• Region, Section and Branch Discussion Forum Launched
  
  Take Pride in Your History and Enlighten the Public
  
  Ask Counselor Tara (ACT)
  
  Membership
  
  Nominations Sought for EWRI Section and Branch Activities Council Award
  
  TISP December Breakfast Speaker Series
  
  Call for Papers for the AEI '08 National Conference: Building Integration Solutions
  
  2008 Conferences
  
  Encourage Young People to Pursue a Technical Career!
  
  Continuing Education Webinars
  
  Mark Your Calendar!
  
  
  Region Boards of Governors
  
  Committee on Geographic Units
  
  Executives
  
  Geographic Services Department
  
  Contact Information
  
• ASCE

In our continuing effort to enhance communications among Regions, Sections, and Branches, Geographic Services has launched a discussion forum.

This forum can be used to address existing and ongoing challenges and issues, such as how to conduct a successful meeting, recruiting and retaining members, attracting members to ASCE functions and other topics of similar nature. This forum is open to all active ASCE members.

To access this online forum, you must login to the "Members Only" section on the ASCE Web site by clicking on the "members only" tab on the left hand side of the screen. Upon logging into the site, go to the Region Discussion Forums or Section & Branch Discussion Forums in the "What's New" category. Once you are in the respective site, click on the "Login/Register" link at the top of the page, followed by the "Create Account" button at the bottom of the next page and provide the required information. It is suggested that you use the same login username and password to access the ASCE members only directory. Please note you will have to login twice, once at "Members Only" level and then again at the "Discussion Forum" level.

All users must register for an account to create topics and post messages.

Please pass this along to your Section and/or Branch members and encourage them to log on to the site today.

For more information, please contact Nancy Berson at nberson@asce.org or by calling 703-295-6010 or 800-548-2723, ext. 6010.

Every Section can help ASCE preserve the history and heritage of civil engineering and build awareness with the public of this heritage by looking to their local engineering projects, documenting them and working to preserve them. ASCE’s History and Heritage Committee’s Web site, www.asce.org/history, provides information to help Sections start their own history & heritage program; develop oral history programs; and explains the national program including the Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Program. You will also find a link (http://content.asce.org/history/hh_hhsc.html) to the Sections that have been awarded History & Heritage Section Awards for their activities.

The 2007 winner is the Minnesota Section for their Historic Works calendar which is available for free from their Web site

(http://www.ascemn.org/calehist.htm). Their members volunteered to “adopt a bridge and a month” in order to produce this wonderful calendar with its many photographs of local historic works. Each photograph is accompanied by a short abstract which gives details about the project. We congratulate the members of the Minnesota Section for their contribution preserving their history and helping to educate the public about the importance of civil engineering to society.

Counselor Tara,

I've heard that certain activities can put an association at risk under antitrust law. What types of conduct should we be on the lookout for?

The purpose of antitrust regulation is to protect consumers by preserving free competition in the market for goods and services. While certain antitrust laws focus on monopolies, mergers, and other business practices, the regulation of most concern to professional associations is Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. This provision outlaws agreements between competitors that unreasonably restrain competition, and persons found to have violated this law may be subject to crippling civil penalties and even jail time. And because every gathering among professionals within an industry is effectively a meeting of “competitors,” association members—and in particular, association leadership—must take special care in holding discussions or meetings not to make any agreement (either expressed or implied) or to take any action that may be interpreted as an unlawful restraint of trade.

To read more, visit: Antitrust

Distinguished Member Nominations Sought

Calling all Sections!  Now is the time to help ASCE recognize outstanding members and Fellows for the Society’s highest recognition: Distinguished Member (formerly Honorary Member).  The Distinguished Member grade is reserved for members of the Society who demonstrate acknowledged eminence in some branch of engineering or in its related arts and sciences. Consider nominating someone who has a career of firsts, such as patents, or has a worldwide reputation for outstanding work in his/her field.  Learn more at www.asce.org/awards or contact the Honors and Awards Department for assistance (awards@asce.org).  

Award Rules Have Changed

Important changes have been made to the Greeley, Hering, Horner, Hydraulic Structures, Rickey, Rouse, Innovation in CE, Arid Lands, Construction Management, Peurifoy, Roebling, Tipton, Chow, Civil Government, Friedman Professional Recognition, Hilgard, Parcel-Sverdrup, and Stevens awards.  Please review these new rules as you develop nominations for the 2008 cycle.  To view rule changes visit (www.asce.org/pressroom/honors/rules_change.cfm)

New Society Award Announced

The Society is proud to announce the establishment of the Walter LeFevre Award.  This award is named for E. Walter LeFevre, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE who endowed the honor to recognize actions in promoting licensure, ethics, and professionalism.  Eligible candidates include programs at academic institutions offering EAC of ABET accredited civil or related undergraduate engineering programs.  Learn more about this new award. 

Renew today for your chance to win an 80GB iPod

The ASCE renewal drawings continue!  Don’t let your ASCE membership expire and miss the chance to win an 80GB Apple iPod Classic on November 13.  Tell your members to renew today to be entered into ASCE’s remaining early-bird renewal drawings.  Visit www.asce.org/renewal/ to renew today. 

FTP Hint-Encourage Members to Apply for Fellow Grade

How many ASCE Fellows do you have in your Section or Branch? The ASCE Fellow grade is an acknowledgement of leadership and progressive achievement, and Fellows occupy the Society's second-highest membership grade, exceeded only by Distinguished Members. Here's a tip on how you can take the lead in encouraging your eligible members to apply for this distinction.

There is no direct admission to the grade of Fellow – applicants must advance from the grade of Member, have at least 10 years exceptional responsible charge, and be a licensed Professional Engineer or Professional Surveyor. 

Check your Section/Branch membership data to determine a listing of those who have held Member grade for at least 10 years. Simply sort the database by Column AP "Grade Date” – the column shows the date of election to ASCE Member grade. Then sort for those at the Member grade in the "xx" column. Any Member that has been at the Member grade for 10 years meets the initial criteria for advancement to Fellow Grade.

Contact these Members to notify them about their eligibility for Fellow grade, and let them know that the Section or Branch will be proud to nominate them as the Organizational Entity.

For additional information about the Fellow guidelines and a PDF version of the Fellow application packet visit http://www.asce.org/fellows.

Congressional Fellowship

Represent the civil engineering profession through ASCE’s Congressional Fellowship Program.  This program provides an opportunity for an ASCE member to work on the staff of a Congressional Committee, U.S. Senator, or member of the U.S. House of Representatives.  A Congressional Fellow takes a one-year appointment as a Congressional staffer, becoming directly involved in the process of crafting federal legislation and advising members of Congress.  The candidate will learn how the federal government operates, develop leadership skills, expand horizons and make an impact on the profession.  Tell your members about this unique opportunity.  Learn more about the Congressional Fellowship Program.

The Section and Branch Activities Council of EWRI (Environmental and Water Resources Institute) is pleased to announce that nominations are open for their annual award.  The award is presented to an outstanding ASCE Section or Branch Environmental and/or Water Resource Technical Group.  The award is based on the group’s activities, relative to their size and geographic location. Nominations will be accepted from any member of ASCE or EWRI, and the due date for nominations is Feb. 1. The complete nomination package shall include: Section/Branch or Chapter name, submitter's name and contact information, current officers and immediate past president or chair and answers to the following questions:

1. How many activities and what type of activities did the group sponsor or co-sponsor over the last year?
2. Were any of the activities co-sponsored with a non-engineering environmental or water resource focused or other type of organization?
3. How many engineers participated in the EWRI activities in the last year? How many non-engineers?
4. Were any of the activities of a community assistance or charitable nature (ie., engineers helping others, not necessarily through engineering)?
5. Were any activities geared specifically towards younger members, student members, minority members, or career guidance for students?
6. Approximately how many engineering firms or public agencies with environmental and water resources engineering are located in your area? Approximately how many non-engineering water and environmental firms or public agencies exist in your area?
7. What percent of those firms and agencies send attendees to your activities?
8. How big is your geographical area?
9. If chosen as the award-winning group, is a representative of your group able to attend the EWRI Congress and make a short presentation on your group and activities?

Inquiries about this award and the nomination package should be submitted to:
Edra Brashear at EBrashear@HNTB.com.

The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) is pleased to invite you to attend its next Breakfast Speaker Series event on  Thursday, December 13, from 8:00-9:30 a.m. at The Army and Navy Club, 901 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC featuring Stephen E. Flynn, Author and Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations.   The cost to attend is $40 per person for TISP members and $60 per person for non-members. Pre-registration is required and must be received by 12:00 p.m. EST on  Dec. 11,  2007. 

Online registration is available at: 

http://www.tisp.org/events/eventdetails.cfm?&eventID=1666.

Onsite registrations will be accepted on a space available basis only. 

