March 2009
Volume 34, Number 3

On February 17 President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law No. 111-005), which allocates billions of dollars to the repair and renewal of the nation’s infrastructure. The event marked a success for ASCE, which for decades has worked to call the attention of Congress, the president, and the public to the perilous state of the nation’s infrastructure. Through such efforts as its 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure and its document “Principles for Infrastructure Stimulus Investment,” ASCE did much to support and shape the bill.

“We are remaking the American landscape with the largest new investment in our nation’s infrastructure since Eisenhower built an interstate highway system in the 1950s,” Obama said before signing the bill in Denver. “Because of this investment, nearly four hundred thousand men and women will go to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, repairing our faulty dams and levees, bringing critical broadband connections to businesses and homes in nearly every community in America, upgrading mass transit, and building high-speed rail lines that will improve travel and commerce throughout the nation,” he said.

In an e-mail message to ASCE News, D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE, the Society’s president, stated, “The economic recovery legislation is an encouraging sign that Washington has finally realized that infrastructure investment can serve as an economic catalyst and address major shortfalls in our failing infrastructure.”

ASCE’s leaders, members, and staff provided input and support as the bill was formulated and debated. Between December 15 and the day the bill was passed, ASCE’s government relations staff worked with several House committees and visited 135 congressional offices, including the offices of the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid (D-Nevada); the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi (D-California); the House majority leader, Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland); and the House minority leader, John Boehner (R-Ohio). To supplement this effort, hundreds of ASCE members contacted their legislators to voice their support of the bill.

In addition to its legislative efforts, ASCE convened the Summit on Guiding Principles for Critical Infrastructure in early December. As a result of that conference, the Society drew up the document “Principles for Infrastructure Stimulus Investment,” which was presented to Obama’s transition team in January together with a letter from Klotz. (See “ASCE Offers Suggestions for Economic Stimulus Plan,” ASCE News, February 2009, page 1.) The Society’s Board of Direction also decided to release the grades contained in the 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure two months ahead of schedule. (See “ASCE’s Infrastructure Report Card Gives Nation a D, Estimates Cost at $2.2 Trillion,” ASCE News, February 2009, page 1.)

As a result of its early release, the Society’s infrastructure assessment captured the attention of the media and of the White House. In the White House’s new blog, Brian Deese, an economic adviser to the president, posted the following on February 4: “Just a couple of weeks ago, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Report Card for America’s Infrastructure issued an overall grade of D. From Katrina to the Minnesota bridge collapse, our nation’s failure to take this infrastructure crisis seriously is blatant, and unacceptable. By making long overdue investments in our roads, bridges, transit, ports, and air security, the stimulus plan will put people back to work while making our nation safer and more prosperous in the future.”

Obama himself cited the 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure in outlining his $3.55-trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2010. He noted that the Society’s assessment was bleak because of a “lack of investment and strategic long-term planning.”

The bill allocates funds to nearly all of the categories listed in ASCE’s report. The largest portion will go to energy and the environment, which are to receive $98.234 billion, according to figures compiled by CNN. As part of that allocation, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation is to receive $1.4 billion for water reuse and reclamation projects as well as water treatment projects. The Environmental Protection Agency will receive $7.2 billion, an amount that will include grants for drinking water initiatives. ASCE’s assessment gave drinking water a D–, citing an annual shortfall in spending of at least $11 billion.

Next in order of spending is transportation. Approximately $57.07 billion is to be allocated to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). On February 12, several days before Obama signed the bill, ASCE’s executive director, Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE, together with the leaders of such groups as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, participated in a teleconference with the newly appointed secretary of transportation, Ray LaHood, who briefed them on the legislation’s effect on transportation. LaHood stated that approximately $27.5 billion was to be allocated for highway and bridge projects, $1.5 billion for competitive grants, and $8.4 billion for mass transit. He also stated that, according to the bill, 50 percent of the funding would have to be assigned to particular projects within 120 days and all of it would have to be assigned within one year.

LaHood mentioned that a group had been assembled at the dot to coordinate the department’s work in furthering the economic recovery program. Known as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) team, the group is composed of officials from the department’s operating administrations and offices. Its charge is to ensure that economic recovery funding is made available for transportation projects and that project spending is effectively monitored and transparent. “We created the tiger team to make sure that the DOT’s portion of recovery funding goes out to states and localities as quickly as possible in order to immediately create jobs and strengthen our economy and transportation systems,” LaHood stated in a press release.

In addition to the spending for infrastructure projects, the bill includes several other provisions that were supported by the Society, including $24.8 billion in bonds to be used for school construction, renovation, and repair. Funding was also added for modernizing schools as part of a $53.6-billion fund to be allocated to governors and local school districts for public safety and educational purposes and programs. The bill also includes a tax credit bond option for state and local governments for 2009 and 2010.

ASCE also supported several provisions in the bill that relate to scientific research and development. Basic research in fundamental science and engineering through the National Science Foundation is to receive $3 billion, and research in such areas as climate science, biofuels, high-energy physics, and fusion energy is to receive $1.6 billion through the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Project Agency–Energy is to receive $400 million, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Technology Innovation Program and Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership are to receive $580 million.

“Even with the stimulus funding there still remains a significant gap between the needed investment level and the proposed funding,” stated Klotz.  According to the 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the funding falls far short of the $2.2 trillion needed to fully rejuvenate and repair the nation’s infrastructure. “The nation’s energy, aviation, drinking water, and other infrastructure systems—the critical foundations that support our quality of life and the health of our economy—are in desperate need of leadership and vision. The economic recovery legislation is a promising first step, but we are at the beginning of the journey, not the end,” Klotz stated. 

