President's Blog

Discussing Sustainability in the Asian Region

2007-07-11T15:38:32-04:00

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?

Cuisine and Conversation

2007-07-02T09:32:01-04:00

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?

Revisiting China

2007-06-22T14:39:08-04:00

This is my second trip to China. My first trip was in 1978 at the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. We landed in Beijing and traveled by bus to the Friendship Hotel. I recall that during that trip, we did not pass another vehicle on the road. At that time, the most popular way to travel was by bicycle and every highway was essentially a sea of bicycle traffic. I also remember that the presentations I gave during that visit had to be given at night using a 35 mm slide projector because there were no windows with shades in the building, making it impossible to darken the buildings during the daytime.

Almost 30 years later, here I am again in Beijing. Traffic patterns have changed immensely, mirroring congestion problems faced in the U.S. The glaring sun I faced in 1978 which made it difficult to give slide projector presentations is a distant memory as it is masked by the significant air pollution that plagues Beijing. In fact when we get up each day there is such a haze that you cannot see the tops of the tall buildings. At first I thought this would dissipate during the day, but in my three days here it has not. We have yet to see the sun.

These changes make me think about global environmental sustainability. What role should American civil engineers play in pollution control in countries like China? What sacrifices are we prepared to make to keep the sun shining over Beijing?