Happy New Year!

I have always found it interesting that we all look forward to the New Year. In reality, one day is not that different from the previous day, except for tax purposes. Yet, we all look forward to a new start. We want to leave the troubles of the current year behind us. Hope springs eternal.

This year, many of us may not be so optimistic. The economy will affect us all. As civil engineers, we still have a lot to anticipate. The new administration is likely going to press for a major infrastructure initiative that will benefit the profession and our communities. Demand for our services will not go away.

Wednesday night, celebrate the New Year by celebrating the fact that you are a civil engineer. I think 2009 will be a memorable year.

I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. This is the time of year that helps us keep our lives in perspective. As civil engineers, we have the chance every day to make a difference in our communities and other communities around the world. I hope you never doubt the value of your contribution to the quality of life of your family, friends, and neighbors.

One other thing that I recall at this time of year is the importance of spending time with those very same people. Our jobs take a large part of our time and attention. Take a little extra time for friends and family this season.

I recently had the opportunity to represent ASCE at two international conferences, the PanAmerican Union of Engineering Organizations (UPADI) and the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), in Brasilia, Brazil. UPADI is the federation of engineers in the Americas, and WFEO represents engineering organizations around the world.

Like many of you, I do not practice internationally, so my exposure to international engineers is only at conferences that I attend. The topics of the two conferences revealed a remarkable truth. As engineers, we are all struggling with the same issues. It does not matter if you come from an industrialized country or one classified as a developing country; the challenges that are faced are the same. Only the degree of involvement changes. All of us are working on issues related to recruiting the next generation, education, licensure in all of its permutations, sustainability, and inadequate infrastructure funding.

We really do live in a small world. A great comfort for me is to see the commitment to success by engineers in all countries and circumstances. Engineers are truly remarkable people.

ASCE is represented on the Board of Direction by representatives of 10 geographic and one technical Region. Today, I want to highlight Region 10 — our international members. ASCE membership by those residing outside of the United States has risen steadily in recent years. The full members of the Society represent countries from all over the world. They are qualified engineers who believe in the same ultimate goal which is to promote the profession of civil engineering.

Director Potenciano (Junn) Leoncio, Jr. recently proposed an interesting initiative to accelerate the full integration of international members into ASCE. He proposed a “Sister Section” program. Modeled loosely after sister cities programs, a domestic ASCE Section would sign a Sister Section agreement with one of our international Sections.

I see an incredible array of benefits that could flow both ways. The possibility of sharing information and experiences within ASCE are obvious. I see other possibilities in sharing programs, continuing education, and technology transfer. You could easily establish a joint Web site that would allow members of both sections to communicate on business and personal issues to create a new network of friends and colleagues.

Who knows? Someone may even establish a new business relationship that opens new markets to their employers.  What other ideas do you have?  Will you lead your Section or Branch to do the same thing?

I have a question. Does a North Carolina Tarheel have a bigger carbon footprint? At the recent meeting of the Board of Direction, we reviewed the ASCE policy on greenhouse gases. The board was split on how ASCE should approach the international debate on controlling greenhouse gases. A large majority agreed that the Earth is experiencing climate change. The difference of opinion was on the cause of climate change.

As a result of the discussion, our policy committees are hard at work on a revised policy. I am interested in your opinions on whether the cause of climate change is more important than the result of climate change to ASCE and civil engineers.

We should be the first to admit that we are not climate scientists. We should know that we will be the first group called upon to adapt communities to the reality of changing climates. Water resources are changing, and communities depending on traditional sources may find their future supplies lacking. We could spend pages describing possible impacts. I want a policy that puts ASCE at the table every time that greenhouse gases are discussed. Congress is going to spend a lot of money on this issue, and civil engineers have a major role to play in defining our path forward.