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.]

Today is Columbus Day. I still remember “in 14 hundred and 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue …” History has revealed that the discovery of the New World may not have been exactly according to the old rhyme. Today, we remember it mostly as a federal holiday, except for people in consulting firms who are working today.

In one sense, Columbus’ trip was a failure because he failed to find a passage to India. Imagine how Fox News might have covered the trip if the person who sent Columbus to India had been named Obama instead of Isabella. In many other senses, the trip changed the world forever.

Today, we have many new frontiers to explore. These frontiers are technological instead of geographical. Engineers are modern day explorers. We stand at the beginning of a new day in bio-medicine, energy, sustainability, and materials. We are not certain where the exploration of these fields will lead us. What we do know is that our lives will be changed dramatically over the next decade or two. Today, cheer Columbus and hug an engineer!

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.]

Did you see the recent press release from the EPA? Administrator Lisa Jackson announced that the EPA is beginning the process of declaring carbon dioxide to be a pollutant. Do not miss the significance of this process. Making carbon dioxide a regulated substance will have a huge impact on civil engineers.  [Here's a story on the proposed action from the San Francisco Chronicle.]

Over time, everything that we design, construct, and operate will be placed under yet another set of rules and regulations. Everything that uses energy will be subject to new standards. None of us can predict how rapidly regulations would promulgate or how significant they would initially be to our daily practices. What we do know is that we have a large supply of attorneys, scientists, and politicians who have agendas that do not include engineering as a criterion.

ASCE and civil engineers have a large stake in making certain that the reality of engineering is injected in the hearings process. Please get as many engineering organizations, both public and private, involved in these important considerations.

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. ]

Doubtless you remember the ARRA, affectionately dubbed the Stimulus Act. The nation was sold on the idea of infrastructure playing a significant role in building our way out of the recession. However, only 10% of the money allocated in ARRA went to infrastructure.

Lately, we’ve been hearing about a “jobless recovery.” That description is not entirely correct. The stimulus dollars that were dedicated to infrastructure have put people to work. Construction workers were the early recipients as DOT’s released contracts in May. Design engineers got in on the act a little later as the EPA released the money designated for water projects. Many people forgot that the ARRA funds are slated for spending over a two-year period, so we will still see this money in the construction industry into 2010.

What cannot be forgotten is that the money designated for infrastructure has and will create jobs. Infrastructure is a proven economic development tool. Encourage your elected officials to build. It works everywhere it is tried.

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.