July/August 2009
Volume 34, Number 7/8

IN LATE MAY AND EARLY JUNE, D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE, the Society’s president, traveled to the Netherlands as part of a delegation headed by Senator Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) that studied Dutch water management policies and technologies. Then, on June 2, in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, he joined the presidents of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) and the United Kingdom’s Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) at the CSCE 2009 Triennial Conference, which had as its theme “Coastal Engineering: Future Challenges and Risks.”

“We keep saying that we want to be in conversations and want to be a part of policy dialogue. This was a great opportunity for us to do that,” Klotz told ASCE News in an interview. The delegation to the Netherlands included representatives of the federal government, the civil engineering industry, universities, and other organizations.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana officials exchanged information with the Dutch government as part of a review of levee policies and procedures. (The Netherlands, like New Orleans, is located below sea level and is well known for its effective water management policies and systems.) The fact-finding visit to the Netherlands included stops in Rotterdam, Delft, Amsterdam, and The Hague.
In Amsterdam the members of the delegation learned from local officials about the history and development of the city and its management of water. They also traveled to IJburg, a new mixed-use development that is designed to withstand the rising sea level associated with climate change.

“They have a completely different philosophy of how to live with water,” says Klotz, who notes that the Dutch concept of flood protection is inseparable from its culture. The Dutch are willing to spend and employ any means necessary to ensure that the levees and gates keep the North Sea out of their cities, according to Klotz. This approach is quite different from that in the United States. “Our idea is [that] you define a threat, you design and provide a minimum level of protection, and then you insure for any losses above that,” he says.

The delegation also visited the Tech-nische Universiteit Delft (TU Delft), the home of Deltares, an institute that, according to its Web site, is a leader “in the development, distribution and application of knowledge for meeting the challenges in the physical planning, design, and management of vulnerable deltas, coastal areas, and river basins.” Han Vrijling, a professor of hydraulic engineering at TU Delft, explained to the members of the delegation that there are two components to effective flood protection systems. The first, he said, is technological: the ability to design, construct, and maintain flood control structures. The other, however, is part of the national culture and has to do with understanding and accepting what it takes to create a truly successful system.

“If Katrina had surprised us as it surprised you, we may have lost eleven million people and two-thirds of our country,” stated Rikus Jager, who chairs a committee overseeing transport, public works, and water management in the Dutch parliament, during the delegation’s visit to The Hague. Several members of the delegation, including Klotz, met with members of the Dutch parliament on May 27 to discuss infrastructure and water management.

Klotz acknowledges that the Dutch systems reflect “good” engineering. Nevertheless, from a water resources standpoint, he says, “I literally did not see a single engineering application that we do not have somewhere in the United States.” He believes the significant differences between the Dutch systems and the systems in the United States have more to do with policy and expectations than with technology. “We can design and build anything in the United States...but we find ways to throw darts at projects instead of saying it is in the public interest to provide this protection,” he says.

The delegation to the Netherlands included Lisa Jackson, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Bettina M. Poirier, the chief counsel of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works; James Hanlon, P.E., M.ASCE, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Wastewater Management; Claudia L. Tornblom, the deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Army; and Zoltan L. Montvai, P.E., Aff.M.ASCE, who works with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi Valley Division.

After his trip to the Netherlands, Klotz traveled to Canada to meet with the president of the ICE, Jean Venables, D.Sc., CEng, Aff.M.ASCE, and the president of the CSCE, Gordon Jin. There they jointly signed a document, entitled “Civil Engineering and Climate Change Protocol,” stating that “there is a need to adapt infrastructure to the anticipated results of climate change,” and that “civil engineering must lead the way in developing new technologies and materials to reduce emissions over the whole life cycle of infrastructure systems.”

In a press release, Klotz stated that “climate change is posing serious risks to the infrastructure systems that support our global economy, and more importantly, the ability of communities worldwide to prosper and thrive. As civil engineers, it is our duty to assure the performance of those critical systems.” The document signed by the three leaders sets forth principles for both mitigating and adapting to climate change. “We commit to assisting all governments through the development of a low-carbon infrastructure road map setting out key steps up to 2050,” it states. It also says that “we commit to developing guidance documents on engineering vulnerability assessment of civil infrastructure and best engineering practice for adaptation to address those vulnerabilities.” 

—BRETT HANSEN

ASCE’S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE has voted to recommend that the Board of Direction approve the newly developed ASCE Post-Disaster Assessment Manual, which outlines the Society’s procedures for conducting engineering assessments in the wake of disasters. The manual is to be considered by the board at its meeting in Keystone, Colorado, July 28–29.

The primary purpose of ASCE postdisaster assessments is to evaluate the behavior of various engineered facilities under extreme conditions and to learn from what is observed. The goal of these assessments is to document lessons learned regarding the causes of failures and to provide information about restoration efforts, restoration times, and success stories. The manual applies to ASCE postdisaster assessments of both natural and man-made disasters.

In the past decade the Society has participated in more than a dozen such assessments. In addition to studies of building performance during the terrorist attacks in 2001 on New York City’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon, ASCE teams have studied the ability of infrastructure to withstand earthquakes in Alaska and California and, outside the country, in Italy, China, Peru, Japan, Indonesia, and Algeria. The Society also dispatched assessment teams in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Ike. More information on ASCE assessments, including the publications resulting from those investigations, is located at http://content.asce.org/TaskForce/TaskForceonEngineeringReviews.html.

The ASCE Post-Disaster Assessment Manual was developed by the Society’s Task Committee on Engineering Review Procedures (TCERP), chaired by H. Gerard Schwartz, Jr., Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, the Society’s 2002 president. Its other members are W. Gene Corley, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, Eugene Raymond Desormeaux, P.E., F.ASCE, Billy L. Edge, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, Curtis L. Edwards, P.E., F.ASCE, and Joseph Wartman, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE.

Developing the manual was a key recommendation of an independent task force commissioned by David G. Mongan, P.E., F.ASCE, during his ASCE presidency. In a December 2007 letter to the membership announcing the formation of the task force, Mongan wrote, “I am proud of the recent work by ASCE’s External Review Panel to peer-review the study of the failures of the New Orleans hurricane protection system following Hurricane Katrina.... Because the Society’s contribution to such efforts is so important, I have commissioned an independent panel of outside experts to review how our organization participates in engineering studies of national significance.”

Headed by Sherwood Boehlert, a former Republican congressman from New York who chaired the House Committee on Science and Technology, the task force also included Joseph Bordogna, Ph.D., a former deputy director of the National Science Foundation (NSF); Jack W. Hoffbuhr, P.E., BCEE, a former executive director of the American Water Works Association; Jack E. Snell, Ph.D., a former director of the Building and Fire Research Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); and William A. Wulf, Ph.D., a former president of the National Academy of Engineering. Describing ASCE’s broad array of engineering talent and the importance of ASCE continuing to conduct postdisaster engineering reviews, Boehlert noted in a letter to Mongan that “ASCE possesses the expertise, resources, and commitment to public service that the job requires.”

According to Schwartz, the independent task force provided invaluable perspective: “Having representation from the National Academies, the NSF, and NIST, among others, allowed us to benchmark our procedures against those used by other highly respected national organizations. Our goal was to ensure that ASCE’s procedures reflect the high standards required of our profession.” Schwartz says that the TCERP’s role was to analyze the Boehlert task force’s recommendations in view of the unique mission and organization of a membership-based professional society.

The TCERP based the manual on long-standing ASCE practices and on the practices of more than 20 other organizations. The manual provides a single, comprehensive source for policies and procedures governing every aspect of postdisaster assessments. It describes the process that will be used in deciding whether or not to launch an assessment and outlines the overall purpose, funding, and operation of teams so that teams can be assembled, assessments conducted, and findings reported correctly and in a timely manner.

