April 2014      REGION DIRECTOR'S REPORT Board Tackles Strategic Topics; Elects 11 Distinguished Members; Votes on LA Section’s Proposal to Form 501(c)6 William P. Grogan, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, your Region 5 Director, is a member of the Mississippi Section and is the Deputy Director, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Bill represented you at the  March 21-22, 2014, ASCE Board of Direction meeting, which was held in Arlington, Virginia. Bill and his fellow ASCE Board of Direction members dealt with a variety of issues, including the following: The Board began its meeting with a facilitated strategic planning session as part of its ongoing role to shape policy for the future of ASCE and the profession. In break-out groups, Board members were asked to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and strengths (SWOT) of both the civil engineering profession and ASCE as an association. The groups then singled out what issues might be most important to tackle first and reported out. Results will be consolidated and further discussed and refined offline and at future meetings. Furthering its strategic approach under ASCE’s new governance structure of fewer Board committees and more communication, the Board participated in discussions led by three of the eight Board and Strategic Initiative committees.  Michael Mucha, P.E., M.ASCE, chair of the Committee on Sustainability, challenged the Board to consider whether ASCE could embrace a future in which civil engineers are defined not just by what they build, but also by what they don’t build. In another committee session, chair of the Raise the Bar Committee Blaine Leonard, P.E., D.GE, Pres.10.ASCE, sought feedback from the Board on the potential for a new, more robust approach in leading the charge to adopt the NCEES model law, and its increased education requirements for licensure, in a number of states. The Board will explore the possibilities further at its July meeting. In her time before the Board, Committee on Advancing the Profession (CAP) chair Renee Schwecke, P.E., M.ASCE, touched on topics ranging from technologist credentialing to diversity in the profession. The Board asked CAP to study the possible development of an ASCE policy on the issue of allowing engineers to sit for the P.E. exam prior to the completion of the experiential requirement, a provision that is now part of the NCEES Model Law. The nature of the P.E. exam itself will likely become a focus for study as well. The question arises whether the exam truly tests content that one learns from experience.  After careful deliberation, the  Board voted not to approve a proposal from the Los Angeles Section to create a new, parallel 501(c)6 organization, which would have allowed the Section to do unlimited lobbying and potentially gain greater access to public policy discussions with lawmakers through the establishment of a Political Action Committee (PAC). Prior to the vote, there was robust discussion, reflecting a range of views among Board members. There was widespread belief that the Society should enable self-governance of its units to the greatest degree possible, and a belief that the LA Section leaders had done an admirable job of presenting their case. On the other hand, there was great concern expressed that a PAC with ASCE’s name, even if just a local or regional entity, risked irrevocably altering ASCE’s stature as a non-partisan, non-political organization. The Board elected 11 members to the grade of Distinguished Member. Other than president, Distinguished Member is the highest honor the Society bestows on an individual. Congratulations to the newest Distinguished Member from Region 5, Jane M. Smith, Ph.D., P.E., D.CE, Dist.M.ASCE (COPRI, Mississippi Section). Board members are interested in your views on the issues they are considering. To share your views, or other ideas on how ASCE can better serve its members and the profession, please email Bill.  FLORIDA SECTION University of Florida Student Chapter celebrates its Southeast Student Conference win Photo courtesy University of Florida ASCE Student Chapter The Student Chapter at the University of Florida gathers for a group shot with their trophies to celebrate their dominating performance at ASCE’s Southeast Student Conference, held this year at the University of South Florida in Tampa. The Florida chapter’s overall victory included first-place finishes in the regional Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe competitions. Find out how each of the 24 schools’ student chapters fared.     Conference website>>   Chapter website>>   MISSISSIPPI SECTION Pioneering hydraulics engineer named Distinguished Member Jane McKee Smith, Ph.D., P.E., D.CE, Dist.M.ASCE, has been selected by ASCE as a Distinguished Member, the highest honor the Society can bestow short of election to ASCE president. Research hydraulic engineer and Waves group leader for the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Smith developed the STWAVE numerical model used by engineers worldwide and for advancing the knowledge of sediment transport, storm surge, and wetland inundation. Learn more about ASCE’s newest Distinguished Member in ASCE News. LOUISIANA SECTION Acclaimed bridge engineer in Louisiana named ASCE Fellow Paul B. Fossier, Jr., P.E., F.ASCE, who has served as the engineer of record or project manager for more than 100 bridge replacement, rehabilitation, repair, and load rating projects for both fixed and movable bridges, was recently elected an ASCE Fellow. Learn more about Fossier’s award-worthy achievements in ASCE News. FLORIDA SECTION UCF structural engineering professor named ASCE Fellow Fikret Necati Catbas, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, an educator and researcher at the University of Central Florida, has recently been elected an ASCE Fellow. He is applying his structural expertise as the chair of ASCE’s Structural Identification Technical Committee. Learn more about Catbas’ award-worthy achievements in ASCE News.  FLORIDA SECTION Expert on structural steel named ASCE Fellow Thomas Sputo, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, president of Gainesville, Florida-headquartered Sputo and Lammert Engineering, LLC, and technical director of the Steel Deck Institute, has recently been elected an ASCE Fellow. The former chair of ASCE’s Committee on Cold-Formed Steel, Sputo has more than 27 years of experience in areas of structural design, including specialty engineering of manufactured components. Learn more about Sputo’s award-worthy achievements in ASCE News. FLORIDA SECTION South Florida engineer named ASCE Fellow Said Iravani, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, president of Iravani P. A., an engineering, environmental, and litigation support consulting firm in Florida and an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida, was recently elected an ASCE Fellow. His unique transdisciplinary background in engineering has resulted in innovative approaches to civil engineering problems, engineering management, and design. Active with professional engineering societies and associations since 1985, Iravani has worked to advance engineering causes both within the profession and in the community at large. Learn more about Iravani’s award-worthy achievements in ASCE News. Outreach event? Concrete Canoe? Let us know and we'll announce it here! Spring is here (in much of the world), and we're moving into a very busy time of year. If you’re a local ASCE leader and your Section, Branch, Younger Member Group, or Student Chapter has staged any special events, engaged in outreach from grade-school kids to lawmakers, ramped up for Concrete Canoe regionals, or anything of the sort, let ASCEnews Weekly know and we may include it in next month’s Region report. You may already have written about it and posted pictures in your newsletter, website, or social media. Share the details and any photos at asce.org/localnews. Got questions? Write to submissions@asce.org. Missed last month's Region 5 update? See the March edition of News Around Region 5 Share this page via social media and email: