President's Blog

One of my earlier blog entries prompted a response from a reader who hoped I would address some of the important issues facing the engineering field, among them, the economic status of engineers. As the reader's comment mentioned, in spite of the fact that most civil engineers are in charge of important projects affecting public health, safety, and welfare, our earnings are well below those of doctors and lawyers. What is the solution?

The way I see it, nothing that has been worthwhile in my life has necessarily been easy.  If you want civil engineering to be easy, then it's not going to be highly valued.  Extensive schooling in the law and medical professions may contribute to higher wages for graduates. ASCE's Policy 465 is doing a lot to raise the profile of civil engineers in the professional world by proposing higher academic requirements in order to obtain a degree and become certified.  By raising the bar academically, we can raise the bar professionally.  Often doctors and lawyers are seen as the epitome of excellence in our professional world.  I believe that engineers are right up there with them as we bring some of the best and brightest young people into the working world. There is no reason why engineers can't be looked at in the same light and be compensated as such.

What are your thoughts on the economic status of engineers?  How do you feel ASCE can help advance the profession?

This has been a trying week for our entire nation and the civil engineering community.  Since my last post, it has been confirmed that eight students from the civil and environmental engineering department, all of whom were in G.V. Loganathan's Advanced Hydraulics class, are victims of Monday's tragic events.  Each of these students was dedicated to engineering, some having traveled across the world to receive a quality education at Virginia Tech.  Their stories are so touching, and the outpouring of support for them and their families has been so great, that ASCE felt it was important to share. We have created a condolence book for friends, colleagues and those who want to share their memories of these eight students and their professor, and offer their sympathies to all who are suffering.  This condolence book can be viewed at http://live.asce.org/blog/1/virginia/.

 

I also want to thank all of you who have e-mailed me directly, or posted to this blog, regarding this tragedy.  These e-mails have come from all over the country and across the world, including Japan, Canada, Wyoming, Korea, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, California, Bangladesh, Egypt, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Iran and Georgia, and many others. In many of these e-mails you have offered poems, prayers and assistance to the Virginia Tech Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.  I have been in contact with the head of that department, Bill Knocke. Bill expressed his appreciation for all the support he has received from the ASCE community and will let us know what we can do to assist.  As soon as we hear what is needed from Virginia Tech's CEE department, ASCE will communicate that information to its members.

I close this blog entry with an excerpt from a condolence book posting from the ASCE Delaware Section Younger Member Forum. "The tragic loss of so many young, intelligent students and such a well respected and knowledgeable professor will surely be felt for years to come throughout our profession. Our thoughts are with all of you during this incredibly difficult time."

It is a black day for Virginia Tech.  Our nation has suffered a horrific loss and it is with great sadness that I post this blog entry.  I want to offer my deepest condolences to all the students, faculty, staff and their families who have been affected by the tragic events which unfolded on the Virginia Tech campus yesterday. It is hard to imagine what goes through one's mind to commit such a senseless act of violence.

 

It is also a black day for ASCE, as one of our own is a confirmed victim of these heinous acts. Dr. G.V. Loganathan, a long-time ASCE and active EWRI member, was shot and killed yesterday while teaching an Advanced Hydrology class in Norris Hall. An active member for many years, Loganathan served on various technical committees and contributed as a presenter at numerous EWRI/ASCE conferences. The recipient of several awards for excellence in teaching, he was a civil and environmental engineering lecturer at the university and served as an undergraduate student advisor to about 75 Tech students.

Although I did not know Dr. Loganathan personally, through my own years of involvement with ASCE I have come to know several members of the Virginia Tech faculty and count them among my close friends. When I heard of the tragedy, I was immediately concerned for their safety and well-being. I am sure many, many ASCE members had similar reactions given the long-standing stature and active contributions of the university's faculty, students and alumni to our profession. In the coming weeks and months, they will surely need and benefit from our support and expressions of sympathy and concern.

The engineering community and the world have suffered a great loss as a result of these tragic events at Virginia Tech. I join the nation in sorrow over the magnitude of loss and suffering caused by this senseless tragedy.

As ASCE president, I am often asked to give talks to a variety of audiences, from students to seasoned professionals. I recently participated in some training on how to be a more effective public speaker and ensure I am delivering the right message.  I think a lot of civil engineers would like to become better public speakers. So I've assembled some tips that I've learned over the years and I hope you might find value in some of them.

Some of the cardinal rules I use when giving a presentation are:

1)  When presenting, keep in mind that you are having a conversation with your audience, not merely just speaking at them. Be sure your delivery is natural and not too stiff.

2)  To have an effective conversation, you need to get your audience's attention and hold on to it! To do this, you'll need to think about who your audience is and the vocabulary you use should be familiar to your audience. This is particularly important when you want to talk about technical subjects with a non-technical audience.  When doing that, it's more important to be clear and understood, than to be technically precise.

3)  You should always have two talks prepared.  The first one fills the allotted time period for  your speech and the second one is half that length.   Sometimes other presenters will go over on their time, so you may be expected to make up for it in your presentation. Also you should always be prepared to stop and immediately jump to a summary, if time is running out.

4) Never ever just read your PowerPoint slides verbatim.  

What are some of your cardinal rules for public speaking?