Wednesday, 11 July 2007
Discussing Sustainability in the Asian Region
Towards the end of my international trip, I had the pleasure of presenting at the 4th Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region (CECAR) in Taipei, Taiwan. Over the years, ASCE has developed a strong partnership with the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council (ACECC). ASCE was one of the founding members of the Council, which now has eight member organizations. Participation in this conference served to strengthen our existing bond with the ACECC and the conference host organization, the Chinese Institute of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering.
My presentation focused on seismic design and analysis of embankment dams. This was of particular interest to the Asian region as Taiwan is on the Pacific Rim, which is a seismic source zone. A major earthquake, known as the Chi-Chi earthquake, shook Taiwan in September 1999 causing catastrophic damage to that region. In fact, ASCE sent a team to Taiwan to address the issue. An incident like the Chi-Chi earthquake makes us think about what can be improved to make our infrastructure more sustainable to withstand disaster. I co-authored a paper on the subject of seismic design which served as the basis for my presentation at the conference. My presentation offered some thoughts on what has transpired in the earthquake industry, in particular with investigating changes in embankment dams. It traced the changes in design and analysis procedures that have taken place since 1960. These changes greatly impact how we view the process today. The presentation indicated hallmarks along that journey and where our research filled knowledge gaps with solid data, as opposed to assumptions. I felt that this information was particularly useful to the civil engineers of the Asian region as natural disaster is always ready to strike. The presentations can be viewed online on my President's Page.
In addition to offering technical presentations at international conferences, what are some other ways that ASCE can share technical knowledge to civil engineers throughout the world?