Announcing Student Competitions for the 2007 EWRI Congress

When: May 15-19

Where: Tampa, FL

Details: www.ewrinstitute.org/committees/ewri_studacts.cfm

There are three competitions with a student focus planned for EWRI’s 2007 World Environmental & Water Resources Congress, including a student technical paper competition for both undergraduates and graduates, a student photo competition as well as the Parsons Brinckerhoff Student Design Competition. Take this opportunity to showcase your technical knowledge and represent your university as part of this exciting competition.

Current Student and New Professional Council projects:

• 2007 Student and Younger Member Photography Contest
• 2007 Parsons Brinckerhoff Student Design Competition
• 2007 Student Technical Paper Contest

Technical Region Director’s Report

All members of the ASCE Board of Direction are expected to communicate effectively with the constituents in their respective regions. The Technical Region is a worldwide, virtual region comprised of ASCE’s seven Institutes. This report is the fifth in a series of brief summaries intended to keep you informed of news from the ASCE Board of Direction. It is a “special edition” to make you aware of a recent achievement that will forever change and improve our profession. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time with your questions and concerns. I would especially appreciate receiving any thoughts that you might have on how ASCE and its Technical Region can better serve you.

Educating the Engineer of the Future

The Problem

In 1900, the minimum education requirement for engineers was four years of college. For medical doctors and pharmacists, the minimum requirement was three years. Lawyers were not required to attend college, but were expected to read the law under the supervision of an attorney for at least two years. At that time, architects were not yet recognized as professionals. Not surprisingly, engineers were viewed as top flight professionals with compensation reaching far beyond that of doctors and lawyers.

Today, the minimum education requirement for engineers remains at four years of college. The minimum requirement for medical doctors is eight years. For lawyers, it is seven years. Pharmacists require a minimum of six years. Architects and accountants require a minimum of five years. Much of the public and many employers now view engineers as technicians, rather than as professionals. Even more disturbing, many engineers do not view themselves as professionals. Consequently, engineering is no longer a field that commands top compensation.

What does four years of college produce? In the 1950s, the average Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE) degree required about 154 semester hours of mostly technical coursework. By the 1960s, that requirement had dropped to an average of about 144 hours and began to include some mandatory liberal arts coursework. The first trend was intended to push students through college in four years, mostly for fiscal reasons. The second trend was intended to make engineers more well-rounded members of society. Both trends have continued to the present time. Today, the average BSCE degree requires about 124 semester hours nationwide and includes a multitude of nontechnical coursework. Some state legislatures, such as Texas, are currently considering bills that would mandate a cap of 120 semester hours for all BS degrees at public universities, regardless of discipline. 

Working Toward a Solution

More than a decade ago, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recognized this problem and began actively working toward a solution. It formed the Committee on Academic Prerequisites for Professional Practice (CAP3), which subsequently produced the Body of Knowledge (BOK) that all civil engineers should acquire during their college years. The BOK states that the BSCE degree will not be adequate as an educational basis for the practice of civil engineering at a professional level in the future. Instead, it concludes that an additional 30 semester hours of relevant undergraduate and graduate education should be required. The BOK can be found at: 

http://www.asce.org/professional/educ 

In support of the BOK, and following many years of widespread discussion and vetting, the ASCE Board of Direction adopted Policy Statement 465 on October 19, 2004. In part, this policy states that ASCE supports the attainment of the BOK for entry into the practice of civil engineering at a professional level, including a MSCE degree or 30 semester hours of relevant education beyond a BSCE degree. Shortly thereafter, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) joined ASCE in supporting the BOK as the basis of education for professional engineering practice. These organizations then jointly approached the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

NCEES is an organization comprised of the 70 professional engineering and surveying licensing boards in the United States. It is best known for promulgating the licensure exams that are administered nationwide. It also publishes a variety of policy documents. The most important such document is undoubtedly the NCEES Model Law, which is routinely adopted in whole or in part by most state licensing boards. NCEES holds an annual meeting at which the 70 licensing boards officially vote on policy changes. Last year, after five years of study, the NCEES licensing boards voted by a narrow margin to establish a committee to propose specific revisions to the Model Law which would essentially incorporate the concepts of the BOK for all engineering licensure. 

Success!

On the morning of September 15, 2006, at the NCEES Annual Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, the NCEES licensing boards voted 39 to 27 to accept the recommendations of the committee and adopt significant changes to the education requirements in the Model Law. Effective on January 1, 2015, all applicants for the Principles & Practice of Engineering Exam must have earned a MS degree or 30 semester hours of relevant education beyond a BS degree. The specific wording can be found on Page 3 of the NCEES October 2006 Newsletter at:

http://www.ncees.org/licensure/licensure_exchange/le_2006_10.pdf

One state licensing board reportedly is planning to adopt the revised Model Law immediately. Others will gradually follow suit and the majority of state licensing boards will have adopted the revised Model Law well before 2015. State licensing boards that traditionally do not adopt the Model Law will have little choice but to change their rules to match the requirements in the revised Model Law, as failing to do so would cause their PEs to lose reciprocity with other states.

The impact of the revised Model Law is immediate. The last class of engineering freshmen that can hope to obtain licensure under the old rules started college in September 2006. If they stay on schedule, these individuals will obtain BS degrees by June 2010 and will have completed four years of supervised experience by June 2014. They will then be qualified to sit for the PE exam in October 2014. Future classes of engineering freshmen will not be able to meet this schedule. It is expected that a much higher percentage of undergraduate engineering students will now pursue MS degrees. Those that enter the workplace with a BS degree can expect to take an average of 2-3 college courses annually for the next four years. It is anticipated that most of these courses will be taken through distance learning, such as the Internet, rather than on campus. 

In conclusion, the bar is being raised. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to state that the bar is being restored. The next generation of engineers will receive an education that is roughly equivalent in college semester hours to those who preceded them by fifty years. Will this produce better engineers? Few would argue to the contrary. Will it restore the professional stature of engineering to a point that compensation and enrollments will swell? Many believe that these very important goals will be achieved. 

Reminder: Call for Abstracts Deadline Approaching for Hydraulic Measurements & Experimental Methods 2007 Conference in Lake Placid, New York

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 31, 2006

SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT TODAY!

Conference Topics:

• Advances in Measurement Technology
• Measurements for Fundamentals of Flow Processes
• Measurements of BioGeoPhysical Integrated Parameters
• Experimental Methods and Data Analyses
• Commercial Measurement Equipment

Conference Dates:

September 10-12 (Technical Sessions)

September 13 (Technical Tours)

»For more information, please visit the conference website.

Reminder: Call for Nominations for FY07 EWRI Institute/Council Awards - Deadline November 10, 2007

Individuals are encouraged to nominate a peer for an EWRI Institute/Council Award by completing an online EWRI Institute/Council 2007 Nomination Form before November 10, 2006. For a complete listing of EWRI Institute/Council Awards, please visit the following website: http://www.ewrinstitute.org/inside/ewri_instituteawards.cfm.

FY07 EWRI Institute/Council awards will be presented at the 2007 EWRI Congress in Tampa, Florida.

»Click here to view more information on the FY07 EWRI Institute/Council Award Nomination Process.

»Questions? Contact Autumn Richter

Apply Today for the AAWRE's Diplomate Certification Program at a One-Time Discounted Rate

The American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) is currently accepting online applications for the Diplomate, Specialty Certification program for spring 2007. Presently, you may apply at a one-time special discounted rate of $100 ($300 Regular Fee). The current online application deadline is February 28, 2007. For more information and to apply, please visit: http://www.aawre.org/appaawre.cfm.

Key Progress Made in Defining Education Requirements

A critical step in the implementation of ASCE's "Policy 465" was taken during the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) annual meeting in September when delegates voted to modify the NCEES Model Law to require additional engineering education credits beyond a bachelor's degree. ASCE has been a key supporter of this initiative to further define the "body of knowledge" required to practice civil engineering at the professional level.

» For more information on ASCE Policy Statement 465, click here

NEWS

Two New Drinking Water Treatment Waste Disposal Guides Are Now Available for Owners and Operators of Drinking Water Systems

A System's Guide to the Management of Radioactive Residuals from Drinking Water Treatment Technologies was developed to provide owners and operators of drinking water systems with information on waste disposal options for radioactive residuals. This guide provides information on the available treatment technologies for the removal of radium, uranium, and gross alpha particle activity; the residuals produced by each technology; disposal options; and the regulations governing these options. More information about this guide can be found on EPA's Web site: www.epa.gov/safewater/radionuclides/compliancehelp.html.

A System's Guide to the Identification and Disposal of Hazardous and Non-Hazardous Water Treatment Plant Residuals provides information for drinking water systems on the federal requirements for identifying, storing, and disposing of hazardous and non-hazardous water treatment plant wastes, such as arsenic. More information about this guide can be found on EPA's Web site: www.epa.gov/safewater/arsenic/compliance.html#tools.

EPA Released Draft Guidance on Use of Underground Injection Control Wells for Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide

Geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) is a promising technology that could help reduce global CO2 emissions. Underground injection of CO2 for the purposes of sequestration is covered by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) under the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program and EPA is working closely with DOE to address technical and policy questions to enable safe and effective deployment of this technology. EPA is releasing a draft guidance to help facilitate state agencies to permit the Department of Energy?s (DOE) Regional Partnership pilot projects, which will be injecting small volumes of CO2 primarily for research purposes, as UIC Class V experimental technology wells. In order to provide permitting flexibility, the guidance discusses technical considerations that should be taken into account when issuing a project permit and strongly encourages permits to be designed in a way that maximizes relevant data gathering while still protecting underground sources of drinking water and human health. "Our guidance advances innovative technologies that can help reduce global CO2 emissions, while protecting underground drinking water supplies and public health," said Benjamin H. Grumbles. "We're using regulatory tools under the Safe Drinking Water Act to be both protective and proactive." EPA is also carrying out a wide range of activities to help the Agency evaluate whether there is a need to develop new regulations for future commercial-scale CO2 injection project. The document is available on the EPA web site at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/uic/wells_sequestration.html.

Free Training Seminar Featuring National Watershed Experts - November 29, 2007 Webcast - Protecting Drinking Water Sources: Assessments and Opportunities

The Nov. 29th Webcast, Protecting Drinking Water Sources: Assessments and Opportunities, will feature Beth Hall from EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water; Chris Crockett, Technical Advisory Work Group Chair for American Water Works Association and Manager of Watershed Protection for the Philadelphia Water Department; and Sheree Stewart, Source Water Coordinator, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Registration will open in mid-Nov. Please note that audio versions of past Webcasts are available for downloading at: http://www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts/.

IN MEMORIAM

Gilbert F. White, 'Father Of Floodplain Management' And World-Renowned CU-Boulder Professor, Dies At 94

Oct. 5, 2006, from University of Colorado News

Gilbert F. White, known worldwide as the "father of floodplain management" and one of the most distinguished and internationally recognized faculty members at the University of Colorado at Boulder, died on Oct. 5 at his home in Boulder. He was 94.

White joined the CU-Boulder faculty in 1970 as a professor of geography and director of the Institute of Behavioral Science and remained active in academic work into his 90s. He founded CU's Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, the nation's leading repository of knowledge on human behavior in disasters, in 1974.

White's work in natural hazards changed the way people deal with nature and made the world safer for people to inhabit. "Floods are 'acts of God,' but flood losses are largely acts of man" he wrote in 1942 in his doctoral dissertation, which has since been called the most influential ever written by an American geographer.

Today planners tend to look at the landscape the way White did, considering a broad range of alternatives to cope with floods including land-use planning, upstream watershed treatment, flood-proofing buildings, insurance, emergency evacuation, and dams and other structures.

White was the Gustavson Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography at CU-Boulder and was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences. His numerous awards include the nation's highest scientific honor, the National Medal of Science, presented in 2000.

White served as president of Haverford College in Pennsylvania from 1946 until 1955 and taught at the University of Chicago from 1956 to 1969. He was a visiting professor at the University of Oxford in 1962-63.

Members of the CU community today remembered White's remarkable life and his indelible personal qualities.

"Professor White's work made a tremendous contribution to Colorado, the nation and the world, and he will be sorely missed from Boulder and beyond," said CU President Hank Brown.

"I have long known of Dr. White's remarkable talent and knowledge that he has given so generously to this university and to the world," CU-Boulder's new Chancellor, G.P. "Bud" Peterson, said. "He is a true giant among scholars."

"Most knew Gilbert White as one of the most distinguished scholars, researchers and teachers in this century, but he was also a 'gentle man' who, through his gentle voice and rational approach, had the unique talent of bringing together individuals with different opinions and helping them find common ground," CU-Boulder Provost Phil DiStefano recalled. "Personally, I was pleased to award him a honorary degree last spring for all that he had done for the community, the university, the country and the world."

"The world is a better place for having had Gilbert in its midst," said Jane Menken, director of the Institute of Behavioral Science and a distinguished professor of sociology. "Gilbert was that rare combination -- a distinguished scientist and an outstanding humanitarian committed to translating scientific evidence into policy and programs to better people's lives. His was a life to celebrate."

"We will always remember Gilbert, not only as a man of science and humanity, but as the person who set IBS on its present course and whose leadership and friendship was always accompanied by wisdom and enlightenment," said Richard Jessor, a founder and former director of the Institute of Behavioral Science and a CU-Boulder distinguished professor of behavioral science.

White was born on Nov. 26, 1911 in Hyde Park, Ill., and received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Chicago. He studied the Mississippi River Basin for the federal government as a graduate student in the late 1930s, when many planners followed a flood-control policy based on the construction of dams. White questioned the impact of such projects and suggested alternatives that protected people as well as floodplain ecosystems.

