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.]

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.]

We are in the height of hurricane season in the U.S. All you landlubbers that do not live on the coasts should keep reading. The U.S. coastline from Baltimore to Brownsville is at risk of a major hurricane strike every year. (I know they sometimes strike farther north, but that messes up my literary style.)

The strategy for dealing with these natural disasters is to pour billions of dollars in federal money into the area after the fact. Those billions of dollars come from everyone, not just coastal residents. Perhaps it is time to discuss whether there is a better way. People in south Louisiana are trying to recreate the great Mississippi delta marshlands as an additional layer of protection. Texas is now considering the Ike Dike as a possible means to protect the nation’s largest petrochemical complex and several million people. The cost to harden our infrastructure and provide protection will be astronomical. The cost of continuing along our current path of disaster recovery is already astronomical. Which one is correct? The answer will likely vary based on the local situation.

What does not vary is the need for civil engineers to participate in the discussion. Congress is considering additional funding for permanent protection of New Orleans. What frequency should we build? State legislatures are working to create disaster mitigation plans. What standards will they use? Coastal communities are often overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the problem. Civil engineers have a major role to play in all of these discussions.

•

I extend my hearty congratulations to Kathy Caldwell as the winner of the election for President-elect and to all of the winners of the other contests. Your service is sincerely appreciated. For a complete listing of election results, see the official 2010 election page.

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.

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.

Summertime is lazy time for many of us. The weather is hot. People are on vacation. We wish we were on vacation, too. Speaking of vacation, why is there always a big pile of paper on your desk when you get back from vacation? Can’t anybody handle those items while we are gone? Let me give you a suggestion for something else you can do during the summer. How about engaging in some life-long learning?

ASCE remains the largest provider of civil engineering material in the world. Much of that material is available in seminars online. No matter what your specialty, ASCE has educational materials for you. Think about it. If you are a PE, most states require some sort of continuing education. ASCE courses qualify, and you can take them at home or at work. If you are working towards a PE, you will benefit from expanding your knowledge or by taking an exam review class. If you are a practicing engineer, you really do need to stay abreast of developments in your chosen field. If you are a manager, we have seminars on a number of business, marketing, and HR topics. If you have been working alone, you can pay a single fee and invite your friends or clients to join you. Time is the one commodity where it is impossible to create a surplus. Enjoy your summer. Don’t get to the fall and wish you had spent your time more wisely. Do your career a favor this summer. Take an ASCE seminar. You will be glad you did. [Learn more about ASCE's Continuing Education offerings.]

Personal privilege. Today is my 35th wedding anniversary. The sideburns are gone. The cheesy styles went with them. My love for my wife, Karen, has grown. She remains the joy of my life.

When we published our 2009 Infrastructure Report Card, we received a high number of accolades. We also received the tired old criticism that we were being self-serving. Critics can be so predictable. Now, we have received independent confirmation of our warnings about poor, inadequate infrastructure.

A national transportation coalition has published a report that states that more than 50% of highway fatalities are caused by poor road conditions. That finding is an indictment for every DOT and elected body in this country. It is also an indictment to civil engineers who have sat silently while the deterioration accelerated. We have allowed our roadways to deteriorate to the point where people are at risk to travel on them. The challenge as always remains funding. We built these roads decades ago and adopted new spending priorities. Now that we need to rebuild, we cannot seem to get any money back from those new priorities. In the meantime, people are getting killed. Congress is now debating a transportation bill with no identified way to pay for it. The Administration wants to defer the discussion for at least six months. State legislatures are just as bad. In Texas, our legislature just voted down a means to get private funds to build toll roads. This decision comes in spite of evidence that 100% of current funding will go for maintenance by 2012.

Our elected officials have become more adept at telling us what they cannot support instead of finding methods that they can support. I think we should promote the new study as visibly as possible. Let the elected people explain why 50% casualties that could be avoided is good public policy. Read the study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. Download and send a copy to your elected officials. Tell them that enough is enough.

Personal privilege. Happy birthday to my son David. He is 28 today.

This week marks the celebration of our Declaration of Independence. As civil engineers, we should be among those who celebrate the most. The USA continues to be a place where people from all walks of life can follow their dreams.

The staff in my firm is made up of men and women from all walks of life. They come from all over the world. Together, we create a better quality of life for our friends and neighbors in cities across Texas. Look at your own organization. How are you contributing to building better communities?

You have the freedom to come and go as you please. Your compensation allows you to care for yourself and your family. Nobody tells you to be a carpenter or plumber if you really want to be a civil engineer. You have the freedom to pursue the religion of your choice or no religion at all. Being a D, R, L, C, or I has no bearing on your ability to practice civil engineering. Our ethics and laws allow us to avoid the corruption that many of our colleagues face in certain other nations.

I am proud to be an American, a civil engineer, and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.