Recognizing the concern for the health, safety, and welfare of the public that has guided the Society’s leadership in launching postdisaster assessments, the manual specifies criteria for postdisaster assessments in which ASCE should participate. For example, such assessments should be consistent with ASCE’s purpose, vision, mission, and goals, and the lessons learned should be widely disseminated to engineers and the general public. Furthermore, the assessments must have national or international implications, must have ramifications for the civil engineering profession, and must confer substantial public benefit through improved performance of engineered facilities. It must be clear which aspects require independent, objective, and credible review, and there must also be clarity in how the experts are to be chosen and how their work is to be coordinated. In addition to specifying the purpose and criteria for postdisaster assessments, the manual contains detailed provisions relating to funding mechanisms, selecting team leaders, coordinating team efforts with the work of other organizations, providing staff support, keeping the public informed, defining team responsibilities, resolving conflicts of interest, and publishing team reports.

Once approved by the board, the manual will be posted on the Society’s Web site along with the Society’s other governing documents.

The establishment of the TCERP and of Boehlert’s task force was prompted, in part, by critics who challenged the Society’s role in the peer review of the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force, which was coordinated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In addition to commissioning the Boehlert group to conduct a comprehensive review of the Society’s assessment procedures, ASCE’s Committee on Professional Conduct, supported by independent counsel, investigated these charges. That committee’s findings, released earlier this year, exonerated all of those named in the allegations.

D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE, the Society’s president, believes criticisms such as these should not deter the Society from continuing its important work. As he sees it, “I am proud of the many expert professional engineers who have worked diligently and tirelessly on each of ASCE’s postdisaster assessments. Their technical competence, professionalism, and highest level of integrity have advanced our profession as well as the health, safety, and welfare of the public.” In fact, in a letter to Mongan, Boehlert noted that “after thoughtful and exhaustive examination, we remain firm in our belief that ASCE not only plays a vital role in conducting postdisaster engineering assessments, but that the Society is the single best organization to carry out this type of work for our nation.”

Klotz is confident that the new manual will aid ASCE in its work: “As engineers sworn to protect public health, safety, and welfare, it is imperative that the public have confidence in our work. ASCE has been conducting postdisaster assessments since the Johnstown flood, which occurred shortly after ASCE was founded, and the report issued by ASCE’s External Review Panel remains the definitive work on the reasons for the failure of levees during Hurricane Katrina and the changes needed to make sure that the levees perform in the future. I believe that the publication of this manual will be an important element in continuing to guide this vital work in the future. I look forward to the board’s discussion.”

WE ARE ALL BOUND by ASCE’s Code of Ethics to “comply with the principles of sustainable development.” We may not know exactly what that means, but ASCE members are passionate about creating their own paths to compliance. Fortunately, a number of groups within the Society are working to disseminate information on how we can truly further the goals of sustainable development.

One topic clearly remains off-limits to some of our members in this area: adapting our infrastructure to climate change. ASCE recently joined the United Kingdom’s Institution of Civil Engineers and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering in signing a document calling upon civil engineers to be active participants in efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions and to develop design and construction techniques that hold promise for reducing the carbon footprint of infrastructure. Some of the policies that ASCE has adopted in recent years were used in drawing up the document. Those who follow the development of public policy know how important it is for civil engineers to be engaged at an early stage.

The reaction to the document and to one of my blog entries was swift. I knew that the topic would generate interest. A record number of comments were posted to that blog entry. I had the impression that I had stumbled into a debate between Rush Limbaugh and Al Gore. A number of comments contained more emotion than fact and ended with personal attacks. My desire in writing that blog entry and, indeed, in writing this column is to encourage professional discourse and to remind ASCE members how well equipped they are to address some of society’s more formidable challenges. The issue of climate change is not going away. Governments at all levels in the United States and around the world are debating and adopting policies and procedures that will have a direct effect on the practice of civil engineering for decades to come. Standing on the sidelines in disagreement is a strategy that cannot succeed. We must be involved.

Now that I have your attention, I will share my personal beliefs. I am a practicing civil engineer who lives in Houston. We are a coastal community, and many of my friends and clients will feel the effects of the predicted increases in sea level. We will also have to deal with continued exposure to hurricanes and with changes in weather patterns that could affect erosion on barrier islands and rainfall on the coastal plains. I believe that data prove the climate to be changing. Indeed, the climate has changed many times in the history of the world. The change may be purely natural, entirely man-made, or a combination of the two. This is not my primary concern. I was taught to practice my profession using the prudent person standard. Under that standard, we are not held to perfection but rather to a reasonable and prudent approach to the practice of engineering. Faced with evidence of climate change, I believe it is prudent for the profession to explore how we can best adapt our infrastructure to accommodate possible future conditions. Having had the high privilege of meeting eminent engineers from other nations who have solid data that the sea level is rising in their countries, I believe it is prudent to learn from their experience and not dismiss them outright. Knowing that civil engineers will comply with new policies and directives from Washington, D.C., I believe it is prudent to participate, to make our views known, and to anticipate shifts in regulations, funding levels, and priorities in relation to infrastructure. As ASCE’s president, I am bound to our adopted policies, which have been painstakingly developed by some of our best experts, in making public statements.

What should ASCE’s role be with regard to sustainable development? I think that we should start by acknowledging that every area of civil engineering practice will be affected in some way. Remember, we rarely get to make the rules. Let me highlight a few affected areas that have become apparent to me.

• Transportation: President Obama has already decreed that vehicle mileage standards will increase significantly. This edict was a direct result of the administration’s emphasis on reducing our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and lowering emissions. The vehicle mix will have to change to reach the new goals. How will the change affect our design criteria? Will new safety features become a necessity? How will we fund roadways when the revenue from taxes on traditional fuels declines? How will we maintain roadways when funding shifts to mass transit and high-speed rail? Transportation is going to be transformed before our eyes as a result of predictions of climate change. I believe that civil engineers must be at the table.
• Water: Water remains the key not just to the economic viability of our urban areas but also to public health. Climate scientists are predicting that rainfall patterns will change. How will a major city adapt if its traditional water supply changes? Finding new sources of water often takes decades. Do we have that kind of time? What about snow? Like California, many urban areas rely on snowmelt for a large part of their water. If the climate warms and snowfall declines, where will these areas obtain their water? If the water will now have to be stored in liquid rather than solid form, where will it be stored? What will be the environmental ramifications of this conversion? The cost of conversion will be huge. Who will pay for it? Where will we obtain the capital? Should Wall Street or civil engineers be the source of information as new policies are developed?
• Coastal communities: More than half of the world’s population lives in coastal communities. That percentage rises annually. Living in Dallas or Denver may lead one to believe that predictions of sea level rise need not cause alarm, but those living in coastal communities see the matter quite differently. I have no idea what the long-term effects are going to be. A recent study released by Texas A&M University, hardly a bastion of liberal dogma, predicts that the sea level along the middle coast of Texas will rise 2.9 ft (0.9 m) over the next 70 years, or half an inch per year. Come see the Texas coast before you declare that to be insignificant. How should local communities respond? We design facilities to last decades. What sea level should we establish? Do we design for today and adapt tomorrow? Do we design for 20 years knowing that a major redesign may be necessary? Do we design for 50 years, which would minimize the effective use today? These are not idle questions. Civil engineers must be leading the discussion.

You may believe that the “cap-and-trade” discussion will primarily affect the energy industry and large users. You would be incorrect. International discussions are under way to establish a carbon balance equation. Simply stated, every activity would be measured to determine its use of carbon-based materials. Look at a typical infrastructure project. Each material specified would have a carbon number. That number would be based on the energy needed to create the material and on whether the material would continue to release carbon during its useful life. Our design methods would change dramatically. Construction techniques would become a critical part of the carbon balance equation. How we build would have an effect equal to what we built. Every civil engineering project would be directly controlled if the proposed cap-and-trade approaches were fully implemented. You can agree or disagree as to whether this is the best approach as a national policy. You will comply if it is adopted by national law or international agreement. Wouldn’t you rather be involved in the discussion as it unfolds?