TISP gratefully acknowledges support from Tyco International Companies, Allied Tube & Conduit and Earth Tech, Inc., for sponsoring this event. 

» Register for this event, visit: http://www.tisp.org/events/eventdetails.cfm?&eventID=1666

» For additional information, contact Catherine Tehan at ctehan@asce.org

Organizations interested in sponsoring future TISP events should contact Marla Dalton, P.E., TISP Executive Director at 703-295-6231.

AEI (Architectural Engineering Institute) is pleased to announce AEI ’08, the 2008 Architectural Engineering Conference to be held Sept. 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center in Denver.  The conference program will include several half-day or full-day workshops on Sept. 25, technical presentation sessions and panel discussions on Sept. 26-27, and will also feature a student job fair, student activities (including a student competition), exhibits, and committee meetings.    Like the very successful 2006 Architectural Engineering Conference in Omaha, Ne, AEI’08 will cover a wide variety of architectural engineering topics. Dr. Mohammed Ettouney, P.h.D., P.E., F.AEI, Principal, Weidlinger Associates, Inc., and former President of AEI is the Conference Chair.

A PDF version of the call for papers for AEI ’08 providing more details on the conference, including topics and key date can be found here. For more information and to submit an abstract click here.

Note that the deadline for submitting abstracts has been extended to November 21, 2007.

STRUCTURES ’08 CONGRESS TO BE HELD IN VANCOUVER, CANADA

The Structures ’08 Congress, scheduled for April 24-26, 2008 in Vancouver, Canada, is the first Congress to be held outside the continental United States. With a theme of “Crossing Borders,” an exciting array of events is planned to expand the educational and professional horizons of all attendees.

Highlights include more than 100 technical sessions, four pre-Congress workshops, and technical tours to the Olympic Speed Skating Oval and the Olympic Canada Line rapid transit project.

You won’t want to miss hearing Dr. Carl Weiman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001, present his keynote address, “Science Education in the 21st Century,” at the Opening Awards Luncheon. Dan Doyle, executive vice president-construction for the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, will be the keynoter at the Structures Congress Banquet, a gala event to honor the Centenary of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), one of three international co-sponsoring organizations.

The Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), and IStructE are planning events and technical sessions at the Congress. The Council of American Structural Engineers (CASE) will hold its Spring Risk Management Program Convocation and Dinner in cooperation with the Structures Congress. In addition, the 18th Analysis & Computation Specialty Conference will feature technical sessions and two plenary events.

To find out how you can network with leaders in the structural engineering community from around the world, please visit www.seinstitute.org.

The free 2008 Structural Engineering Posters are now available! Help us promote Structural Engineering as a profession to young people by distributing the posters to the office of a college guidance or career counselor and/or math or science teachers at the middle and high school levels. The intent is to increase young people’s awareness of structural engineering as a career by featuring different aspects of the profession that might appeal to them.

The posters are a joint project of SEI and NCSEA and it’s our hope that young people will be inspired by the structures shown in each year’s poster. If you'll let us know how many you want, we'll ship to you free of charge, and thank you for your help.

The 2008 poster is available in two colors - orange or green. To get your copy(s) of the free 2008 poster, contact Lee Kusek  (lkusek@asce.org). Supplies are limited.

Our hope is that these posters can be displayed in a visible place to help students see how important their studies are and to encourage them to consider a career in structural engineering.

Dec. 4     Renovation of Slabs on Grade   

Dec. 5     Design of Brick Veneer Systems  

Dec. 6     Disaster Debris Management II: Disaster Debris Response

Dec. 7     Is Performance Measurement Stifling Your Performance?

Dec. 11   Specifying Metal Building Systems 

Dec. 12   Avoiding Problems in Specifying Metal Roofing  

Dec. 13   Disaster Debris Management III: Disaster Debris Recovery

Dec. 18   Quality: What Is It and How Do We Achieve It?

Dec. 19   Advanced Snow Loads New Webinar 

Dec. 20   Disaster Debris Management IV: Emerging Issues/Topics

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.

2008

Jan. 15: Nomination deadline for Walter LeFevre Award

Feb. 1:

• Nominations are due for National ASCE Edmund Friedman Young Engineer Award for Professional Achievement, the Daniel Mead Prize for Younger Members,the Young Government Civil Engineer Award, the Younger Member Group Award and the Collingwood Prize.

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. 4: Submission deadline for the State Public Affairs Grant Activity Report to ASCE Washington Office

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.