After leaving the federal government in the 1930s, White never again had to apply for another job, according to Robert E. Hinshaw, a former college president who wrote a biography of White published this year. And he never again worked for the federal government although he could easily have held positions of global importance, according to Hinshaw.

"He has refused to let himself be drawn into a government position that would force him to use a more formal decision-making process" and his personal beliefs were behind that decision, said Hinshaw, who also chaired the CU-Denver anthropology department from 1982 to 1984.

White chaired the American Friends Service Committee from 1963 to 1969 and his Quakerism is a vital part of his life, said Hinshaw, who also is a Quaker. White's leadership style is consistent with the Religious Society of Friends' traditional consensus-building process, he said.

That leadership style was highly effective in White's efforts to deal with contentious water issues in the Middle East from 1996 to 1999, and also in leading a task force that led to the establishment of the National Flood Insurance Program. He has made lasting contributions to the study of water systems in developing countries, global environmental change, international cooperation, nuclear winter and geography education.

Among White's numerous other honors are the National Geographic Society's highest award, the Hubbard Medal; the United Nation's Sasakawa International Environmental Prize; and the Association of American Geographer's Lifetime Achievement Award. He received an honorary doctorate from CU-Boulder in May.

More information on White is posted on the CU-Boulder Natural Hazards Center's Web site at http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/gfw/. Additional news releases on White can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/news/tributes/white.

The family will hold a public memorial service on Saturday, Nov. 11, at A Spice of Life Event Center, 5706 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder.

Contact: Jeannine Malmsbury, (303) 492-3115

PUBLICATIONS

Ordering Information: Visit http://www.pubs.asce.org or call 1-800-548-2723 (U.S.) / 1-703-295-6300 (Int’l.) / 1-703-295-6278 (Fax)

Checkout New and Old EWRI Publications!

• A list of of EWRI's journals, reports, manuals, and proceedings can be found on the following website: http://www.ewrinstitute.org/publications/ewri_asce.cfm.

• A list of EWRI standards may be found on the following website: http://www.ewrinstitute.org/publications/pubs.cfm

• All publications produced by ASCE, including publications produced prior to EWRI's inception, may be found on ASCE's Publications Website.

Purchase an EWRI Publication Today! Either visit one of the above mentioned websites and and submit your order online or contact the ASCE Publications Order Department by phone and place your order.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The organizing committee for the upcoming conference is currently seeking abstract submissions.

Hydraulic Measurements & Experimental Methods 2007

September 10-12, 2006 (Technical Sessions)

September 13, 2003 (Technical Tours)

Lake Placid, NY

Abstracts due: October 31, 2006

Visit the conference website at

www.asce.org/conferences/hmem07 for more information.

CONFERENCES

2006 International Conference (EWRI Event)

December 18-20, 2006

New Delhi, India

http://www.asce.org/conferences/india06

2nd National Low Impact Development Conference*
March 12-14, 2007
Wilmington, NC

http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/swetc/lid/home.htm

World Environmental & Water Resources Congress 2007

(EWRI Event)

May 15-19, 2007

Tampa, FL

http://content.asce.org/conferences/ewri2007/

XXXII IAHR Congress*
July 1-6, 2007

Venice, Italy

http://www.iahr2007.corila.it/

2007 Hydraulic Measurements & Experimental Methods Conference (EWRI Event)

September 10-12, 2007 (Technical Sessions)

September 13, 2007 (Technical Tours)

Lake Placid, NY

http://content.asce.org/conferences/HMEM07/

International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge*

October 28 - November 2, 2007

Phoenix, AZ

www.ismar2007.org

* EWRI  Co-sponsored Events

CONTINUING EDUCATION WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS

Wetlands and 404 Permitting

December 4 - 5, 2006

Baltimore, MD
http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=2#abc35abc

Dam Breach Analysis Using HEC-RAS

December 6 - 8, 2006

Atlanta, GA
http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=4#abc328abc

HEC-RAS Computer Workshop

December 13 - 15, 2006

Jacksonville, FL
http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=4#abc113abc

NPDES Stormwater Permit Compliance

December 14 - 15, 2006

Atlanta, GA

http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=2#abc30abc

Pumping Systems Design for Civil Engineers

December 28 - 29, 2006

Atlanta, GA

http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=4#abc121abc

SPREAD THE WORD

Please forward this message to your friends and colleagues who share an interest in environmental and water-related issues and would like to hear from the Environmental and Water Resources Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Encourage your friends and colleagues to JOIN EWRI and receive all the benefits of being an EWRI Member.