The final conflict always returns to money. Our 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure indicates that our outlays are only 50 percent of what we need for an acceptable infrastructure system. Elected officials do not seem to be taking any significant steps to close the gap. For the most part, our regulatory structures are geared toward the minimum acceptable performance of infrastructure elements, and our current approach is unsustainable. Now come climate change, conversion to renewable energy sources, and emission controls as high priorities. No one has been foolish enough to say that these priorities will be inexpensive. Huge costs will be imposed as these priorities become policies. Will these costs simply be added to the infrastructure equation? Will critical infrastructure dollars be shifted to the implementation of new policies? How will a shift of funds affect our quality of life or public safety? If we stay on the sidelines, lawyers and policy wonks will make those decisions. We cannot allow that to happen.

ASCE and the civil engineering profession are at a crossroad. We have several choices as to how we can best proceed. We can make a case that we do not agree with predictions of climate change and choose to stay on the sidelines. We can embrace all elements of climate change theory and encourage the adoption of numerous regulatory control policies. We can focus more on the need to adapt our infrastructure to changing conditions, champion infrastructure funding and sustainability, educate the public and owners, and seek credible evidence. I think the prudent course is clear.

Therefore, I challenge the members of ASCE to engage in this conversation. Let’s jettison the rhetoric and dispense with personal attacks. We do not need to adopt the methods practiced by our politicians. Recognize the reality of where the public conversation has already gone. Look at the policies of the current administration. Be willing to challenge your current beliefs so that your position is based on facts, not sound bites.

I encourage you to share your views by posting a comment to my blog, sending an e-mail to president@asce.org, or writing a letter to the editor. But don’t stop there. Initiate discussions within your agency or firm and talk about this issue with friends, family members, and professional colleagues. Listen, learn, and lead. Share your perspectives and demonstrate that civil engineers are engaged!

We say that we are the stewards of infrastructure. I say it is time to take a leadership position to prove that what we say is true.  

—D. WAYNE KLOTZ,
P.E.., D.WRE, F.ASCE

University of California at Berkeley Wins Concrete Canoe Competition

STUDENTS from the University of California at Berkeley battled teams from across the country, as well as a heavy rain, to win the grand prize in this year’s National Concrete Canoe Competition, which was held June 11–13. The teams raced across Lake Nicol, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in a quest for bragging rights, trophies, and scholarships.
The team from Berkeley designed and constructed their 20 ft (6.1 m), 230 lb (104.3 kg) canoe, Bear Area, in the year leading up to the three-day competition. The team members won not only because of the way their canoe performed on the water but also because of the marks they earned from their paper describing the design of the canoe, their formal oral presentation, and their responses to questions posed by the judges. The races counted for 25 percent of the overall score, while the other categories counted for 75 percent.

Coming in second behind Berkeley were students from the École de technologie supérieure, in Montreal, in their 190 lb (86.2 kg), 20 ft (6.1 m) long canoe Vintage. Students from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo finished third with a canoe, also christened Vintage, that was 20 ft (6.1 m) long and weighed 246 lb (111.6 kg). The top three teams received respectively $5,000, $2,500, and $1,500 in scholarship funds.

Plaques were awarded to the teams that finished first in each of the categories used in determining the overall winner. Special awards were presented to the University of Texas at Tyler, which received the R. John Craig Memorial Award for exemplifying the spirit and cooperative ideals of the competition by placing first in the coed sprint race, and to the École de technologie supérieure, which was honored with the Tony P. Chrest Innovation Award for its creative use of technology and materials.

The competition, the 22nd in this annual series, was organized by the Society and was hosted by the University of Alabama. Support was provided by the American Concrete Institute; Baker Concrete Construction, of Monroe, Ohio; the World of Concrete (organized by Hanley Wood Exhibitions, of Irving, Texas); and the U.S. offices of Holcim, Inc., headquartered in Dundee, Michigan. For additional information about the competition and to view photos of the teams, visit http://content.asce.org/conferences/nccc2009.

Florida’s East Central Branch Partners With Orlando Science Center

MANY ASCE SECTIONS and branches undertake service projects so that their members can put their expertise to work in helping their communities. Members of the Florida Section’s East Central Branch, however, are adding a pedagogical element to their endeavor. The branch has partnered with the Orlando Science Center, an interactive museum designed to educate children about science and engineering. In addition to cleaning and repairing some of the center’s exhibits, branch members are interacting with members of the community and giving them a better understanding of civil engineering.

The project commenced on April 18 with 10 branch members on hand. The volunteers cleaned and repaired various exhibits and then, using a model that they take to schools and other venues, demonstrated to children and their parents how sinkholes are formed. “We are in an area where sinkholes are prone to form. With this demonstration, we can go out and show the kids the background as to why they form and what we do about them. We feel that’s something that the kids and the local schools can identify with,” says Thomas G. Caffery, P.E., M.ASCE, the chair of the branch’s chapter of the Transportation and Development Institute.

In volunteer efforts over the past 12 years, branch members have worked to keep a highway in the area clean. “It was not a very nice environment when you went out to do it, not to mention that the work itself was not very nice,” jokes Caffery. Loreen Bobo, P.E., M.ASCE, the branch’s president, notes that she did not object to ending the 12-year roadside cleanup project since that undertaking was being replaced with another worthwhile community project.

Caffery, who has fond memories of visiting the 25-year-old center with his young children, including a son who is now an engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, spearheaded the branch’s effort to partner with the center. “I feel this is something that civil engineers and engineers in general should have a real kinship to—to do more local support of engineering education and make kids realize just how much fun this can be,” he says.

The branch is scheduled to work at the center one day every two months. Branch members can participate in a number of activities to help the center, according to Caffery. They can perform specialized maintenance on the machines associated with some of the exhibits, among them replicas of an orange grove and of an orange-packing facility in which children can pick orange balls off trees and place them on a conveyor belt. Members can also engage visitors by assisting with exhibits or undertaking such engineering-related activities as the sinkhole demonstration. Moreover, they will be providing long-term support by suggesting new exhibits, providing various other engineering services, and soliciting financial support as well as other donations from local engineering firms. “I think we can really offer them some support through our companies,” Caffery says.

Ohio Northern University Wins Inaugural Student Structural Design Award

THE KANTI L. SHAH Student Chapter of ASCE at Ohio Northern University is the first winner ever of the Student Structural Award, which is conferred by ASCE’s Structural Engineering Institute (SEI). The chapter was singled out for recognition because of a unique pedestrian bridge design, and the award was presented during the SEI’s Structures Congress ’09, which was held in Austin, Texas, from April 30 to May 2.

The team designed a suspended cable pedestrian bridge along the Miami and Erie Canal Towpath Trail, which links the Ohio communities of Grand Rapids and Waterville. The bridge is approximately 146 ft (44.5 m) long and is designed to sag approximately 7.5 ft (2.29 m) in the middle of the span. To complete the design, the students conducted surveys and geotechnical, hydrologic, hydraulic, and structural analyses.
The bridge is to cross the Blue Creek at Brown Township at the location of a former aqueduct. It is to be constructed directly above the remnants of the aqueduct, of which only a retaining wall remains, according to the chapter’s faculty adviser, Farhad Reza, P.E., M.ASCE. As Reza explains, the client for the project—the Buckeye Trail Association—is planning to construct the bridge but at present lacks sufficient funding.
The projects considered for the award were judged on the basis of four criteria: materials; demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the subject; originality and complexity; and presentation. The presentations were judged by the SEI’s Student Initiatives Committee, whose members include professionals in academia, government, and industry.

The students involved in the winning project include Jameson George, Adam Ross, Christopher Shearer, S.M.ASCE, and Nathan Smith, S.M.ASCE.

Submissions are currently being accepted for the 2010 Student Structural Design Competition. Awards include cash prizes and an opportunity to present designs at the 2010 Structures Congress, which will be held in Orlando, Florida, May 12–15. The deadline for submissions is January 14. To download competition guidelines and an entry form, visit www.seinstitute.org. For more information about this year’s winning project, visit http://content.seinstitute.org/files/pdf/ONUEntry.pdf.

LEAD Participants Gain Confidence and Awareness

WITH A PROFOUND sense of accomplishment, 14 participants in this year’s Leader Education and Development (LEAD) program completed their course on June 10. Held at ASCE’s headquarters, in Reston, Virginia, the course began last November. Its seven formal training sessions and one individual coaching session were designed to give participants more confidence in leading others and a better understanding of themselves.

Steven P. Pond, an associate at Schnabel Engineering, of Glen Allen, Virginia, had this to say about the program in an e-mail message: “This course develops an incredible in-depth understanding of self and others while creating the ultimate challenge of self-mastery. This course is a must for those who desire to . . . establish themselves as leaders in all areas of life.”

The participants learned how to better understand others, to communicate in a way that also motivates, to lead difficult people, to provide leadership in situations characterized by conflict, and to create environments that foster and benefit from change. They also gained an insight into how to help others develop their abilities, how to delegate, and how to be effective as mentors.

The program’s instructors were Olin and Laura Jennings, the cofounders and principals of the Jennings Group, of Columbia, New Jersey, a management consulting and training firm that specializes in working with engineering and other technical service firms. They have received positive feedback about the program from the participants, many of whom have stated that they would recommend the program to others. At least four organizations regularly allow their leaders and emerging leaders to enroll in the LEAD course.

The next LEAD course will begin on November 12 and again will be in Reston. The Society hopes to expand the program and is ready to work with section or branch members to bring the LEAD curriculum to their areas. For more information, visit www.asce.org/professional/lead or contact ASCE’s senior manager of professional practice, Melissa Prelewicz, P.E., M.ASCE, at mprelewicz@asce.org or at (800) 548-2723, extension 6341.

ASCE Web Site Development Relies On Member Input

THE RENOVATION of the Society’s Web site continues to progress as scheduled. In the past few months, ASCE staff members have gathered feedback from a variety of ASCE members to guide the conceptual phase of the new Web site, which includes creative design as well as the list of topics that will be used for sorting and navigating.
Members who were asked to participate included those who were recommended by institute directors, those who were invited at random, and those who attended breakout sessions on this matter at the Society’s three regional leadership conferences in January. They have participated in one-on-one testing and brainstorming sessions and have also answered prepared questions. Approximately 50 members have participated in the project thus far. 

The members’ feedback has helped the project team formulate a new way of classifying the material. In contrast to the current Web site, which classifies information according to ASCE groups and departments, the new Web site will classify material on the basis of four themes: knowledge and learning; leadership and management; membership and community; and issues and advocacy.

Members want not only improved navigation and search capabilities but also a more personalized experience, similar to that encountered in visiting such sites as Amazon.com. In the next few months the project team will complete the conceptual work of the site and will begin to examine tools that can add a more personalized experience, including social networking, RSS feeds, and other advanced Web tools.

Industry Leaders Council Members Named

THE SOCIETY’S Industry Leaders Council (ILC), now a formally organized ASCE entity, recently released the names of its members—more than 30 executive officers from leading engineering firms. The council is to hold its first meeting during ASCE’s 139th Annual Civil Engineering Conference, which will be held in Kansas City, Missouri, October 29–31. The discussions are expected to encompass infrastructure, the public image of engineering, education, and the economic climate.

The ILC also sponsors Insights, a monthly podcast that features interviews with members of the ILC and other executives. The June installment features Benedict R. Schwegler, Jr., Ph.D., M.ASCE, the vice president and chief scientist of Walt Disney Imagineering, of Burbank, California, and July will feature James A. Rispoli, P.E., F.ASCE, the chair of the ILC and an executive adviser with Booz Allen Hamilton, of McLean, Virginia. More information about the ILC may be found at www.asce.org/ilc. More information about Insights, as well as access to past interviews, is located at www.asce.org/insights. A reception celebrating the new council preceded the Society’s annual Outstanding Projects and Leaders Awards gala, which was held on April 23.

Members of the ILC include Joseph A. Ahearn, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, a former vice-chair of CH2M HILL, of Englewood, Colorado; David B. Ashley, Ph.D., Dist.M.ASCE, the president of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas; Anthony S. Bartolomeo, P.E., M.ASCE, the president and chief executive officer of Pennoni Associates, Inc., of Philadelphia; J. Richard Capka, P.E., M.ASCE, the chief operating officer of Dawson & Associates, of Washington, D.C.; Jane A. Chmielinski, the group chief executive officer of corporate development with AECOM, of Los Angeles; David E. Daniel, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, the president of the University of Texas at Dallas; Nicholas M. DeNichilo, P.E., M.ASCE, the president and chief executive officer of Hatch Mott MacDonald, of Millburn, New Jersey; Mortimer L. Downey III, a senior adviser with Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc., of New York City; Ginger S. Evans, P.E., M.ASCE, a senior vice president with the Aviation Division of Parsons, headquartered in Pasadena, California; Robert B. Flowers, P.E., M.ASCE, the general manager of the Enterprise IT Solutions Division of L-3 Communications, of Reston, Virginia; Tom Foulkes, Aff.M.ASCE, the director general of the United Kingdom’s Institution of Civil Engineers; David R. Gaboury, P.E., M.ASCE, the president and chief executive officer of Terracon, of Olathe, Kansas; Patricia D. Galloway, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, the chief executive officer of Pegasus Global Holdings, Inc., of Cle Elum, Washington; Clive Q. Goodwin, an assistant vice president of FM Global, of Johnston, Rhode Island; Henry L. Green, the president of the National Institute of Building Sciences, of Washington, D.C.; and Raymond Heider, a vice president with Northrop Grumman, of Los Angeles.

The new council will also include Robert S. Johnston, Jr., P.E., G.E., M.ASCE, a vice president with Malcolm Pirnie, of White Plains, New York; Richard M. Kunnath, A.M.ASCE, the chief executive officer of Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd., of Pasadena, California; Richard D. Land, P.E., M.ASCE, the chief engineer of the California Department of Transportation; Francis J. Lombardi, P.E., M.ASCE, the chief engineer of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Vice Admiral Michael K. Loose, P.E., M.ASCE, the deputy chief of naval operations for fleet readiness and logistics with the U.S. Navy; Robert H. Luffy, P.E., M.ASCE, the president and chief executive officer of the American Bridge Company, of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania; David J. Nash, P.E., F.ASCE, the president of Dave Nash and Associates, LLC, of Birmingham, Alabama; Robert Prieto, A.M.ASCE, a senior vice president with Fluor, of Irving, Texas; T.E. “Ed” Richardson, P.E., M.ASCE, a consultant with Bechtel, of San Francisco; Major General Don T. Riley, M.ASCE, the deputy commanding general and deputy chief of engineers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Rispoli, the Insights guest mentioned above; Chase Rynd, the president and executive director of the National Building Museum, of Washington, D.C.; Schwegler, also mentioned above in connection with Insights; William M. Stout, P.E., the chairman and chief executive officer of Gannett Fleming, Inc., of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania; Virginia E. Valentine, P.E., F.ASCE, the county manager of Clark County, Nevada; Norbert W. Young, Jr., A.M.ASCE, the president of McGraw-Hill Construction, of New York City; and John B. Zumwalt III, P.E., Aff.M.ASCE, the chairman and chief executive officer of PBSJ Corporation, of Miami.

