• Get Involved in the 2008 Board Election
  
  2008 Multi Region Leadership Conferences Attracts ASCE Leaders from Sections, Branches, Younger Member Groups and Student Chapters
  
  Your Opportunity to Serve on the Committee on Employment of Civil Engineers
  
  Practitioner & Faculty Advisor Training Workshop
  
  ASCE Signs Memorandum of Cooperation with International Association of Emergency Managers
  
  The ASCE Consulting Engineering Practice Survey
  
  The Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award--Call for Nominations
  
  Membership
  
  An Invitation from the History and Heritage Committee
  
  COPRI Announces New Project Excellence Award
  
  2008 Conferences
  
  Continuing Education Webinars
  
  Mark Your Calendar!
  
  Region Boards of Governors
  
  Committee on Geographic Units
  
  Executives
  
  Geographic Services Department
  
  Contact Information
  
• ASCE

Now is the perfect time for your Region Board or Section to consider who you would like to endorse in the 2008 ASCE election. Endorsements are permitted for the offices of Region Governor, Region Director and President-elect. Of these three positions, only the nominees for the office of President-elect will interview with the Board of Direction Nominating Committee on May 1. After interviewing the Nominees, the Committee shall select no more than two (2) Official Nominees for President-elect to appear on the election ballot unless 75 percent or more of the members of the Nominating Committee vote to submit a single nominee.   

If you have already endorsed a President-elect Nominee, and that individual is not successful at the Board Nominating Committee, you may decide to endorse another Nominee.  A notice of endorsement should be delivered directly to the Nominee by official correspondence from the Chair of the Organizational Entity no later than June 9. Only one endorsement per individual per office can be made during an election and this endorsement may be announced in your newsletter and Web site.

The nominees for 2009 President-elect are: Mario A. Baratta, P.E., F.ASCE; Blaine D. Leonard, P.E., F.ASCE; and Gajanan M. Sabnis, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE. 

>>For more information and to learn more about the candidates, click here.

Nearly 1,000 leaders, and rising leaders from ASCE’s Regions, Sections, Branches, Younger Member Groups and Student Chapters/Clubs gathered for an opportunity to develop and enhance their leadership skills; receive greater exposure to the organization, operations, and resources of ASCE; and network with piers and colleagues.

Organized under the umbrella of the Multi-Region Leadership Conference, three major Society components met concurrently as well as individually during this intensive two-day event. The three Multi-Region Leadership Conferences which encompassed the Workshop for Section and Branch Leaders, the Younger Member Council meeting, and the Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders were held on three separate weekends throughout January and February, in Baltimore, Austin and Las Vegas, respectively.

All attendees met in joint sessions and discussed common issues and concerns impacting the engineering profession. The Section and Branch representatives, Younger Members, and Student Members each dispersed into individual groups to focus on issues pertaining to their own organizations. Throughout the weekend, the attendees had excellent opportunities to meet their elected national ASCE leaders, and hear from the national ASCE president, president-elect and executive director.

Some of the joint activities included a creative icebreaker activity entitled the “Mingle Game.” In a 20-minute span, the delegates collected signatures from other delegates that met one of 35 pre-determined descriptions.  As the delegates sought signatures, they were encouraged to find out at least one ASCE characteristic about each delegate.  This icebreaker allowed delegates from the three concurrent conferences to meet many other delegates in a fun and open environment which lead to greater interaction throughout the rest of the conference.

Immediately following the mingle session, this diverse group of individuals participated in a team building exercise where they had 30 minutes to select a special project, select roles for team members and present their plan. The goal was to reinforce that by working together, one gets broader perspectives and delegates tasks that are more efficient to the groups. Another key aspect to illustrate is that by breaking up into groups early in the planning process, it allows more efficient planning and there is less of a burden on a single group or person. The main objective was to remind everyone that working collectively in ASCE and in the workforce reduces the burden on a single individual or group and increases participation and support from more stakeholders increasing the likelihood of a success event.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the CEO Forum where the attendees heard perspectives from successful leaders in the engineering profession. The CEO Forum provided attendees an excellent opportunity to hear from industry leaders on their perspectives of the engineering profession.  Additionally, attendees were provided an opportunity to ask questions about the future or trends in the engineering profession.  The CEO forum was especially beneficial to Student Members as it provided a rare opportunity to connect with the current leaders in the profession.

Several Section and Branch Awards were presented at the conferences.  The winners are as follows:

Outstanding Section and Branch Award

Outstanding Newsletter Award

Outstanding Section and Branch Web Site Award

Citizen Engineer Award

Public Service Award

Diversity Award

The 2009 Multi-Region Leadership Conferences will be held:

Regions 1, 2, 4, & 5, Cherry Hill, NJ, February 6-7

Regions 3, 6, & 7, Denver, CO, January 9-10

Regions 8 & 9, San Francisco, CA,   January 23-24

Would you like to get more involved in shaping the future of the civil engineering profession?  ASCE’s Committee on Employment of Civil Engineers (CECE) is looking for new full and corresponding members.  Serving on a national committee like CECE gives you a unique opportunity to influence the profession, affect ASCE’s policies at the national level, and network with other civil engineers who practice in the public and private sectors.

The Committee on Employment of Civil Engineers develops policies, procedures and standards for conditions of employment taking into account the economic, social, and ethical issues in the profession.  The committee discusses and may report on current issues and trends that affect the employment of civil engineers.  A recently completed project by CECE is the ASCE Guidelines for Engineering Grades.  For the detailed committee charge, visit the Professional Activities section of ASCE’s Official Register (http://www.asce.org/or).

Please contact Alicia Karwoski (manager of professional practice) at akarwoski@asce.org by April 1 if you are interested in joining the committee. Please submit a brief resume as an attachment. 

We look forward to hearing from you!

The Committee on Student Activities (CSA) invites ASCE Student Organization advisors to apply to participate in the 9th Annual ASCE Practitioner and Faculty Advisor Training Workshop (PFATW).  The PFATW, designed to enhance advisor effectiveness, will be held at the Sheraton Reston Hotel in Reston, Va on August 8-10.

Applications are still being accepted.  Approximately 30 advisors will be selected to participate in the workshop.  Participants are eligible for reimbursement up to $350/person in travel expenses; lodging and meals are provided.

More information and an application is available by contacting Student Services at (800) 548-2723 or student@asce.org.

In an effort to address the need for increased coordination in all aspects of emergency management worldwide, ASCE and the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) signed a memorandum of cooperation. The new agreement establishes a relationship designed to promote awareness of the state of our nation’s critical infrastructure, and to encourage the involvement of the engineering community in supporting emergency managers.  While IAEM activities are dedicated to promoting the goal of saving lives and protecting property during emergencies and disasters, both organizations acknowledge the need for the engineering community to support the preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation phases of emergency management.

As a means of implementing this partnership to advance disaster management, ASCE encourages its Section and Branch leaders to develop related partnerships and joint activities at the grassroots level.  For additional information about IAEM and a list of local contacts, please visit:  http://www.iaem.com/about/membership/regions/intro.htm.

ASCE is improving Manual No. 45, How to Work Effectively With Consulting Engineers, which provides guidance on procuring engineering services for a quality project.  The manual offers tools to foster a better understanding between the client and consulting engineer, including an explanation of services provided to the client, methods of determining compensation for engineering services, methods for selecting a consulting engineer and discussion on contracts.

To update the information on compensation for engineering services in the manual, ASCE is hosting an online survey, the ASCE Consulting Engineering Practice Survey 2008.  The survey is completely confidential and only ASCE staff will have access to individual responses and contact information.  We are asking principals and project managers to submit one survey per office.  Some ASCE members will receive an e-mail inviting them to the survey.  If you do not receive this e-mail and are interested in participating in the survey, please contact Alicia Karwoski (800-548-2723, ext. 6324 or akarwoski@asce.org). Each respondent will receive a complimentary copy of the revised manual and be entered into a drawing for an I-pod nano.

ASCE and ASFE/ The Best People on Earth invite your nominations for the Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award being presented in 2008.  The award recognizes an engineer leader for a specific accomplishment or for lifetime achievements that demonstrate superior ethics and leadership while the individual participated in professional practice or service to the public.  The individual must be a licensed professional engineer, may not currently (or within five years) serve on the ASCE Board of Direction or the ASFE Board of Directors, and may not have previously received the award.  There is no membership requirement for nomination.  The recipient will be presented a certificate and honorarium. 

Take this opportunity to nationally recognize one of your local members!  

For additional award information and for the official award nomination form, click here.  Please send nominations to awards@asce.org by June 1.  Paper submissions are also accepted.  Send one original to Honors and Awards Program, ASCE Headquarters, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA  20191-4400 by June 1.

How Can Sustainable Engineering Affect Global Health?

