It started on November 1. Halloween decorations came down, holiday decorations went up.

That time-honored and ceremonial changing of seasons also brought extensive news coverage of the upcoming (and often dreaded) ‘holiday travel season.’ Television stations started sending crews to the airport to talk about the crush of travelers expected to pass through the gates this year. Newspapers started printing lengthy articles on the cost of gas and its potential effect on the number of cars that will be hitting the highways. The question on everyone’s lips: How bad will the delays be?

In every single one of those stories there is always an expert talking about the changes that have been made or the alternatives being put into place to handle the surge of traffic and travelers. Now, it stands to reason that, since civil engineers are the ones designing and building the infrastructure that supports all that travel, the expert those reporters should be talking to is you. Alas, that’s not always the case.

The holidays are just one of many seasonal news topics that arise throughout the year. In late May every year, the news media in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast start talking about June 1 and the start of hurricane season - what can people do to protect their homes and what new measures are being put into place for evacuation. Same thing goes for the West Coast and the start of fire season. Ditto for the northern states and the first big snowfall.

The public has questions. You have answers. It’s a pretty simple equation. And, the real bonus here is that they actually want to hear from you. So what are you waiting for?

The moral of this story: They may only be around for a limited time each year, but seasonal topics present a great opportunity for you to get out there and talk about all the great things civil engineers can do.

Have any of you already talked with the media about seasonal news topics? Tell us your stories!

Joan Buhrman
Senior Manager, External Relations

Please welcome Jeff Duplantis, P.E., president-elect of ASCE’s Baton Rouge Branch. Today Jeff blogs about the Branch’s recent public awareness campaign, which was recognized with the 2008 State Public Relations Award at the ASCE Annual Conference in Pittsburgh.

How many times have you been in a conversation and been asked what you do for a living? When you answered “civil engineer,” do you think the person you were talking to understood what it is that you do? The general public typically doesn’t recognize the impact civil engineers have on their everyday lives. They don’t realize that the streets they drive on, the water they drink and their ability to flush a toilet or flip on a light switch were all made possible by a civil engineer!

In the wake of the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike on the Gulf Coast, the civil engineering profession was thrust to the forefront of the recovery efforts. These storms took a devastating toll on the transportation and utility systems in south Louisiana and south Texas. 

The impact of these storms forced local, state and federal agencies to prioritize efforts to address transportation, utility and drainage issues. The civil engineering firms and professionals of the Gulf Coast region played an important role in these projects, as they have historically in this area. 

As part of the ASCE Baton Rouge Branch’s program to improve public awareness of the civil engineering profession, we developed an area-wide advertising campaign beginning in 2007. With the assistance of ASCE National and the Louisiana Section, we were able to design and place two billboards in Baton Rouge in 2007, and then a single billboard in 2008. 

The 2008 billboard campaign ran in conjunction with National Engineers Week and allowed the Branch to increase the awareness of civil engineering among the largest audience possible. The campaign was hugely successful and won the ASCE 2008 State Public Relations Award. Below is a photo of the winning billboard.

What kind of public awareness programs have you undertaken locally?

Public relations professionals have something in common with many civil engineers. They love to build bridges! In doing so, they foster relationships and create an ongoing dialogue of connection and involvement with an organization’s target audiences and those who influence those audiences.

And, like engineers, PR professionals are systematic. They monitor trends, identify matters of concern to an organization, and take action to solve communications challenges and address those concerns. They evaluate the outcome of their actions and make improvements when needed.

A current concern for the civil engineering profession is attracting talented young people with the capacity to conceive innovative solutions for the engineering challenges of a modern society. In short, we need more kids to think of themselves as future engineers! 

At ASCE, one of the bridges to that energetic well of youthful enthusiasm is educational outreach. Our members are doing a good job of connecting and involving themselves with kids at every level. They are working hard to give parents, teachers and students a better understanding of the direct and positive impact civil engineers have on people’s everyday lives. 

Like all infrastructure, bridges need inspection from time to time. Recently, market intelligence (Changing the Conversation, 2008) has pointed out a flaw in the message that students are hearing about engineering: Kids are tuning out when the emphasis is on science, math and the rigors of an engineering education! However, the good news is kids are tuning in when the emphasis is on imagination and innovation—on turning ideas into reality! 

This change in dialogue provides a powerful teaching moment for every ASCE member who talks with parents, teachers and students. The next time you are in a position to engineer the “bridge” between kids and civil engineering – stop – and think like a PR pro.  Stay on message. Don’t squander the opportunity to help kids tune in to the discoveries and possibilities inherent in civil engineering! 

I’d love to hear what trends you are seeing! What dialogue do you find is resonating with kids? Email me at outreach@asce.org or share your firsthand experience in the comments section below.

Leslie Payne
Manager, Pre-College Outreach