I would like to invite ASCE members to attend “The Disaster Experience,” a highly interactive workshop that will highlight the relationship between engineers and emergency managers. The workshop has been designed to acquaint participants with the full life cycle of a disaster. It will give them a better understanding of the vulnerabilities of the built environment, the factors that can thwart preparedness, the multidisciplinary aspects of effective responses, and the challenges encountered in recovering from and mitigating the effects of disasters. Participants will make decisions and will see the effects of those decisions. The workshop will be held on Friday, July 31, at the University of Texas at Austin and will run from 9 AM to 12:30 PM. The cost is $100 for ASCE members and members of the International Association of Emergency Managers and $150 for all others. 
 
The latest installment in our Insights podcast series features Benedict R. Schwegler, Jr., Ph.D., M.ASCE, the vice president and chief scientist of Walt Disney Imagineering. Schwegler turns his attention here to ways in which the civil engineering profession can promote innovation and to the challenges that must be overcome in this area. After surveying the most significant opportunities for the engineering profession, he discusses traits that make civil engineers stand out and succeed and looks back at what he considers his greatest accomplishments. The episode, along with additional biographical information, is posted at www.asce.org/insights.

We are pleased to announce the launch of a section and branch membership database program that provides nightly updates to the membership database, thereby ensuring that sections and branches have access to the most recent data available. Furthermore, the code numbers in the database columns have been replaced with text, eliminating the need to cross-reference information. Institute columns have been revised to reflect each member’s primary and secondary institute affiliation, and columns have been added to provide the name of a student member’s school and his or her expected graduation date. As another improvement, the “Transaction Code” column has been expanded to highlight the data records that have been changed. The database’s handbook also has been updated to reflect the changes and includes tips for database account holders. The handbook is available at ftp://gsd.asce.org/FTP%20Server/. Questions about access to the database should be directed to Daryl Morais, ASCE’s region administrator, at (800) 548-2723, extension 6042, or e-mailed to dmorais@asce.org.

In June, during his visit to Cairo, Egypt, President Obama discussed the achievements of America’s Muslim citizens. He stated that “since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. They have fought in our wars, served in government, stood for civil rights, started businesses, taught at our universities, excelled in our sports arenas, won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic torch.” Obama’s reference to the tallest building is the Sears Tower, in Chicago, which was designed by Fazlur Rahman Khan, Ph.D., a pioneering structural engineer who also designed Chicago’s John Hancock Center as well as other landmark structures. A lecture series named in his honor has been established at Lehigh University, and thus far nine of the world’s leading structural engineers and architects have spoken there. For more information about the series, visit www.lehigh.edu/frkseries.

ASCE’s 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure assigned the nation’s infrastructure an overall grade of D and estimated a five-year investment need of $2.2 trillion. Now more than ever, the public is paying attention to infrastructure. The free Report Card Outreach Toolkit will provide all the tools you’ll need to start the infrastructure discussion in your community and to explain to your colleagues, friends, and neighbors what steps they can take to help raise the grades on America’s failing infrastructure. The outreach package includes customizable PowerPoint presentations, short videos illustrating conditions in several infrastructure categories and showcasing solutions adopted by certain communities, and a guide to making public presentations. It will be available beginning in late August. To obtain more information or to request a package, e-mail reportcard@asce.org.

On May 18 the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) held its fifth annual diplomate induction ceremony as part of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, which was held in Kansas City, Missouri. The AAWRE recognized its founding members and inducted two honorary diplomates, Vijay P. Singh, Ph.D., Sc.D., P.E., P.H., Hon.D.WRE, F.ASCE, from Texas A&M University, and William W.G. Yeh, Ph.D., Hon.D.WRE, Dist.M.ASCE, from the University of California at Los Angeles. In addition to inducting all those who had met the requirements for diplomate status since the autumn of 2008, it bestowed a special award on the chief of engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lieutenant General Robert L. Van Antwerp, Jr., P.E., D.WRE, a new diplomate, for his leadership and contributions to the engineering profession and his service to the nation. For more information, visit www.aawre.org.

Reiter’s Scientific, Professional Technical Books, a bookstore located in Washington, D.C., now stocks books published by ASCE. Established in 1936, Reiter’s is the oldest bookstore in Washington and has earned a reputation as one of the country’s best for scientific and technical books and journals. We are also pleased to announce that through this partnership Reiter’s has agreed to open its space to ASCE for book events and promotions. The first event, in September, will be a book signing by James R. Mihelcic, Ph.D., the author of the forthcoming Field Guide to Environmental Engineering for Development Workers: Water, Sanitation, and Indoor Air. For more information, contact Kevin Higgins at (703) 295-6266 or via e-mail at khiggins@asce.org.

Engineers and project owners are beginning to recognize that substantial environmental and cost benefits can be achieved by incorporating the principles of sustainability into their designs. I am pleased to announce that ASCE is offering a variety of new webinars this summer on sustainable development to assist ASCE members in delivering projects that incorporate these design principles. Our offerings include Using Whole Systems Design Techniques to Improve Sustainable Performance; Understanding the Market for Engineering Services in Sustainable Development; Sustainable Water Management: Rainwater Collection Systems and Analysis; and Sustainable Storm-Water Hydrology: Concepts to Reduce Hydrologic Footprints. For additional information about these webinars or to register, visit www.asce.org/conted and click on “Live, Interactive Web Seminars” or call (800) 548-2723.

Neither house of Congress will be in session in August, and most lawmakers will be spending some quality time with constituents back home. Take advantage of these opportunities to visit your lawmakers without having to make a trip to Washington, D.C. Visit ASCE’s government relations Web page, www.asce.org/govrel, for tips about how to get started.

Find the payment plan that’s right for you. ASCE makes it easy for members to pay their dues each year. Whether you have been adversely affected by the economy or simply find it more convenient to pay your dues over the course of the year rather than all at once, ASCE has a plan to suit your needs. Simply call an ASCE customer service representative at (800) 548-ASCE (2723) or (703) 295-6300 and state that you would like to pay your dues monthly or quarterly. When your next payment is due, you will need to submit a check made out to “ASCE Membership Dues” and include your ASCE member ID number. You may also set up your bank or credit card account so that an online payment is made automatically each month or quarter; this works particularly well for members using the ASCE Bank of America credit card. To arrange your partial payments or to obtain answers to other questions relating to your membership, contact ASCE at the numbers above or e-mail member@asce.org.

Many sections and branches are currently holding awards banquets. I urge those whose projects have been nominated for a local project-of-the-year award to enter the competition for our national Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award, which is part of our Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) program. For an entry kit, which includes the nomination form, visit http://content.asce.org/files/pdf/OCEA_2010.pdf. Nominations are due by October 1.

Share your student outreach successes, and you could win an iPod classic. ASCE is launching an online questionnaire to obtain feedback on what has proved effective in precollege outreach efforts and to assess the scope of outreach volunteerism nationwide. Your answers will shape activities in this important area and will help ASCE strengthen its network of volunteers. To take the survey, visit www.asce.org/outreach/index.html. Responses will be accepted through September 30. Members who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing to receive an iPod classic preloaded with the full season of the PBS television series Design Squad. (In this way the prize can be put to good use at educational outreach events.) ASCE   will share the results of the survey and will announce the lucky iPod winners in October.

More than 200 professional engineers and practitioners participated in special sessions organized by the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) that formed part of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, which was held in May in Kansas City, Missouri. The academy offered three two-hour sessions on engineering ethics and cosponsored sessions highlighting the history of the world’s great rivers. It also organized a session designed to help engineers serve as expert witnesses. This session explored the legal basis for allowing expert testimony, discussed the qualifications an expert engineer must possess to render an opinion on a given subject, and explained what an attorney looks for in an engineer expert witness. Attention was also given to rendering an expert report, giving an expert deposition, and providing live testimony during a trial. The session drew more than 50 participants, and the AAWRE plans to conduct two such sessions at next year’s World Environmental and Water Resources Congress. The three ethics sessions were designed to provide AAWRE diplomates and other attendees with an opportunity to earn professional development hours and thus meet renewal requirements. Presented as interactive short courses, the sessions encouraged small group discussions by outlining general principles and presenting case studies. For more information, visit www.aawre.org.

