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 F. Jay Burress, P.E., M. ASCE, your Region 7, Director, is a member of the Kansas City Section and is an associate principal at Shafer, Kline & Warren, Inc. (SKW). Jay represented you at the the March 21-22, 2014, ASCE Board of Direction meeting, which was held in Arlington, Virginia. Jay 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.   In an executive session, the Board discussed the task ahead to find a new executive director to succeed Pat Natale, who will be retiring at the end of 2014. The Board identified what it believes are the most important qualifications for this position, and provided input for use by the search committee, chaired by Past President Greg DiLoreto. The search is now underway and applications are due May 31. See www.asce.org/EDsearch for more information.  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 Jay.  COLORADO SECTION Colorado School of Mines celebrates first place at student regional Photo courtesy Colorado School of Mines Members of the Colorado School of Mines student chapter show off their first-place winning steel bridge at ASCE’s Rocky Mountain Student Conference. The team captured first in both the Steel Bridge competition and the Overall Conference award. The “Steel Standing” bridge team will find out how their effort stands up against other regional champions at the National Student Steel Bridge Competition in Akron, Ohio, in May.   Read story>> COLORADO SECTION Engineers must show leadership at the state level, Section president writes “We as civil engineers need to apply our big dreams and innovative ideas to continue to improve America’s and Colorado’s infrastructure. Here in Colorado we see leadership at CDOT attempting to us innovative ways to manage traffic and to fund projects,” writes Colorado Section President Nick Talocco in his latest President’s Message, who shares “just a few thoughts related to innovation and thinking big to solve some of Colorado’s issues, but we need more, and as a new batch of younger engineers enter into the profession, I would encourage each of you to look at these principles to become a successful leader and drive change!” Read Talocco’s President’s Message in the Colorado Section’s latest newsletter.   Section website>> IOWA SECTION International team develops real-time structural sensors Teams in Iowa and Italy have collaborated to develop two different sensor technologies that will enable real time monitoring of large, complex structures. Discover the benefits to come in ASCE’s online Civil Engineering magazine. Read story>> COLORADO SECTION Recycled water improves energy efficiency at Denver’s science museum The largest natural history museum between Chicago and the West Coast, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science opened a $56.5 million, 126,000 square foot addition this year featuring two main elements – a massive storage facility, called the Rocky Mountain Science Collections Center, which occupies two levels below grade, and the Morgridge Family Exploration Center, an aboveground education center, with classroom spaces, a discovery zone for small children, and an upper-story space for temporary exhibitions. Explore the expansion in ASCE’s online Civil Engineering magazine. Read story>> 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 7 update? See the March edition of News Around Region 7 Share this page via social media and email: