Foundations of Geotechnical Engineering,” a conference of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering in Galway, Ireland (July 5, 2011).