An opportunity to continue making the case for infrastructure will come later this month as part of ASCE’s Government Relations Leadership Training Program. During this two-day event, ASCE members will meet with their representatives and senators to discuss the Society’s latest infrastructure assessment and to voice their support of the upcoming surface transportation authorization, which as of press time had not yet been introduced in Congress. LaHood emphasized in the teleconference with Natale and others that the authorization is just as important as the stimulus bill.

More information about the stimulus bill may be found at www.recovery.gov, a Web site created by the Obama administration with the intent of providing “full transparency and accountability.” The site features the full text of the bill, recent announcements, and answers to frequently asked questions. Information may also be found at www.asce.org/govrel.

—Brett Hansen

More than 1,000 members from around the country attended the Society’s three regional leadership conferences to learn how to make the most of their terms as ASCE leaders. These local, regional, and national leaders met in Denver January 9–10, in San Francisco January 23–24, and in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, February 6–7 and came ready to learn. The conferences included presentations on a variety of topics by ASCE staff members, volunteers, and national leaders. They included both plenary sessions and separate sessions for section and branch leaders, for members of younger member councils, and for members of student chapters.

As part of a presentation describing ASCE’s partnership with Engineers Without Borders–USA (EWB–USA) entitled “What ASCE’s Partnership with EWB–USA Is and Is Not,” Robin Kemper, P.E., F.ASCE, the chair of an ASCE task committee formed to broaden the relationship between ASCE and EWB–USA, gave those in attendance a better understanding of the tie and then facilitated two breakout sessions. Attendees ranged from individuals just learning about EWB–USA to the leaders of local EWB–USA chapters. They were instructed on how to become more involved in EWB–USA. The measures proposed included becoming members of local professional chapters, lending support to student chapters, reviewing projects, supporting employees who wish to become active in EWB–USA, and donating money.

Kemper also discussed the efforts of the ASCE task committee, which is encouraging sections, branches, and local institute groups to appoint a “champion” to act as a liaison between ASCE and EWB–USA. It is also developing presentations that will be used by these champions and others to discuss EWB–USA with ASCE’s sections and branches. As an additional measure, the task committee has recommended that a database of the members of ASCE’s international sections, as well as of other international groups with which ASCE has agreements of cooperation, be created to provide EWB–USA chapters with contacts in the countries in which their projects are being carried out.

At all three conferences, the attendees were able to interact with ASCE’s three candidates for president-elect: Kathy J. Caldwell, P.E., M.ASCE, Moustafa A. Gouda, P.E., F.ASCE, and Garland P. Rose, Jr., P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE, all of whom outlined their visions of ASCE’s future. “It was nice having them all in the same room at the same time. You got to meet them. You got to put a face with the name. And when each person was asked a question, [the other candidates] had the opportunity to answer the same question,” says Sandra Knight, P.E., M.ASCE, the governor of Region 4.

Also noteworthy was a presentation by Alicia Karwoski, P.E., M.ASCE, the Society’s director of professional activities, and Melissa Prelewicz, P.E., M.ASCE, its senior manager of professional activities, entitled “Succeeding with Generational Differences.” The two highlighted the differences between the traditionalist generation (those born between 1922 and 1945), the baby boomers (1946 to 1964), Generation X (1965 to 1980), and Generation Y, whose members are also called millennials (after 1980). Those in attendance gained an insight into how to use this knowledge to successfully recruit and lead others.

During another portion of the conference members of ASCE’s staff described what sections and branches can do to advance the Society’s goals at the state and local levels. They encouraged ASCE’s leaders to spread the word about the nation’s failing infrastructure through presentations at section, branch, and regional meetings as well as at meetings of local civic groups.
They also recommended writing op-ed pieces and letters to the editors of local newspapers and adding comments to blogs and news Web sites. Attendees were also encouraged to send representatives from their sections to ASCE’s annual Government Relations Leadership Training Program and to acquaint elected officials at all levels with the findings of the Society’s 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure.

—Brett Hansen

ASCE’s Precollege Outreach Programs Are Changing

Change is here! As you know, I am the ABC (advocacy, benefits, change) president, and C stands for change. One area in which I see a great deal of change taking place has to do with our precollege outreach activities and programs. We are moving forward in new, exciting directions that will bring the adventures of engineering to greater numbers of students in a variety of new ways.

Can we inspire a whole generation of young people to be engineers? I believe we can if we devise new ways of promoting the profession and change the way people think about engineering. To that end, ASCE has just launched asceville (www.asceville.org), a Web site designed for kids. Kids will love to enter the site by watching the design and construction of asceville right before their eyes. They’ll learn why skyscrapers stand tall, how water is made safe for drinking, and how people are able to travel safely and efficiently. The site opens up the world of engineering in much the same way that people encounter civil engineering in real life: by exploring the urban landscape. The images and text give visitors an insight into the work done by civil engineers. The site is intended to grow and evolve over time, ultimately offering kids a rich introduction to civil engineering while giving parents, educators, and engineers access to classroom and other educational resources, outreach support, and much more. In “constructing” asceville, ASCE was assisted by a generous grant from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, and we are most appreciative of this support.

We just released a new booklet to supplement the series Civil Engineering: It’s Everywhere, which was developed by the wgbh Educational Foundation.  Aimed at high school students, the new booklet asks its readers how they intend to make a difference in addressing the issues affecting the world they’ll soon inherit. It includes answers to questions commonly asked by high school students, presents engaging profiles of ASCE members, and offers easily accessible resources to help students determine if civil engineering offers what they are looking for in a career. It completes a series of booklets written for students in grades 3 through 12 that include facts presented in an engaging way and profiles of engineers whose work is making a difference. If we include Curious George: Let’s Build!—an educational program for students in kindergarten and first grade based on the series Curious George (a production of Imagine Entertainment, wgbh Boston, and Universal Studios Family Productions)—we now have resources that cover virtually all precollege students.

How can we inspire a large number of students to seriously consider a career in engineering? Without doubt, we must convey the right message. For this reason, I urge every ASCE member to visit www.engineeryourlife.org and to click on “For Engineers” at the top of the page. ASCE initiated the Engineer Your Life campaign under the leadership of Patricia D. Galloway, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, a president emeritus of ASCE. Today the campaign is helping the engineering profession develop new messages that celebrate the creativity, innovation, and excitement of our profession and the satisfaction that comes in working successfully with others to solve problems and meet challenges. Acquaint yourself with these new messages so that you can make a persuasive case to students, their parents, and others, and be sure to acquaint your colleagues and friends with the Web site.  Consider hosting a table at a college fair so that you can tell students about the creativity implicit in your work and how much you enjoy your profession.

The series Design Squad shows teenagers solving engineering challenges.  ASCE’s long-standing partnership with its producer, wgbh Boston, began with the series Building Big. Design Squad was made possible in part through a development grant from ASCE’s Public Image Fund (www.asce.org/membership/voluntary/). Design Squad, Curious George, FETCH! and Cyberchase introduce kids to the engineering design process and are complemented by outreach programs that are led by engineers. ASCE is also actively involved in the production of programs on cable networks, for example, the Discovery Channel and the History Channel, having to do with engineering. What is more, we are helping to produce such pbs documentaries as the recent Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure. It would have been unthinkable 10 years ago, but today you can turn a tv on at almost any time of day and find a program on engineering! That’s the kind of change I like.

Many of ASCE’s innovative educational and professional leadership initiatives are made possible through the ASCE Foundation. Take some time to visit its Web site (www.asce.org/foundation), gain an insight into its activities and projects, and learn how you can contribute.

So I hope you’ll visit asceville (www.asceville.org) and learn more about the exciting ASCE precollege outreach resources there. Look over the newest booklet for the series Civil Engineering: It’s Everywhere. Visit www.engineeryourlife.org and its “For Engineers” section to learn more about messages that can help inspire girls and boys to pursue engineering careers. And please tell your colleagues, clients, and other ASCE members about these innovative resources. Change is upon us!

—D. Wayne Klotz, P.E.,
D.WRE, F.ASCE

In response to the current economic climate, ASCE is taking a number of actions to help members and their organizations meet their needs in the area of continuing education as cost-effectively and conveniently as possible. Among these steps is a significant increase in the number of live webinars being offered. I am pleased to announce that more than 120 webinars have been scheduled for this spring and summer. This figure includes more than 40 webinars on new topics covering a variety  of technical specialties, and we will also be offering a number of new webinars this spring and summer on sustainable development topics. With ASCE’s webinars, your organization pays a single site registration fee, and an unlimited number of engineers may attend at your site. For additional information about ASCE’s webinars, visit www.asce.org/webinar/list or call (800) 548-2723.

Although our economic times are, to put it mildly, turbulent, I still believe that there’s never been a better time to be a civil engineer or a member of ASCE. As ASCE members, you have access to resources that will help you survive and thrive in these challenging economic times. Now these resources are all in one place. ASCE recently launched a new Web site—www.asce.org/surviveandthrive —that features a compilation of ASCE programs and benefits designed to help you set yourself apart, keep your career on track, continue your professional development, and manage your personal finances.

A task committee under the leadership of ASCE’s president-elect, Blaine D. Leonard, P.E., F.ASCE, has been working diligently to create a road map to achieve the goals set in The Vision for Civil Engineering in 2025. The group is seeking to define the steps that will be needed to help engineers become master builders, stewards of the natural environment, innovators and integrators of technology, managers of risk, and leaders in public policy. Released in 2007, the report (http://content.asce.org/vision2025/index.html) continues to attract attention in the global civil engineering community. This past October, an ASCE representative discussed the vision outlined in the report at a civil engineering conference in São Paulo, Brazil, and the civil engineering body within Portugal’s Ordem dos Engenheiros has invited ASCE to discuss the vision at a forthcoming conference on the quality of practice. A published version of the road map is to be released late this summer.

The American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) is planning a ceremony to formally recognize those who have achieved diplomate status. The ceremony, the fifth in this annual series, will be held on Monday, May 18, in Kansas City, Missouri, as part of the 2009 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress. The aawre will recognize its founding members and two honorary diplomates: Vijay P. Singh, Ph.D., Sc.D., P.E., P.H., Hon.D.WRE, F.ASCE, a professor at Texas A&M University, and William W.G. Yeh, Ph.D., Hon.D.WRE, Dist.M.ASCE, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles. It will also recognize all those who have achieved diplomate status since the autumn of 2008. The AAWRE continues to grow, nearly 500 individuals having now achieved diplomate status, and it is forming cooperative relationships with other organizations concerned with water resources. The academy is also planning to conduct three sessions on engineering ethics at the conference, as well as a session entitled “How to Be an Expert Engineer Witness,” and it will cosponsor the session “History of the Great Rivers of the World.” For more information about the congress, which is being hosted by ASCE’s Environmental and Water Resources Institute, visit http://content.asce.org/conferences/ewri2009. For more information about the AAWRE, visit www.aawre.org/index.cfm.

Stay on top of the latest infrastructure developments by bookmarking ASCE’s redesigned Critical Infrastructure Web site, http://ciasce.asce.org. The words “civil engineering” and “infrastructure” have been on the lips of lawmakers, journalists, and even members of the general public for the past few months. In this exciting time for the profession there is no reason to believe this subject will not remain at the forefront of national interest.
The redesigned Web site will enable you to tap into the profession’s leading stories, YouTube videos, industry blogs, and live feeds focused on the nation’s infrastructure.

At the end of January the Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute inaugurated its Kenneth M. Childs Jr. Practitioners Award by presenting it to Childs’s family at a dinner organized by the waterways technical group of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section. The award is designed to recognize engineers in the marine engineering profession who have demonstrated leadership and achievement in harbor and coastal projects. Efforts to establish it began several years ago shortly after Childs’s death. The institute’s Ports and Harbors Committee decided that the first presentation of the award would be to Childs’s family. It will next be conferred during Ports 2010, which will be held March 25–28, 2010, in Jacksonville, Florida. For more information about the award, visit http://content.coprinstitute.org.

The Society’s Cybrarian Service now features a revised tutorial on how to effectively conduct civil engineering research on the Web. The tutorial will help you not only to find resources but also to gauge their reliability. To open the tutorial, visit www.asce.org/cybrarian/findway.cfm. For more information about ASCE’s Cybrarian Service, visit www.asce.org/cybrarian.

ASCE’s Region 10, which represents members outside the United States, continues to evolve and is seeking better ways to serve those who belong to it. In May it will be holding its first training workshop for section and group presidents. Those attending the workshop, which will be held in the Philippine capital, Manila, will receive training similar to that provided at ASCE’s regional leadership conferences, but it will be tailored to address international needs. Region 10 is also seeking to foster partnerships between its groups and those inside the United States in an initiative modeled on the program promoted by Sister Cities International (www.sister-cities.org/index.cfm). Region 10 hopes that this outreach effort will lead to a sharing of ideas and information. U.S. sections interested in pursuing this interaction should contact the Region 10 director, Potenciano Leoncio, Jr., P.E., M.ASCE. For a list of the international sections, visit http://content.asce.org/international/ascesInternationalStructure.html. For additional information, contact Meggan Maughan-Brown, ASCE’s director of international relations, at mmaughan-brown@asce.org.

ASCE and ASFE are seeking your nominations for the 2009 Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award. The award recognizes a person for a particular accomplishment or for lifetime achievements that demonstrate service to the public through sound leadership and a firm commitment to ethics. The individual must be a licensed professional engineer, must not be a previous recipient of the award, and within the past five years must not have served on ASCE’s Board of Direction or asfe’s Board of Directors. There is no membership requirement for nomination. The person selected is presented with a certificate and an honorarium. Take this opportunity to nationally recognize one of your fellow members. For more information or to download forms, visit www.asce.org/pressroom/honors/ppethics_leadership_award.cfm. Please e-mail nominations to awards@asce.org by June 1. Paper submissions also are accepted; the address is Honors and Awards Program, ASCE, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400.

The objective of the ASCE Peer Review for Public Agencies Program is to offer public-sector engineering, construction, and operations agencies a way of improving their management and the quality of their services and thus better safeguarding the health and safety of the public. Peer review is applicable to public agencies that provide a product that has to do with engineering irrespective of the agency’s size, mission, discipline, responsibility, or location. Its benefits are useful to all agencies, and many of the benefits are applicable to the infrastructure branches of larger agencies. An outside team of top-level engineering managers is sent to a public-sector agency to evaluate its programs and operating procedures and to assess how its policies and procedures affect the quality of the final product. The program seeks to raise the level of both management and technical practice by examining an agency’s mission as well as its objectives, policies, and procedures and then determining the extent to which it adheres to its own standards. Peer review does not analyze the technical competence of an agency or its individuals; that is left to the agency. The program is based on the principles of volunteerism and confidentiality. ASCE has staff members available to provide guidance during the review process and to answer questions. For more information, visit www.asce.org/peerreview or e-mail professional@asce.org.

Join us on April 23 at the annual gala held as part of our Outstanding Projects and Leaders (opal) program. Among the accolades to be presented that evening, the Henry L. Michel Award for Industry Advancement of Research will be conferred on Vice Admiral Michael K. Loose, P.E., M.ASCE, and the Charles Pankow Award for Innovation will be presented to those behind the Claremont Tunnel Seismic Upgrade Project. To learn more about the black-tie event, visit www.asce.org/opal. As nominations are now being accepted for the 2010 awards, I invite you to nominate your leaders and innovative projects. Visit www.asce.org/awards to learn more and to download submission forms.

A unique opportunity is open to young authors (no older than 35) of papers published in ASCE’s journals. The Alfred Noble Prize—presented annually by ASCE, the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Western Society of Engineers—is accepting nominations until May 1. This is an excellent opportunity to help a deserving young author gain recognition. To learn more about the Alfred Noble Prize, visit www.asce.org/awards.

The Academy of Geo-Professionals (AGP) will honor its first class of diplomates on Wednesday, March 18, in Orlando, Florida, during the 2009 International Foundation Congress and Equipment Expo. The second academy to be established under the auspices of Civil Engineering Certification, Inc. (www.asce.org/professional/certification/), the agp gives professional engineers an opportunity through additional training to raise their stature in the broad field of geotechnical engineering. For more information about the AGP, visit www.geoinstitute.org and click on “Certifications.”

—Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE
Executive Director

■ This summer the Construction Institute will be offering training designed to give engineers and supervisors a better understanding of crane safety at construction sites. The training is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The high-profile crane accidents that have occurred recently demonstrate the need for specialized training and certification in the areas of crane erection and dismantling. The institute received assistance through OSHA’s Susan Harwood Training Grant Program to develop and deliver the crane safety training in 2009. The objective of the course is to educate project managers, project engineers, owners, and others whose responsibilities have to do with the installation, movement, use, and dismantling of cranes and lifting devices at construction sites. In addition to raising awareness of safety issues and of the causes and costs of crane accidents, the program will explore changes linked to OSHA’s proposed rules for cranes and derricks. The training is designed in such a way that engineers and supervisors can draw on their own technical expertise and management ability in developing effective crane safety and lift plans. The training program will focus on the following:

• Factors to consider when working with cranes;
• Establishing a crane safety and lifting program;
• Lift plans and engineered lifts;
• Alternative lift methods;
• Factors contributing to accidents;
• Regulations, standards, certifications, and legal issues.

Those interested in attending or hosting a session should contact Erin Santiago via e-mail at esantiago@asce.org or via phone at (703) 295-6076.

■ In January ASCE’s Board of Direction approved the formation of the Task Committee on Sustainable Design. The new body will work with various ASCE units and institutes to give the principles of sustainable development a higher profile in civil infrastructure. The new group is being asked to do the following:

• Define the role of the Society and the profession in advancing the goals of sustainable development in civil infrastructure;
• Collect and review information regarding sustainable development and related certification programs from the U.S. Green Building Council and similar organizations;
• Define “sustainability” in terms understood and fully supported by ASCE members as well as by their clients and employees;
• Develop a plan that will help the Society further the goals of sustainable development in civil infrastructure;
• Determine if the certification of civil engineering professionals and of projects is a viable option for advancing sustainable design.

The new committee is chaired by Craig S. Farkos, P.E., M.ASCE. Its other members are Frank Griffin, Jr., P.E., M.ASCE, Fernando Pons, P.E., M.ASCE, Melissa Pope, A.M.ASCE, Jorge Vanegas, Ph.D., M.ASCE, and William Wallace, A.M.ASCE.

■ The Structural Engineering Institute’s Masonry Standards Joint Committee  will be meeting in Dulles, Virginia, May 7–9 at the Embassy Suites  Dulles–North/Loudoun Hotel. For more information about the meeting, contact  Diane Throop, P.E., the committee chair, at dthroop@imiweb.org.

■ The next meeting of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s  Atmospheric Water Management Standards Committee will take place on Tuesday,  April 21, in Garden Grove, California. Members will convene in the Harbor  Room at the Anaheim Marriott Suites, and the meeting will run from 9 am till  noon. Topics will include a review of committee membership to ensure balance  and a final review of revisions and updates to standard 39-03. Revisions and  updates to standard 42-04 also will be discussed, along with a possible initial ballot.

ASCE Web Site Undergoes Overhaul

Since 2002, when ASCE debuted its current Web site— www.asce.org —the Internet  has become the dominant medium of communication. To more effectively serve visitors, members, staff, and other constituents, ASCE is undertaking an extensive renovation of its Web site. The improvements will include better navigation tools and better design and will take advantage of new Web technologies.

In a survey of current users of the site, the Society found that the site’s navigation and search capabilities are not as friendly to users as they might be. What is more, ASCE has grown during the past several years, and Web pages have been added that are inconsistent with the site’s overall design. The new site is to feature improved capabilities and a more consistent overall design. It will also incorporate such multimedia technologies as blogs, social media tools, audio podcasts, and streaming video.

The plan is to gradually replace the current site beginning this fall with the debut of a new ASCE home page. The complete replacement of the site will depend on such factors as the selection and implementation of a new system for managing information.

ASCE is approaching the Web site’s redevelopment with the assistance of WelchmanPierpoint, a Baltimore-based Web development consulting, operations, and management firm; Syscom Services, of Silver Spring, Maryland, which is assisting with the site’s redesign; and Taxonomy Strategies, of San Francisco, a firm that helps organizations develop frameworks for information management.

Industry Leaders Council Debuts Monthly Podcast Series

The ASCE Industry Leaders Council has debuted a monthly podcast series, insights, in which prominent individuals share their views and perspectives on the practice of civil engineering. The first podcast, which is available at www.asce.org/insights and through iTunes software, features G. Wayne Clough, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

The series is “designed to offer listeners honest, straightforward viewpoints from noted industry leaders,” according to a statement released by the Industry Leaders Council. Each episode takes the form of a phone interview with a guest and runs 5 to 10 minutes. Among the general questions that guests will address are the following: What can and should the civil engineering industry do to promote innovation and what are the current obstacles? What are the attributes and skills that make individual civil engineers stand out and succeed regardless of the economic climate? What are the threats and opportunities for the civil engineering industry and how will they affect the profession? What is your greatest professional accomplishment?

The first podcast ran 10 minutes. In it Clough shared his views on civil engineering innovation, stressed the need to invest in research and development, and expatiated on the opportunities and challenges that arise in a globally competitive economic environment: “I think civil engineering overall has suffered over the long haul from a lack of investment in research and development and [a lack of] understanding [as to] how to incorporate new developments from other fields into civil engineering,” he said. “One of the things I think the industry and the profession can do is work to promote [research and development] funding in general for engineering and for sciences...that relate to civil engineering.”

For more information about the series and for biographical sketches of the guests, visit www.asce.org/insights. To learn more about the ASCE Industry Leaders Council, contact Marla Dalton, P.E., M.ASCE, the Society’s executive vice president, at mdalton@asce.org.

SITUATION: The chief executive officer and two other officers of a large  engineering firm are indicted on charges of violating federal campaign laws.  The indictment describes how, at the direction of the chief executive officer, employees of the firm were encouraged to make sizable donations to the campaigns of a handful of state and national political candidates and were later illegally reimbursed for the contributions from the firm’s business accounts. The indictment alleges that the executives adopted this scheme in order to increase the firm’s chances of receiving government contracts from the elected officials whose campaigns received the funding.

At trial, an ASCE member and former employee of the firm describes his participation in this illegal “straw man” scheme. The member explains that, on his employer’s recommendation, he made a few relatively small campaign contributions and later received reimbursement for the donations from the firm’s business accounts. He claims that at the time of his involvement he believed his activities to be nothing more than “friendly assistance” to his employer, who was active in political circles and wished to support the candidacies of his friends in those circles. The member also says that he was unaware of the illegality of this practice of donation and reimbursement and believed it to be a common practice among engineering firms in the state. He says that he was certainly unaware of any intent on his employer’s part to receive government contracts in exchange for the donations and would not have agreed to make the donations if he had been.

Transcripts of the trial testimony are forwarded to ASCE’s Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC), which opens an investigation into this ASCE member and other member engineers implicated in the scheme.

QUESTION: Did the ASCE member’s actions in sending campaign contributions at his employer’s request and accepting reimbursement from his firm violate ASCE’s Code of Ethics?

DECISION: On the basis of the trial testimony and supporting documentation, the members of the CPC saw a possible violation of canons 5 and 6 of the Code of Ethics. Canon 5 states that “engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others.” Paragraph (a) in the guidelines to practice for this canon has this to say: “Engineers shall not give, solicit, or receive, either directly or indirectly, any political contribution, gratuity, or unlawful consideration in order to secure work, exclusive of securing salaried positions through employment agencies.”

At the time of this investigation, canon 6 of the code read as follows: “Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor, integrity, and dignity of the engineering profession.” Paragraph (a) in the guidelines to practice for canon 6 added that “engineers shall not knowingly act in a manner [that] will be derogatory to the honor, integrity, or dignity of the engineering profession or knowingly engage in business or professional practices of a fraudulent, dishonest, or unethical nature.”

While the CPC accepted the member’s claim that he did not know his actions were illegal, its members nevertheless felt that, by effectively assisting his employer in making campaign donations in excess of the amounts the employer was able to contribute directly, the member should have known he was engaging in fraudulent or dishonest conduct. Moreover, while they accepted the member’s claim that he himself did not participate with the intent of securing contracts from the elected officials, they felt he could not have been unaware that the donations might give the firm an unfair advantage over firms that did not donate in excess of spending limits.

The CPC found that the member’s activities in voluntarily participating in this illegal donation scheme had violated canons 5 and 6 of the code, and it recommended to the Executive Committee that the member be suspended from the Society for one year and that notice of the action appear in an ASCE publication without the member’s name.

In a final hearing before the Executive Committee, the ASCE member appeared in person to explain his actions and to request leniency. Since leaving his former firm, the member had established his own practice and had made it a formal policy that no political contributions would be made using corporate funds. Furthermore, the member observed that he had become an active supporter of procurement reform in his state and of engineering ethics training within ASCE.

The Executive Committee considered the ASCE member’s explanation of his actions, including the relatively small dollar amount of his donations. It also noted that, while he should not have received compensation for his contributions, he had not personally contributed funds to a political campaign in excess of legal contribution limits. In view of the ASCE member’s obvious remorse for his conduct, his subsequent corrective actions, and the assistance he had given to federal prosecutors during their investigation of his former employer, the Executive Committee was persuaded by the member’s request for leniency and voted to dismiss all charges.

Five ASCE Members Inducted into National Academy of Engineering 
Located in Washington, D.C., the National Academy of Engineering has, according to its Web site—www.nae.edu—the mission of promoting “the technological welfare of the nation by marshaling the knowledge and insights of eminent members of the engineering profession.” The academy recently inducted members of ASCE and its institutes. The inductees are as follows:

Jean-Lou Aristide Chameau, Ph.D., M.ASCE, the president of the California Institute of Technology, is recognized for his national and international leadership as well as for his contributions to engineering education, geotechnical engineering, and public policy. Chameau was educated in France and received a graduate degree in civil engineering from Stanford University. He then joined the faculty at Purdue University, where he eventually became the head of the geotechnical engineering program. In 1991 he was named director of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. In 1994 he became the president of the Atlanta-based geotechnical firm Golder Associates but later returned to Georgia Tech, where he eventually became dean of the College of Engineering and, in 2001, university provost. Chameau has been in his current position at Caltech since the fall of 2006. His research interests include sustainable technology, soil dynamics, earthquake engineering, and the liquefaction of soils, and his numerous accolades include the National Science Foundation’s Young Investigator Award and ASCE’s Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award.

Ahsan Kareem, Ph.D., M.ASCE, the Robert M. Moran Professor at the University of Notre Dame, is recognized for his contributions to analysis and design, in particular, the effects of wind on tall buildings, long-span bridges, and other structures. After being educated in civil engineering in Pakistan, Kareem obtained a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Hawaii in a joint program with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He later obtained a doctorate in civil engineering from Colorado State University. His research interests include structural engineering, stochastic dynamics, wind engineering, offshore mechanics, probabilistic methods, natural hazards, and damping systems. Accorded the ASCE State-of-the-Art of Civil Engineering Award in 2008, he has been the recipient of numerous other honors and awards.

Chris Donald Poland, S.E., M.ASCE, the chairman and chief executive officer of Degenkolb Engineers, of San Francisco, is recognized for his leadership in the development of performance-based design procedures and standards for evaluating seismic events and rehabilitating buildings. Poland obtained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Redlands and a master’s degree in structural engineering from Stanford University. A former president of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, he currently chairs the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program’s Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction. Within ASCE he chairs the Structural Engineering Institute’s Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings Standards Committee and was the principal investigator on the project team for updating standard ASCE 41-06 (Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings).

Stavros S. Papadopulos, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, the founder and senior principal of S.S. Papadopulos & Associates, Inc., of Bethesda, Maryland, is recognized for his pioneering contributions to statistical methods for estimating groundwater flow and contaminant transport. Papadopulos earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Robert College, in I?stanbul, Turkey, a master’s degree in groundwater hydrology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and a master’s degree and a doctorate in civil engineering from Princeton University. Prior to founding S.S. Papadopulos & Associates, he worked as a hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey and was an associate professor at the University of Illinois. He has directed and conducted quantitative groundwater studies at project sites around the world. His expertise includes evaluating hydrogeologic conditions and designing remedial measures at locations designated Superfund sites. (Superfund is the environmental program established to remediate abandoned hazardous waste sites.)

Jean-Pierre Giroud, Ph.D., M.ASCE, an independent consultant operating under the name jp Giroud, Inc., in Ocean Ridge, Florida, is recognized for his pioneering research in geosynthetics engineering and its practical applications in civil and geotechnical engineering. Giroud earned an engineering degree at the École centrale des arts et manufactures, in Paris, and graduate degrees in France and went on to become a professor of geotechnical engineering. In 2001 he retired from GeoSyntec Consultants, a firm he cofounded in 1983. Giroud coined the terms “geotextile” and “geomembrane” and in 1970 designed the first dam incorporating geotextiles. He helped form the International Geosynthetics Society and developed methods for the design of geosynthetic liner systems that are used for landfills as well as for liquid impoundment. Giroud has numerous publications, including three books, to his credit.

Hatch Awarded Gold Order Of de Fleury Medal
Henry J. “Hank” Hatch, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, a retired lieutenant general and a former chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has been honored with the gold order of the de Fleury Medal for his leadership and service to the Engineer Regiment over the past 52 years. Since retiring from the Corps, Hatch has volunteered his expertise to support and serve the nation through a multitude of organizations, including ASCE, the National Research Council, and the Boy Scouts of America (in particular, the engineering path in the program Exploring [www.learningforlife.org/exploring/]). The medal is named for Francois Louis Tesseidre de Fleury, a French engineer who bravely helped the Continental army retake the fort at Stony Point, New York, in 1779.

Fellows Elected
The following members were elected fellows of the Society in recent months. ASCE fellows are legally registered professional engineers or land surveyors who have made significant technical or professional contributions and have demonstrated notable achievement in responsible charge of engineering activity for at least 10 years following election to the ASCE grade of member. Fellows occupy the Society’s second-highest membership grade, exceeded only by distinguished members.

Ni-Bin Chang, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Taiwan’s National Chiao Tung University in 1983 and a master’s degree and a doctorate in environmental engineering from Cornell University in respectively 1989 and 1991. Currently a professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at the University of Central Florida, Chang has more than 20 years of experience. His expertise encompasses many facets of sustainable systems engineering, environmental systems modeling, remote sensing, environmental informatics, and industrial ecology, and his ongoing research on developing a metropolitan water availability index for assessing water infrastructure has been used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory. He also has two U.S. patents under review that proved integral in developing and formally establishing the requirements for integrating sensor technology, remote sensing, geographic information systems, cyber infrastructure, infrastructure asset management, low-impact development, and sustainability sciences as applied to water resources and environmental management under global change impacts. Chang has authored or coauthored more than 130 peer-reviewed journal articles, 9 books, 7 book chapters, and more than 120 conference papers. He is a licensed professional engineer in Taiwan and Texas, and as a member of the ASCE Global Center of Excellence in Computing he helps review teaching modules.

Joseph Goss, P.E., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1967 and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Stanford University in 1973. Currently a senior project manager of water and wastewater services at Delon Hampton & Associates, Chartered, Goss was responsible for preparing technical memoranda for the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (wasa) recommending criteria for the inspection of more than 100 mi (161 km) of major sewer pipelines and for assessing the condition of the 108 in. (274 cm) diameter Anacostia Force Main. He also prepared the financial capability study for wasa’s long-term plan for controlling combined sewer overflows and was responsible for preparing the first annual review in connection with the District of Columbia’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (npdes) permit for a separate storm sewer system. Goss also directed the design and construction work carried out in renovating and expanding a water treatment plant in Burlington, Vermont. That project involved a pulsed upflow solids contact clarifier, the first of its kind in the United States. A licensed professional engineer in three states and the District of Columbia, Goss has more than 10 technical publications to his credit. He has also served as chairman of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section’s Engineering Management Committee.

Brian Manning, P.E., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Texas Tech University in 1990. He is currently the executive vice president of Texas Sterling Construction Company and vice president of its parent firm, Sterling Construction Company, Inc. Manning has 14 years of experience in construction project management. One of his more prominent projects is the light-rail system in downtown Houston, for which he managed the overall construction from start to finish. He has also dedicated much of his time to ASCE activities, his leadership roles dating back to 1994, when he cochaired the National Concrete Canoe Competition. In 2003 he became president of the Texas Section’s Houston Branch, and in 2007 and 2008 he served as treasurer of the Society’s Construction Institute. He is currently the president-elect of the Texas Section. The Houston Branch recognized his achievements with its Edmund Friedman Young Engineer of the Year Award in 2000 and with its Award of Honor, its highest accolade, in 2007. A licensed professional engineer in Texas, Manning is also active in the affairs of the Associated General Contractors of America, serving on a committee for drafting and reviewing legislation in 2005 and 2006.

Matthew M. McDole, P.E., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor of science in civil engineering from the University of Arizona in 1962 and did graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley and at California State University at San Bernardino. Recently the chief engineer of the E-470 Public Highway Authority in Aurora, Colorado, Mc Dole is currently the vice president of transportation services at L.S. Gallegos and Associates in Centennial, Colorado. While with the E-470 Public Highway Authority he was responsible for managing the planning, environmental clearances, design, and construction of the expansion of the E-470 toll road, a project that took it from 5 mi (8.1 km) to 47 mi (75.6 km) and made it the eastern portion of a beltway around the Denver metropolitan area. Earlier in his career he held the top engineering management position in the Bay Area Rapid Transit District and in Denver’s Regional Transportation District. The current president of ASCE’s Transportation and Development Institute, he has served the Colorado Section as president, vice president, and secretary. Mc Dole is a licensed professional engineer in Colorado and California.

