Talk About Civil Engineering

Quick quiz: What do you think the most popular section of any newspaper is? Sports? No. Front page? No. Comics? No (well, maybe on Sundays). Give up? Whether it's at the tail end of the ‘A' pages or a whole section unto itself, people rarely put down a newspaper without reading an editorial or letter to the editor.

Let's face it, the opinion section is sexy. It has the one thing all the other sections lack-OPINIONS. And, whether we agree or disagree, we just love to know what other people think. That makes the opinion pages prime real estate.

So, now what? Obviously, you want to take advantage of the opportunity to reach such a large audience with your message, but how? For the beginners in the class, I suggest writing a letter to the editor (we'll cover editorials in a later post). Picture this:

You read a story in the morning paper. The water utility is proposing a rate increase to cover the cost of replacing some 50-year-old pipes. A local neighborhood association is protesting the increase. You know that not replacing those pipes means the system will be prone to failure. Because you know timing and length are critical to whether or not a letter gets published, you check the paper's Web site for letter to the editor guidelines and submit 150 words-along with your mailing address, phone number and email address-that very afternoon. You explain that a failure in the system will affect the health and welfare of the families in that neighborhood. You explain that it has been 10 years since the last increase and construction costs are rising. You explain why it's more cost-effective to take action now, instead of after something bad happens. Someone reads it, sees that you, a civil engineer (someone whose opinion they respect), thinks the increase is necessary. They decide you just might be on to something. They stop protesting the increase. Mission accomplished.

The moral of this story: If you wait for the public to ask what you think, you'll always be a wallflower. But, if you start talking, they'll start listening.

JB

If you were to put a mirror up to the face of the engineering profession, who would you expect to see? Someone like you or someone totally different? Research shows that stereotypes persist about the engineering profession and that more needs to be done to combat these stereotypes. We must show that the face of the profession is changing and will continue to evolve as individuals from different backgrounds and cultures enter the engineering workforce. To put it bluntly, the face of our profession needs a little work.

And by work, I don't mean a nip here or a tuck there, I'm talking about an overall facelift! The New Faces of Engineering recognition program sponsored by the Engineers Week Foundation, provides this much needed boost to the profession's image...without the pain! It's a cool way for engineers age 30 and under to have their work and contributions to the engineering profession highlighted in the publications of their respective professional societies and in a full-page ad in USA Today during Engineers Week (Eweek). Winners have already been selected for 2008, but you can start thinking of potential nominees for next year!

While many programs exist to target pre-college students, this program highlights the accomplishments of a diverse group of individuals under 30 who will serve as the faces of our profession for years to come. They don't need a little work, just a little promotion! A program like this is so important because it gives national exposure to not only to the individuals themselves, but to the engineering profession as a whole!

Each fall, EWeek extends a call for nominations to co-sponsoring engineering societies who then invite nominations from their members. Is there someone in your office who would be an excellent nominee? Keep them in mind for next year's program. Or if that person in the mirror staring back at you fits the bill, nominate yourself!

You can check out EWeek's Web site for general entry guidelines, take a moment to read about past winners and, most importantly, have fun!

A week ago, I literally lost my voice. I'd been fighting a cold and my voice started to wither away to barely a whisper. As someone in the field of communications, my voice is a critical component to my job. Losing my voice was a major issue. The fact that I was going to be conducting workshops on the subject of communications over the coming weeks, just made it worse.

However, these workshops were about the importance of the proverbial voice, not the inner workings of the throat and voice box. They provided grassroots training on how to be a voice for the civil engineering profession through infrastructure advocacy. The goal was to get participants actively thinking about how to advocate on behalf of the civil engineering profession as it relates to infrastructure.

Much of the discussion focused on water infrastructure, as the workshops were developed as part of ASCE's support of the new documentary, Liquid Assets, being produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting. The documentary tells the story of our water and wastewater infrastructure. To coincide with the documentary's launch, we are encouraging civil engineers to become advocates in their local communities, spreading the infrastructure message and advocating for improvement. During these workshops, nearly 100 attendees were instructed on the various steps involved in conducting a successful public outreach campaign, including how to identify and address local priorities, work with policy leaders and engage community partners. Of course, to truly be successful you have to have a strong message-and strong voices to deliver that message. 

Don't lose your voice when it comes to bringing important civil engineering issues to the forefront of people's minds. If you don't step up with the right message, someone else will step up with the wrong one. Are you ready to be a voice for your profession?

KG