Ethan Gale, P.E.

// 01 · about

Who I am

I'm a licensed Professional Engineer with a double major in Applied Mathematics & Engineering Physics and a degree in Civil Engineering. For nearly a decade I've designed heavy civil retaining walls, which means turning messy real-world constraints into math that has to hold up.

That habit of mind carried over into code. I taught myself AutoLISP to automate my own workflow, then kept going: Python, SQL, JavaScript, and now full products people use every day.

Outside of work: family, faith, health, lifting, snowboarding, music, and coffee.

# whoami
name:     "Ethan Gale, P.E."
base:     "Madison, WI"
role:     "Senior Design Engineer"
also:     "Software builder"
stack:    ["Python", "JS", "SQL", "AutoLISP"]
fuel:     "coffee"
status:   "shipping"

// 03 · experience

Resume

A decade of engineering, with code woven through all of it.

retaining wall projects designed & estimated

efficiency gain on automated tasks

lines of AutoLISP written

years in design-build engineering

Senior Design Engineer · Pinnacle Design/Build Group, Inc.

Jan 2016 – Present · Heavy civil retaining wall design/build

Redefined Civil 3D standard operating procedures for current and future design engineers after identifying workflow bottlenecks.
Built AutoLISP routines (2,500+ lines) that automate design tasks, in some cases improving efficiency by over 700%. Entirely self-taught.
Estimated and designed retaining walls for 300+ projects, running geotechnical and structural analysis through 12+ proprietary software programs to FHWA, AASHTO and local codes.
Applied multi-scenario modeling, probabilistic and sensitivity analysis, and optimization methods (Monte Carlo, Simulated Annealing, Particle Swarm, Cuckoo Search).
Produced stamped drawings and 50+ page engineering design reports for clients, field crews and governing bodies.
Estimated projects for bidding: quantities, Gantt scheduling, procurement, proposals, safety and sequencing.
Field engineering: real-time direction of construction, design compliance and safety.

Education · 2015

University of Wisconsin–Platteville

B.S. Civil Engineering · Dual emphasis in Structural & Geotechnical. ASCE student club, track & field assistant coach.

Education · 2013

Augustana College

Double major in Applied Mathematics & Engineering Physics. Presidential Scholarship, Varsity Track & Field captain.

License

Professional Engineer (P.E.)

Licensed in the State of Wisconsin.

// 04 · code

Coding experience

From automating CAD to shipping web apps and browser extensions.

Languages

PythonJavaScriptSQLHTML / CSSAutoLISPVBAR

Tools & platforms

VS CodeGitHubJupyterKagglePower BIChrome ExtensionsCloudflareBlender

Engineering software

AutoCAD Civil 3DRevitInventorMathCADMSEWSLIDESNAIL

Methods

OptimizationMonte CarloData visualizationMachine learningProcess automation