Today marks the end of my stewardship of the ASCE President’s Blog. Beginning next week, Blaine Leonard will have the privilege of sharing his thoughts with you each week. Please accept my sincere appreciation for spending a few minutes each week reading this space.

I have tried to highlight issues that I believe are important. My entries have been intended to both inform and stimulate thoughts. Some of the topics revealed deeply held opinions. Your comments have been interesting, if not always enjoyable.

My hope is that the President’s Blog will continue to grow. We need a place to discuss issues. While some of us could use a refresher in manners, we can all learn by reading opinions of other members on the issues of our day. Time is precious, and you have honored me by giving me a little of your time each week.

Last week, ASCE held the first meeting of a new group, the Industry Leaders Council. This group consists of invited leaders in the civil engineering industry, representing public and private entities. Their purpose is to bring ASCE the best insights into what is happening in the profession.

Our goal is to make certain that we always keep the big picture on ASCE’s agenda. The elected leaders of ASCE do an amazing job of establishing strategies and policies that benefit our members and the society as a whole. The ILC allows us to add the perspectives of some of the most insightful employers and leaders to our priorities.

As we deal with the important issues of advocacy, infrastructure, education, sustainability, energy, etc., we will benefit from those who form as well as interpret public policy. The list of members is a Who’s Who of civil engineers. The ILC will give us more opportunities to serve as the stewards of infrastructure.

[Learn more about the Industry Leaders Council and the monthly series of podcast interviews it conducts with civil engineering leaders, Insights.]

The Executive Officers and Executive Directors of the Founder Societies met last week in Kansas City. Representing the major branches of engineering, the discussion revealed a number of common challenges. I find it interesting that even though we deliver different value to our communities and the marketplace, we are remarkable similar in our aspirations for the profession.

You might wonder what civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, mining, and materials engineers have in common. Each group recognizes that we are essential to the continuation of civilization and that we can use our expertise to accelerate the development of Third World communities. We learned that most of the societies have ongoing efforts to reach out in humanitarian programs around the world. Collaboration may allow us to reach more people with the same resources. Each group is keenly aware of the need to reach a new generation with the incredibly creative story of engineering as a career. Again, all of us have outreach programs of one kind or another to K-12 students. Collaboration may allow us to reach many more students as they decide how best to spend their lives.

I remain impressed by the inventive process going on in each discipline related to sustainability. Engineers will truly establish the way that we live in the future. For some reason, engineers tend to define ourselves as being materially different from other engineers in other disciplines. I suppose that we like living in silos. Believe me when I say that we have more in common than we think. We are educated professionals who creatively dedicate our lives to making the world a better place for everyone. I say Hooray for engineers, whatever flavor they represent.

In August, ASCE participated in a joint ceremony with Canadian and Spanish engineers recognizing the significance of the mapping of North America’s west coast by Captain George Vancouver in the 1790s. We designated the maps an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. You would have to see the rugged coast of the northwest U.S. and Canada to get a feel for the enormity of the task that was accomplished. The created maps were so accurate that they were used for decades afterward as settlement occurred. [Learn more about ASCE's landmark designation.]

As I listened to the explanation of the effort, I began to wonder what our contribution would be. What are we working on today that will be a turning point for society over the next 100 years? I firmly believe that infrastructure is the foundation for modern civilization. However, foundations must continue to change to reflect the ever-increasing demands of a growing society.

Let us agree that we should view our role as civil engineers with aspirations to make our communities better places. Who knows? Maybe someone will call your name at a ceremony in 2109.

What are you doing at the end of October? If you are still open, I encourage you to join us in Kansas City for our Annual Conference.

We have a full program built around major issues facing civil engineering. You will have the opportunity to participate in discussions that will ultimately define the future of civil engineers. We also have exceptional speakers including Ben Stein. Personally, I am hoping he is still giving away some of his money! Blaine Leonard will lay out his plans for the upcoming year. Our International Program will give all attendees the chance to see the contributions made by members outside of the USA.

All in all, the opportunities make it well worth your time. I hope to see you there.
[For a schedule and to register, visit the official Annual Conference site.]

Happy New Year! Yes, I know the date. However, we celebrate two new years in the U.S. -– the famous one with parties and tax issues and the start of the new school year. I never cease to be amazed at how much of our lives revolves around the start of a new school year. You do not even have to have schoolkids at home to be affected.

With that thought in mind, let me encourage you to look at ASCE as you begin this new year. I am certain that many of you have had good intentions about getting involved in your Section or Branch. Now is a good time. Your colleagues will be glad to see you. Together you can take a position about the importance of infrastructure funding during a recession. You might even write and submit a paper on that great project that you recently completed.

While you are at it, you could slip by your local engineering school or alma mater and encourage the students in ASCE. Introduce the ASCE and EWB students to each other and inform them of our partnership. Stop by the nearest school to your home and volunteer to introduce engineering to the students regardless of their age. ASCE has age-appropriate material to help you.

We have a lot of work to do to promote this great profession of civil engineering. Starting a new school year is the perfect time for you to join us.

[To find a local ASCE Section or Branch, start here.
To learn about volunteering to introduce kids to the world of civil engineering, start here. ]

ASCE recently released a document outlining Guiding Principles for the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure. This document grew out of an effort to understand why we have had some major infrastructure failures in the last few years. A group of recognized experts came together to discuss what we should do to prevent this type of failure in the future. Representing both public and private professionals, they created a set of guidelines that we can share with policymakers and practicing engineers.

The Guiding Principles address four primary topics in an effort to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. I trust that you can see the value of these guidelines.
  1. Quantify, communicate, and manage risk.
  2. Employ an integrated systems approach.
  3. Exercise sound leadership, management, and stewardship in decision-making processes.
  4. Adapt critical infrastructure in response to dynamic conditions and practice.

As civil engineers, we should recognize that all infrastructure is not created equal. Some facilities are more critical to our safety than others. We have a responsibility to include these guidelines in conversations related to funding and design standards going forward. Check the ASCE Web site for more details on this important initiative.

Most people think that elections occur in November. We have a major election under way right now within ASCE. The ballot period for our election will close this week on August 13. Please take a couple of minutes and vote if you have not already done so. If you have voted, thank you. Please call a colleague and ask them to vote.

For years, ASCE members asked for a choice in our elections. This year, your request has been granted. We have two excellent candidates for President-elect and contested races in a number of Regions. EWRI has an election, too. Choose those who will lead ASCE.

[Learn more about the candidates in the contested elections, plus details on how to cast your ballot, at the ASCE 2010 election page.]

ASCE recently named Guayabo in Costa Rica an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. We had the privilege of traveling to Guayabo recently to participate in the impressive dedication ceremonies.

Located in the Costa Rican rain forest, Guayabo is not as well-known as some other pre-Columbian archeological sites such as Machu Picchu in Peru. For a community that thrived from 900-1200 A.D., the engineering prowess demonstrated there continues to impress today. Several engineering elements deserve highlighting. A wide roadway leads into the site. This roadway is made of multiple courses of rock pavement. The pavement still looks like we could walk on it today. Check your last plan set to see how many layers of paving you used. A water system was also constructed that gathered spring water into a central pool for use. The inlet to the pool is larger than the outlet. This technique allowed them to store water during low flow periods while releasing water during times of higher flow. Many of our water supply and drainage control reservoirs still use this concept. Amazingly, the system still functions freely. Will our projects still perform 1,000 years from now?
[Learn more about the ancient city of Guayabo.]

The people of Costa Rica are thrilled to have this designation from ASCE. The dedication ceremony included three cabinet ministers and the president of their legislature. The people turned out in force for the dedication because they appreciate the heritage of their country. Recognition of civil engineering achievement remains one of ASCE’s important roles. Let us work together to help our communities understand the value of infrastructure and civil engineering. Hopefully, we will not have to wait 1,000 years to appreciate what we do.

The ASCE Board met over the weekend. See, these dedicated members didn’t even miss work to attend the meeting! One of the highlights of our sessions was a presentation from our Sustainability Task Force. We will be publishing a more detailed description of their work, but I am excited to let you know of one major decision. ASCE is creating a certification process for civil works.

Most of you are familiar with the LEED certification program. They rate buildings on a number of criteria based on sustainable design and energy conservation. We believe that ASCE and civil engineers should be the ones who establish good practices related to civil works. Our Code of Ethics calls on each of us to engage in sustainable development. ASCE is issuing a definition of what sustainability means on civil works. We are promoting the use of new materials and techniques as we try to minimize impacts on the natural environment. Civil engineers have always been stewards of the environment. We went green long ago; we just did not take credit for it. Now we want to celebrate the ability of civil engineers to improve the world we live in. We want the public to have confidence that the infrastructure we build will improve their quality of life and the quality of the environment wherever possible.

Some of you may ask why this is so important. The answer is simple. If we fail to act, many other professions will be happy to do it for us and impose their ideas on our practice. We know better than others how to use our skills to benefit mankind by creating energy efficient and environmentally sensitive projects. Now, we will do just that. Civil engineers are the stewards of infrastructure. Certification of sustainable practice will go a long way in communicating that fact to the public.