President's Blog

ASCE has established itself as a leader and expert when it comes to addressing our nation's infrastructure crisis. We have published several Report Cards for America's Infrastructure. The most recent gave our nation an overall grade of "D" in 2005. The importance of this issue was brought to our attention last week when an 83-year-old, 24-inch steam pipe burst during rush hour in New York City, killing one and injuring several others. Unfortunately, it often takes an incident like this to bring the issue to the forefront.

ASCE estimates that $1.6 trillion is needed over a five-year period to bring the nation's infrastructure to a good condition. The crumbling state of our infrastructure poses a real threat to public safety and the nation's economy, and financing the urgently needed repairs must become a priority for our nation's leaders. One way for ASCE members to get involved is to develop and promote Report Cards at the Section or Branch level for their cities, states or regions. Sections and Branches can localize the national Report Card by focusing on infrastructure that is relevant to their geographical area. Once it is completed, a Section or Branch can promote its own Report Card to influence local residents and key decision-makers to support infrastructure renewal. I think this is a great way to show the importance of this issue and get involved in an effort that could greatly impact your local community.

Has your local Section or Branch produced a state Report Card?  If so, did any local government action happen as a result of its release?

Towards the end of my international trip, I had the pleasure of presenting at the 4^th 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?

I recently returned from my trip abroad where I had the opportunity to meet with civil engineering leaders in Japan, China and Taiwan. Along the way, I also had the opportunity to speak with professors and students about education and the future of the profession. I told them that there are a lot of current challenges, but I wanted to talk to them about what keeps me up at night. And that is the notion that we American civil engineers must be global technology leaders if we are going to be competitive and worth what we should be in 2025. I believe we all must do everything we can to embrace the extensive civil engineering knowledge throughout the world so that we can truly be the leaders of this profession on a global scale.

These discussions made me think of ASCE's commitment to preparing the civil engineering profession for tomorrow's world. ASCE recently released The Vision for Civil Engineering in 2025, which will serve as a guide for the future development of policies and plans within our civil engineering community today. The report provides direction to achieve the vision's goals and prepare for the profession's future. Vision 2025 envisions the civil engineer as a global leader entrusted by the public and we need to work hard to earn public trust. Additionally, we need to work as leaders in order for effective change to happen to better our civil engineering profession around the world. This made me think of a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. which says "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus." It is clear to me that this initiative, along with Policy 465, shows that ASCE is leading the way as a molder of consensus.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the differences between searchers and molders of consensus.  How are you developing your skills to mold consensus?

With any trip, there is always a tendency to overindulge...especially when it comes to food!

As many of you already know, the Chinese are generous and gracious hosts.  At every stop along my travels here, they have held banquets that offered endless opportunities to overindulge. The way meals are conducted over here demonstrates a sense of community and openness for discussion. Meals are served family-style on a round table with a Lazy Susan in the middle so everyone can see everybody else, chat and share exotic dishes. Dishes range from different types of salads and vegetables to both cooked and raw meats. Once your plate is empty, more food will be brought out and placed on your plate!  I've learned it's best to keep a little food on your plate and stop eating to signal that no more food should come out of the kitchen. So far I feel like I have gained about five pounds! 

As I mentioned, this set-up is really conducive to conversations around the table.  Conversation is lively and multiple toasts are offered randomly throughout the meal. As part of these dinners I chatted with various civil engineering professors and department heads, as well as deputy director generals. We discussed developing relationships between their institutions and ASCE and other engineering topics. I found that most of our engineering colleagues in China understand spoken English, but translation is required for official business. I feel at a bit of a disadvantage since English is the only language I know well. Being bilingual can really help you succeed in the business world as our profession becomes even more global.

How has being fluent in more than one language helped you in your career?