Peer review marketers are wanted. ASCE’s Committee on Peer Review for Public Agencies (CPRPA) is seeking members interested in acquainting potential clients with the advantages offered by the ASCE Peer Review for Public Agencies Program. This innovative program is designed to help public-sector engineering and construction agencies improve their management systems and the quality of their engineering services. Peer reviews look at organizational management, project management, emergency management procedures, technical practices and procedures, human resource management, financial management, and public relations practices. The reviews are voluntary and confidential and are conducted by a core team of ASCE members, each with at least 15 years of public agency experience and with 5 of those years in senior management. Qualified marketers must be ASCE members and must have peer review or similar experience. Marketers initiate contact with agencies, respond to inquiries, track progress, issue progress reports, and coordinate their efforts with the CPRPA. They receive a monthly stipend and reimbursement for their work, which averages approximately 20 hours per month. If you are interested in this exciting and unique opportunity, please send your résumé to Alicia Karwoski, ASCE’s director of professional practice, at akarwoski@asce.org. Visit www.asce.org/professional/peereview/peer_review.cfm to view ASCE’s peer review brochure and obtain additional information about the program.

A new podcast series entitled An Eye on Infrastructure is being sponsored by our Committee on Critical Infrastructure. The podcasts will enable industry experts to share their views on issues having a bearing on infrastructure. The inaugural episode discusses the engineer’s role in emergency management and features Dennis Schrader, P.E., a former deputy administrator for national preparedness with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. To hear his views, visit http://ciasce.asce.org/podcast.

It’s impossible to ignore the tragedy that comes with natural and man-made disasters. But when catastrophe strikes, it presents an opportunity for civil engineers both to raise public awareness of the growing vulnerabilities of our infrastructure and to play a key role in disaster response and recovery efforts. Please take three minutes to answer eight brief questions in a survey sponsored by ASCE and the International Association of Emergency Managers. Your feedback will help to determine whether it is necessary to establish certification programs in emergency response and management. To take the survey, visit www.zoomerang.com/rvey/?p=WEB22979TNPU8R. For more information about ASCE training and resources in the area of emergency response and management, visit http://ciasce.asce.org. If you have questions about the survey, e-mail cci@asce.org.

—PATRICK J. NATALE,
P.E., F.ASCE
Executive Director

THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING INSTITUTE’S ASCE 7 Subcommittee on Seismic Loads will be meeting August 21–22 at the Westin San Francisco Airport. The committee will be reviewing the results of recent ballots and discussing proposed changes to the 2005 edition of the standard. Interested parties should contact Jim Rossberg at jrossberg@asce.org.
 
THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING INSTITUTE’S Earthquake Actuated Automatic Gas Shutoff Systems Standards Committee will be meeting on August 28 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The topics to be discussed will include greater flexibility in applying the standard in areas where hazards and vulnerabilities vary, wider application of the standard internationally, applications in industrial and commercial facilities, quantifying the performance of seismic gas shutoff valves, and promoting research and testing of these devices. For more information, contact Praveen Malhotra, P.E., M.ASCE, the committee chair, at praveen.malhotra@fmglobal.com.

The Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s KSTAT Standards Committee will conduct a public comment period on the Standard Guideline for Fitting of Hydraulic Conductivity Using Statistical Spatial Estimation. This final public comment period will run from July 15 to August 31, 2009. This standard is the third in a series that seeks to enhance the probabilistic characterization and understanding of the behavior of the saturated hydraulic conductivity. Standard 50-2008 (Standard Guideline for Fitting Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Using Probability Density Functions) addresses the optimal fitting of saturated hydraulic conductivity with skewed probability density functions, and standard 51-2008 (Standard Guideline for Calculating the Effective Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity) concerns itself with estimations of effective saturated hydraulic conductivity. To participate in the comment period, contact Lee Kusek, ASCE standards administrator, at lkusek@asce.org or (703) 295-6176. For more information about the standard or ASCE’s standards program, contact Anthony Reed, ASCE’s manager of external relations, at areed@asce.org or (703) 295-6413.

Rosowsky to Become RPI Engineering Dean

DAVID V. ROSOWSKY, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, will join Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute next month as the dean of its School of Engineering. Rosowsky holds the A.P. and Florence Wiley Chair of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University and also heads the civil engineering department there. He is an expert in the areas of structural reliability, probabilistic modeling of structural and environmental loads, and probability-based design. In recent years his research has focused on the behavior of built environments subject to natural hazards; the modeling and analysis of load effects on buildings and other structures, with particular emphasis on complex environmental phenomena; performance-based engineering for design, postdisaster condition assessments, and loss estimation studies; and reliability-based assessments of reinforced-concrete bridges. Rosowsky was honored with ASCE’s Norman Medal in 1998 and its Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize in 2001. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Tufts University in respectively 1985 and 1987 and a doctorate, also in civil engineering, from Johns Hopkins University in 1990.

Suttle Elected Mayor of Omaha

JIM SUTTLE, P.E., M.ASCE, a former vice-chairman of the board of directors of the engineering and design firm HDR, Inc., of Omaha, Nebraska, has been elected mayor of that city. A former public works director for Omaha who has also held transportation planning positions with local governments in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Wichita, Kansas, Suttle was installed on June 8. His political career began in 2005, when he was elected to Omaha’s city council. In May 2008 he was elected president of the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, which encompasses Omaha and Council Bluffs. A licensed professional engineer in Nebraska, Suttle has served on and chaired the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects. Among his first tasks as mayor will be to procure funding for a $1.5-billion federal mandate to separate the city’s storm-water system from its sewer system.

Plummer Named First Schwaber Professor

JEANINE D. PLUMMER, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE, has been installed as the first David M. Schwaber Professor of Environmental Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). She is also the director of the institute’s environmental engineering program. The professorship recognizes a distinguished scholar and educator in that program, which offers an interdisciplinary major that includes courses taught by faculty members from the chemical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and mechanical engineering departments. Plummer joined the WPI faculty in 1999. She received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cornell University and both a master’s degree in environmental engineering and a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

ASCE Members Honored by American Academy of Environmental Engineers

The American Academy of Environmental Engineers has recognized several members of ASCE in bestowing its awards for 2009. The academy established the awards to recognize individuals and organizations for their contributions to environmental engineering, public health, and environmental protection.

THOMAS E. WILSON, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, has been named the recipient of the Gordon Maskew Fair Award. A principal of AECOM Technical Services, Inc., of Los Angeles, Wilson is renowned internationally for his expertise in wastewater treatment plant processes. He has more than 40 years of experience in education, research, development, and practical application.

STEPHEN P. GRAEF, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, is to receive the Stanley E. Kappe Award. In 1992 Graef became the director of technical services for Western Carolina Regional Sewer Authority—now known as Renewable Water Resources, of Greenville, South Carolina. He retired from Renewable Water Resources this year and is currently establishing an environmental engineering consultancy that will specialize in utility engineering and operations. Graef holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Valparaiso University, a master’s degree in environmental health engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and a doctorate in environmental systems engineering from Clemson University.

WALTER J. BISHOP, P.E., F.ASCE, the general manager of California’s Contra Costa Water District, has been selected to receive the Edward J. Cleary Award. Under Bishop’s leadership, the district’s $600-million Los Vaqueros Reservoir was completed in 1997 and received ASCE’s Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award in 1999. He has held various positions at utilities on both the East Coast and the West Coast, and he has been a consultant on U.S. Agency for International Development and World Bank projects in Thailand and China. His experience as an engineer and leader in the water and wastewater industry spans 35 years.

Pallasch Named among Lobbying Elite

BRIAN PALLASCH, Aff.M.ASCE, the Society’s managing director of government relations and infrastructure initiatives, has been named one of the 13 top lobbyists by the magazine CEO Update. The publication asked trade association leaders and lobbying groups for recommendations of the most effective lobbyists in their fields. Pallasch was recognized for his work with other coalitions in promoting infrastructure needs as a way of stimulating the economy. President of the American League of Lobbyists from 2007 to 2008, Pallasch joined ASCE in 1999 and has been responsible for managing the Society’s government relations department, including federal and state legislative affairs, regulatory affairs, policy development, and grassroots activities. Since 2008 he has been responsible for managing ASCE’s strategic initiatives with respect to infrastructure.

Nordenson Receives Multiple Honors

GUY NORDENSON, P.E., F.ASCE, the founder of Guy Nordenson and Associates Structural Engineers, LLP, of New York City, and a professor of structural engineering and architecture at Prince-ton University, has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in the category of visual arts–criticism and practice. The academy was founded in 1780 to honor distinguished scientists, scholars, and leaders in public affairs, business, administration, and the arts. Nordenson is also one of the recipients of the American Institute of Architect’s 2009 Institute Honors for Collaborative Achievement. From December 2008 to February 2009, he was the William A. Bernoudy Architect in Residence at the American Academy in Rome. During his residency he worked on a series of future publications and also served as a senior adviser to recipients of the academy’s Rome Prize. Nordenson was the first engineer to be awarded a residency at the academy.

Moles Elect Alger President

ROBERT E. ALGER, P.E., M.ASCE, the president and chief executive officer of Lane Construction Corporation, of Cheshire, Connecticut, has been elected president of The Moles, a fraternal organization of the heavy construction industry. Alger earned a civil engineering degree from Pennsylvania State University. Upon graduation he joined Lane and was assigned to several significant projects, including managing undertakings along Interstate 80 and near Pittsburgh International Airport. Alger has also served as the president of ASCE’s Construction Institute.

Society Welcomes 10 Distinguished Members

The following outstanding individuals have been elected distinguished members of ASCE. With the exception of ASCE’s presidency, the status of distinguished member—formerly called honorary member—is the highest conferred by the Society. The members will be formally inducted on October 29 during the 139th Annual Civil Engineering Conference, which will be held in Kansas City, Missouri.

BERNARD AMADEI, Ph.D., Dist.M.ASCE, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, is honored for his commitment to humanity, nowhere better seen than in his founding of Engineers Without Borders–USA (EWB–USA). In 2000 Amadei was consulting on a project to bring water to a small Mayan village in Belize. Since the village had no electricity, running water, or sanitation and most of the villagers worked at a nearby banana plantation, the responsibility for carrying drinking and irrigation water from a nearby river fell to the local children. Amadei recruited eight University of Colorado civil and environmental engineering students and a Boulder, Colorado, civil engineering expert to design a water distribution system. The entire project was completed in May 2001 with the help of the local community. On the basis of this successful experience, Amadei launched EWB–USA.

The organization devises ways to bring clean water, sanitation, and other infrastructure improvements to communities in the developing world. Its mission is to work with communities to improve their quality of life by implementing projects that embody the principles of sustainable development. In carrying out its work, the organization draws on the talents and humanitarianism of U.S. engineering professionals and students, at the same time providing training to the latter.

Amadei’s interests at the University of Colorado focus on international development, and he directs the university’s Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing Communities, which shares many of the goals of EWB–USA. He also holds the Mortenson Chair in Global Engineering.

Amadei was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008, and earlier this year he was honored with Engineering News-Record’s Award of Excellence for his work with EWB–USA.

Amadei holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Toronto and a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a resident of Lafayette, Colorado.

JARED L. COHON, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, the president of Carnegie Mellon University, is honored not just for his leadership of the university but also for his efforts in addressing pressing environmental and energy issues. He began his teaching and research career in 1973 at Johns Hopkins University and was a faculty member there for 19 years. From 1992 to 1997 he served as dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

An authority on environmental and water resource systems analysis, Cohon has worked on water resource problems in the United States, South America, and Asia. In addition to his academic experience, in 1977 and 1978 he served as a legislative assistant on energy and environmental matters to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D–New York). President Bill Clinton appointed him to the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board in 1995 and named him chairman of that body in 1997. In 2002 President George W. Bush appointed him to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, and he has been reappointed by President Barack Obama.

In May 2007 Cohon was appointed to his third five-year term as president of Carnegie Mellon. Named Pittsburgher of the year in 2001, he is also an active ASCE member.

Cohon holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A registered professional engineer in Maryland, he is a resident of Pittsburgh.

BILLY L. EDGE, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, a professor of ocean and civil engineering at Texas A&M University, was elected in recognition of his contributions to coastal and hydraulic engineering and his dedication to engineering education. With 25 years of academic experience at Clemson University and Texas A&M, coupled with 15 years of consulting experience, Edge is recognized internationally as an expert in coastal engineering and dredging technology. His research focuses on coastal hazards, including the effects of hurricanes, and on erosion control, navigation, and dredging.

Formerly the head of the coastal and ocean division within Texas A&M’s civil engineering department, Edge currently serves as the director of the university’s Haynes Coastal Engineering Laboratory. He also has 15 years of consulting experience with Dames & Moore, Cubit Engineering, and Edge & Associates. Next month he will join the civil engineering department at North Carolina State University, where he will also be a program manager for the school’s Coastal Studies Institute.

Edge was instrumental in fielding ASCE technical assessment teams to study infrastructure damage in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Ike. In recognition of his efforts as a member of ASCE’s External Review Panel, he was awarded the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
An active member of ASCE, he has served as the president of the Governing Board of the Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute and as the secretary of the institute’s Coastal Engineering Research Council, of which he is a longtime member.

Edge received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a doctorate in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. A registered professional engineer in South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia, he is a resident of College Station, Texas.

WILFRED D. IWAN, Ph.D., Dist.M.ASCE, a professor emeritus of applied mechanics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the director of the school’s Earthquake Engineering Research Laboratory, is recognized for his research on the seismic performance of structures. A member of the Caltech faculty since 1964, Iwan is world renowned for his contributions in earthquake engineering. He has developed practical methods for designing earthquake-resistant structures and simplified methods for the analysis of equipment isolation systems. In introducing the concept of a drift demand spectrum, Iwan helped to elucidate the effects of earthquakes on structures.

His many accolades include ASCE’s Nathan M. Newmark Medal and William H. Wisely Award, the California Earthquake Safety Foundation’s Alfred E. Alquist Medal, the Consortium of Organizations for Strong-Motion Observation Systems’ Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute’s George W. Housner Medal. Iwan was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1999.

A resident of Sierra Madre, California, Iwan holds a doctorate from Caltech.

JON D. NELSON, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, the vice president of Tetra Tech’s EAS Group, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is honored for leadership that has led to a new law in that state raising the formal educational requirements for engineering licensure. Nelson’s career includes 12 years of service on the Oklahoma State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, including two terms as chairman. An advocate of long-term change in the educational and experience requirements for engineering licensure, he has worked to move the educational component beyond a bachelor’s degree.

Nelson has received many awards for his service and contributions, including ASCE’s President’s Medal. The governor of Oklahoma honored him by proclaiming July 12, 2007, to be Jon D. Nelson, P.E.–Engineering and Surveying Licensure Day.

Nelson received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Oklahoma State University. A registered professional engineer in Oklahoma, he is a resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

DONALD V.N. ROBERTS, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, the founder of the World Engineering Partnership for Sustainable Development (WEPSD) and of a coalition for resolving issues caused by hazardous waste, is recognized for his work in bringing the principles of sustainability into the lexicon of the engineering profession. With 50 years of experience as a geotechnical and environmental engineer, Roberts has been at the forefront of efforts to incorporate sustainability into the engineering profession. He was instrumental in ensuring sustainability’s inclusion in the general criteria established by ABET, Inc., and in the second edition of ASCE’s Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge for the 21st Century (www.asce.org/professional/educ/). His work Engineers and Sustainable Development, published by the World Federation of Engineering Organisations’ Committee on Technology in 2002, is widely used in college engineering courses.
Roberts’s service as head of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations’ Committee on Technology from 2001 through 2003 made it possible for him to continue his work on sustainability, and his efforts were later recognized by that body’s Distinguished Achievement in the Service of Humanity Medal.

Roberts’s career includes both engineering and managerial responsibility on more than 500 projects in 20 countries around the world. He has served in executive positions with Dames & Moore and CH2M HILL, and he is active in the affairs of Engineers Without Borders–USA, recently serving on its board of directors. He has also served as the president and chair of the WEPSD and as a member of ASCE’s Task Committee on Sustainable Design.

Roberts received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Stanford University. A registered professional engineer in California, he is a resident of Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

JEFFREY S. RUSSELL, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, the chair of the civil and environmental engineering department at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, is honored for his leadership in engineering education and in the professional practice of civil engineering. Russell’s signature contribution to the civil engineering profession has been his work in expanding the educational requirements for professional certification as a civil engineer. He is also recognized as a distinguished scholar and academic leader and has served as an adviser to more than 100 graduate students, including 20 doctoral students. During his tenure at the university Russell helped to found the construction engineering and management program, now considered one of the country’s best, within the civil and environmental engineering department.

A national expert on civil engineering project management processes, Russell has introduced technological advances in the civil engineering community, including innovative concepts relating to contractor prequalification and surety and bonding issues. Working with colleagues at the University of Wisconsin, he helped initiate research promoting the use of fiber-reinforced polymers and advanced materials.

His research has been recognized with ASCE’s Collingwood Prize and Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize, and Engineering News-Record included him on its list of the 25 most newsworthy individuals in 1996 and 2005. The current chair of ASCE’s Committee on the Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice, Russell has also served as the editor in chief of the Society’s Journal of Management in Engineering and was the founding editor in chief of its journal Leadership and Management in Engineering. He has also served on ASCE’s Board of Direction and is active in the affairs of the ASCE student chapter at the University of Wisconsin and Chi Epsilon, the civil engineering honor society.

Russell received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati and master’s and doctoral degrees in civil engineering from Purdue University. A registered professional engineer in Wisconsin, he is a resident of Madison, Wisconsin.

CLIFFORD J. SCHEXNAYDER, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, an eminent scholar emeritus at Arizona State University’s Del E. Webb School of Construction, is recognized for more than four decades of service to the civil engineering profession as an international expert in heavy construction equipment, as well as for his work in mentoring engineering educators. During his career Schexnayder has worked with major heavy construction and highway construction contractors as a field engineer, estimator, and corporate chief engineer. He also served as an engineer in the U.S. Army, retiring with the rank of colonel.

In the classroom, Schexnayder involved his students in hands-on experiences that included visits to the Pentagon renovation and Ronald Reagan Building projects in Washington, D.C., and to numerous heavy civil projects on the West Coast. He has also lent his time and expertise to the civil engineering profession in South America, teaching at Peru’s Universidad de Piura and Ecuador’s Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja.

Schexnayder is the principal author of the texts Construction Planning, Equipment and Methods (New York City: McGraw-Hill, 1995) and Construction Management Fundamentals (New York City: McGraw-Hill, 2008), which are widely used in construction courses and have been translated into Chinese.

Schexnayder has served as the chair of ASCE’s Construction Division and was a member of the task committee established to oversee the formation of the Construction Institute. He has been the recipient of ASCE’s John O. Bickel Award and of the Society of American Military Engineers’ Tasker H. Bliss Award for his contributions to civil engineering education in the military. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs honored him with a lecturing and research award as part of its Fulbright Program.

A native of New Iberia, Louisiana, Schexnayder received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a doctorate in civil engineering from Purdue University. A registered professional engineer in Arizona, North Carolina, and Texas, he is a resident of Chandler, Arizona.

ROBERT L. STREET, Ph.D., Dist.M.ASCE, the cofounder of Stanford University’s internationally renowned Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, is honored for his seminal contributions to the field of fluid mechanics and the numerical simulation of fluid flows. A pioneer in the field of environmental fluid dynamics, Street is a distinguished scholar whose work is recognized worldwide. His contributions to environmental fluid mechanics include numerical codes and large-eddy turbulence models for the nonhydrostatic equations characterizing coastal upwelling, rotating convective flow, flow over topography, nonlinear free surface motions, sediment transport over ripples, and flow over rough terrain at field scales in the atmosphere. He is the senior author, with Gary Z. Watters and John K. Vennard, of Elementary Fluid Mechanics (Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 1995), now in its seventh edition and one of the world’s preeminent fluid mechanics texts, having been translated into Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2004, Street has been the recipient of the Society’s Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Prize and was chosen by ASCE to deliver the Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Lecture.
Street holds a doctorate in civil engineering from Stanford University and is a resident of Stanford, California.

RAO Y. SURAMPALLI, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, Dist.M.ASCE, the engineer director for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is honored for his leadership in environmental engineering. During his career Surampalli has coordinated major research efforts on 30 environmental engineering topics, including the production of bioplastics and biopesticides from biosolids; the occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in water and wastewater treatment plants; and the environmental risk posed by nanomaterials and nanotechnology.

The author of eight books and 146 peer-reviewed journal articles, Surampalli is the editor of ASCE’s Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management. He also serves on the editorial advisory boards of several major journals and is a member of many national and international committees, review panels, and advisory boards, including ASCE’s Energy, Environment, and Water Policy Committee. He has been an adjunct professor of environmental engineering at the University of Missouri at Columbia, the University of Nebraska, the Université du Québec à Montréal, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Iowa State University, and Tongji University, in China.

Surampalli’s accolades include ASCE’s Government Civil Engineer of the Year Award, Rudolph Hering Medal, State-of-the-Art of Civil Engineering Award, and Wesley W. Horner Award.

Surampalli received a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Oklahoma State University and a doctorate in environmental engineering from Iowa State University. A registered professional engineer in Iowa and Kentucky, he is a resident of Lenexa, Kansas.

Puri Honored For Educational Outreach

SATINDER P.S. PURI, P.E., M.ASCE, a retired structural engineer, has received the 2008 Technical Educator Award from the Cleveland Technical Societies Council. The award is conferred on an engineer seen as having made a substantial contribution to technical education methods or as having inspired students to pursue careers in technical fields. Puri has experience in the analysis, design, inspection, and rehabilitation of buildings, as well as in teaching students about buildings and bridges.

Puri has served on numerous ASCE committees and has been an associate editor of ASCE’s Journal of Infrastructure Systems. He has made presentations at ASCE conferences, and his writings on buildings and bridges have appeared in various ASCE publications. His article recounting his experience of being trapped in an elevator for more than three hours during the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 was published in  ASCE’s Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities. In a program organized by the science and industry branch of the New York Public Library, Puri lectures twice a year on the bridges of Central Park and on the art and engineering of the city’s suspension bridges.

After a 35-year career spent working primarily for consultants in New York City and for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, he retired in 2004 and moved to Cleveland. Since 2005 he has been a volunteer at the Riverside Elementary School, where he teaches science to three first-grade classes and conducts after-hours courses on engineering basics and mathematics for students in the seventh and eighth grades. Here students are involved in hands-on activities, and they also view videos on engineering projects. In projects he has assigned, students have been asked to work on the design and construction of the Great Pyramid, imagining that they are the pharaoh Khufu’s chief engineer. They have also been challenged to design the Riverside Elementary School as a “green” building. In assisting his first-grade classes in science projects, Puri acquaints the students with the scientific method, explains why it is necessary to test materials using engineering principles, and stresses the importance of making the finished project aesthetically pleasing.