Hani G. Melhem, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, received a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Cairo University in 1981. He went on to obtain a master of science in civil engineering in 1987, a master of science in applied mathematics, also in 1987, and a doctorate in civil engineering in 1989, all from the University of Pittsburgh. A professor of structural engineering at Kansas State University, Melhem has been the director of the undergraduate program in civil engineering there since 2005. He has taught more than 15 different graduate and undergraduate engineering courses at Kansas State, and in 2006 ASCE’s Committee on Student Activities honored him for his work as an adviser to the university’s ASCE chapter. From 2001 to 2006 he coedited ASCE’s Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, and in 2008 he chaired the Executive Committee of the Society’s Technical Council on Computing and Information Technology. He has also served as vice president of the ASCE Global Center of Excellence in Computing and as president and vice president of the Kansas Section. A licensed professional engineer in Texas, Melhem has authored or coauthored more than 80 technical publications, of which more than 20 were refereed.

H. Kit Miyamoto, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor of science in civil engineering in 1989 from California State University at Chico and a master of science in civil and structural engineering in 1997 from California State University at Sacramento. The president and chief executive officer of Miyamoto International, he has done consulting work and carried out earthquake reconnaissance for countries and private-sector organizations around the world. Under his leadership, Miyamoto International has successfully completed a total of more 3,000 structures in this country and abroad. Miyamoto has served as president, vice president, and director of the Structural Engineers Association of California, and in 1998 ASCE’s Sacramento Section honored him with its Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award in Building Design. In 2003 he was again honored by the section in connection with the endeavor named the building project of the year. Miyamoto served ASCE through his work on a technical subcommittee on base isolation and energy dissipation for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, and he is a current member of the Structural Engineering Institute’s ASCE 7 Subcommittee on Seismic Loads. An adjunct professor at California State University and a licensed professional engineer in 10 states, he has more than 100 technical papers on advanced structural earthquake engineering topics to his credit, and he has lectured at numerous international conferences.

Jose M. Rodriguez, P.E., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1983 and a master’s degree, also in civil engineering, in 1986, both from the Polytechnic University of New York (now the Polytechnic Institute of New York University). Rodriguez is currently the senior project director at figg Bridge Engineers, Inc., where he has worked for the past 13 years. With a total of more than 25 years of bridge engineering experience, he has managed the development of world-class bridge designs with total construction values exceeding $1 billion. At figg he provides oversight for the company’s most important projects. Before joining figg he served in leadership roles in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and worked on several major bridge projects, among them the expansion of the Goethals Bridge, the inspection of the George Washington Bridge, and the repair of the Bayonne Bridge. Most recently he was the quality control manager for the bridge in Minneapolis built to replace the structure that carried Interstate 35W over the Mississippi and collapsed in August 2007. ASCE’s Metropolitan Section honored Rodriguez with its Young Government Civil Engineer of the Year Award in 1991. A licensed professional engineer in seven states, he is the author or coauthor of nearly 20 technical publications.

Fellow applications may be obtained from ASCE’s world headquarters, in Reston, Virginia, by calling (800) 548-2723, extension 6289. From outside the country, the number is (703) 295-6289. The e-mail address is fellows@asce.org. The application may be found on the Web at www.asce.org/pdf/fellowmemapp.pdf. Completed applications may be submitted online at www.asce.org/membership/fellowgrade.cfm (click on “Online ASCE Fellow Application”). Questions concerning fellow guidelines (including guideline waiver inquiries)?or the application process may be directed to Patrick Ballou, the applications coordinator, at (703) 295-6169 or pballou@asce.org. Completed applications are reviewed monthly by the Membership Application Review Committee.

ASCE Names New Faces Of Civil Engineering

As part of its participation in the National Engineers Week Foundation’s program New Faces of Engineering, ASCE has selected 10 individuals in recognition of their technical prowess and spirit of volunteerism. One of them, Jamie E. Padgett, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, will represent ASCE in the New Faces of Engineering’s national program. Padgett was selected in part for her research focusing on infrastructure assessment and on protecting structures from such hazards as earthquakes and hurricanes.

The New Faces of Engineering program, which is held each year during Engineers Week, celebrates the accomplishments of young engineers from a variety of fields, highlighting their careers and their contributions to their communities. The other nine candidates selected by ASCE are Carrie Buthe, A.M.ASCE, 26, a water resources staff engineer with Banner Associates, Inc., of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Ben Groeneweg, A.M.ASCE, 25, a project engineer with the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Phillip J. Hinson, A.M.ASCE, 26, a U.S. Air Force first lieutenant and the chief of maintenance engineering at Keesler Air Force Base, in Biloxi, Mississippi; Melanie Kasper, P.E., A.M.ASCE, 28, a structural engineer and project manager with S. Harris Ltd., of Philadelphia; Eduardo Shinichi Maeyama, A.M.ASCE, 24, a transportation engineer and planner with the Washington, D.C., office of Parsons Brinckerhoff; Ken Maschke, P.E., A.M.ASCE, 28, a project engineer in the Chicago office of Thornton Tomasetti; Melissa Rodriguez, A.M.ASCE, 27, a civil engineer with the Orange, California, office of Parsons Brinckerhoff; Theo Melo, M.ASCE, 23, a construction manager for CH2M HILL in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Kwanrawee “Joy” Sirikanchana, Ph.D., Aff.M.ASCE, 29, a former postdoctoral researcher in the civil and environmental engineering department at the University of California at Davis.