Register for EWB-USA’s 2008 International Conference for Answers

What exactly is global health? Does it mean clean water, eradication of disease, access to health care, or elimination of poverty?  And how can sustainable engineering affect communities?  You and your members can join in the solution when Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA) gathers dynamic people in Seattle for its 2008 International Conference, March 27-30.  This year’s conference will deliver firsthand experiences from EWB-USA project participants and teach attendees how to distinguish between “vision” and “reality” in creating more effective and relevant answers toward the development of healthy and secure communities.  

Encourage your members to take the first or next step in maximizing sustainable results and broadening the opportunity for successful, meaningful and long-term collaborations.  Register today!

(http://www.ewb-usa.org/ConferenceInfo.php)

Participate in the ASCE Salary Survey

ASCE members can win one of ten $100 Visa gift cards by participating in the 2008 Engineering Income and Salary Survey.  Encourage your members to take five minutes to log in and enter their salary data.  By becoming one of the more than 20,000 ASCE members who have already participated, the Survey will continue offering official, robust data for 35 engineering disciplines.  The Survey gives members the ability to search for compensation data by fields such as licensure, length of experience, location, and engineering grade, as well as set the compensation benchmark for their organization.  

Tell your members to submit their salary information today. (www.asce.org/salaries).

Celebrate the Civil Engineering Profession at the 2008 OPAL Awards

You and your members can join ASCE April 30 at the 2008 OPAL Gala, to honor the achievements of colleagues and the civil engineering profession.  This premier black-tie event, held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA, will bring together the most prestigious names in civil engineering to recognize lifetime achievements in construction, design, education, government, and management, as well as the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) award for the year’s most exceptional project.  Be there to help ASCE honor those individuals for bringing worldwide attention to the contributions and accomplishments of the civil engineering community. 

For more information, including the list of honorees and how to register, please visit www.asce.org/opal. 

FTP Hint: Membership Drop Date Approaching

Members who have not renewed their 2007 dues will be dropped from the membership rolls mid-March.  In addition, March will be the last month of Civil Engineering magazine and ASCE News for members who have not paid their 2008 dues. These members will be placed in “arrears” status in April and will no longer receive any of the benefits of ASCE membership.

You can use your membership data to help encourage your members to renew their membership as soon as possible to avoid being dropped. Field “AU”, titled “Last National Dues Paid Year”, indicates the last year a member paid dues. Any member that does not have “2007” or “2008” in this column will be dropped in March.

There are three easy ways for members to renew:

Important Awards Being Presented in March

Inform your members that important Society awards will be presented March 9-12 in New Orleans, at GeoCongress08.  Share the moment with David J. White, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE (2007 Casagrande), Jonathan P. Stewart, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE (Huber), Tien H. Wu, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE (Peck), and J. Michael Duncan, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE (Seed).   For registration information, visit www.geocongress.org.  To learn how to nominate for these awards, visit www.asce.org/awards. 

Remind Members of Upcoming Awards Deadlines

Help ASCE recognize outstanding achievements by nominating a member, supervisor, mentor or colleague for the following awards with a deadline of April 1:  Harold R. Peyton Award for Cold Regions Engineering and Daniel W. Mead Prize for Students.  To learn more and to download the necessary forms visit www.asce.org/awards. 

Find Answers to Your Honors and Awards Questions

Looking for information on honors and awards? It is all at your fingertips, including information and easily downloadable nomination forms for Society awards.  Share ASCE’s 80 awards, OPAL, and Distinguished Membership nominations with your members.  And now, members can read the two papers chosen for the 2007 Daniel W. Mead Prizes – one for Younger Members and one for Students at http://www.asce.org/awards.

Has your Section published a brochure on the civil engineering heritage in your region or have your members gone to schools to talk to students about your profession’s history? If your Section has done these, or any other history-related activities, the History and Heritage Committee (HHC) wants to hear from you.

In order to be considered for the History and Heritage Section Citation, which recognizes the outstanding history and heritage activities that occur at the Section level, the HHC is asking you to submit any materials related to your Section’s history and heritage activities along with a letter describing these activities to Carol Reese, Staff contact, HHC, ASCE, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400.

If possible, these materials may be submitted electronically either via email (creese@asce.org) or on a CD. All materials must be received by Monday, April 7, 2008 in order to be considered for this year’s award.

The Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI) Governing Board is pleased to announce the establishment of the COPRI Project Excellence Award (PEA) to recognize noteworthy projects related to coastal, waterways or ports engineering.  This award will be presented annually beginning in 2008.

A new endeavor for COPRI, this award is intended to give professionals who practice in these areas the opportunity to showcase their projects to the COPRI community and to gain international recognition for their efforts.

Rather than project size, this award is designed to recognize innovation through both  research methodologies and techniquesm, which decrease negative environmental impacts. Projects nominated for this award should demonstrate significant achievement through design or construction concepts, use of new or existing analytical techniques, use of new or existing technology, adaptive reuse of existing features or infrastructure, or methods to minimize environmental impacts within the affected region or area. Winners of the PEA award will be considered for nomination for ASCE OPAL awards by the COPRI Governing Board.

To be considered for the award, projects must present a design solution in one of COPRI's practice areas. Projects need to have been completed within three years of the award application period. Applications accompanied by a letter of reference from either the project client, owner or end-user should be submitted to COPRI by April 1. Nomination packages should include a project description with information on location, type, cost goals and duration of design and construction.

We need your submissions. However, there are still other opportunities for your participation:

• Mention this opportunity to your clients and let them know of the tangible benefits associated with winning this award.
• Scout out projects in your area that may be noteworthy and pass the word to individuals from that design team.
• But, most importantly, be part of history and consider submitting your outstanding projects for this award. 

Specific requirements for the award and the application packet can be found at the COPRI Web site, www.coprinstitute.org. For more information, contact Awards Chair Jim Spady at jspady@clarknexsen.com.

Solutions to Coastal Disasters

The Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI) is pleased to announce that the next Solutions to Coastal Disasters Conference will be held April 13-16 at Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu, Hawaii.  The conference will provide opportunities for multi-disciplinary presentations including lessons learned from the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, from Hurricane Katrina-one of the worst hurricane seasons ever to occur in the Gulf of Mexico; and concerns and opportunities developing from the fourth and most recent IPCC Report.

For more information and to register, click here.

ASCE-PIPELINES CONFERENCE

Get ready ATLANTA! 

The ASCE –Pipelines conference is coming July 22-27, 2008 to the Omni Hotel at CNN Center.

Check out our exciting program, and register at http://content.asce.org/conferences/pipelines2008/index.html.

Annual 08 Save the Date

Save the Date! ASCE’s 138th Annual Civil Engineering Conference will be Nov. 6-8 in Pittsburgh.   Program highlights include sessions on future workforce iIssues, risk assessment, and leadership.  Come join ASCE in Pittsburgh, “The Bridge Capital of the U.S.,” and see what this amazing city has to offer.

April 1: Nomination deadline for Harold R. Peyton Award for Cold Regions Engineering

June 1:

• Deadline for submission for the Outstanding Section and Branch Web Award Competition
• Nominations due for Ralph B. Peck Award, H. Bolton Seed Medal and the Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award

Aug. 1: Nominations due for Younger Member Employer Recognition Award

Aug. 1: Submission deadline for the State Public Affairs Grant Activity Report

Aug. 15: Nominations due for Casagrande, Construction Management, Kapp and Terzaghi Awards

Oct. 1:

• Nomination deadline for Distinguished Members, OPAL and Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prizes
• Outstanding Membership Champion nominations due

Oct. 30:

• Nominations due for the Workshops for Section and Branch Leaders and the Younger Member Council Meetings .
• Nominations due for the National Outstanding Section/Branch Award.

Nov. 1:

• Submission deadline for the Outstanding Section and Branch Newsletter Award

• Nomination deadline for Arid Lands, Bartholomew, Bechtel Pipeline, Bechtel, Jr. Energy, Bickel, Biot, Can-Am, Cermak, Chow, History and Heritage, Computing in CE, Croes, Duke, Einstein, Freese, Freudenthal, Greeley, Shortridge Hardesty, Herring, Hilgard, Hinds, Hoffman, Horner, Howard, Hydraulic Structures, Innovation in CE, International Coastal, Laurie, Lynn, Masters, Middlebrooks, Moffatt-Nichol, Moisseiff, Newmark, Norman, Peurifoy, President’s Medal, Reese, Rickey, Roebling, Hunter Rouse, Rowland, Scanlan, Smith, State-of-the-Art, Stevens, Surveying and Mapping, Terzaghi, Tipton, Turner, von Karman, Wellington, Winter, Wisely.

Nov. 9: State Public Affairs Grant applications due

Nov. 30: Section Annual Reports are due at ASCE World Headquarters.

             Region Annual Reports are due at ASCE World Headquarters.

Feb. 1: Nomination deadline for Collingwood Prize, Edmund Friedman Young Engineer, Mead for Younger Members, Younger Member Group Award

March 1: Nomination deadline for Civil Government Award, Edmund Friedman Professional Recognition Award, Daniel W. Mead Prize for Students, John I. Parcel-Leif J. Sverdrup Civil Engineering Management Award