BSCES Buzz

The BSCES Transportation Group is now accepting nominations for the 25th Annual Bertram Berger Young Engineer Award which serves to recognize an outstanding younger member of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section/ASCE for his or her professional achievements and service to the community. The successful candidate should: 1) be less than 35 years old on April 30, 2012; 2) have attained exemplary professional achievements as a young engineer; 3) demonstrate leadership in the practice of civil engineering with emphasis on transportation; 4) enhance the stature of civil engineers within the community; 5) be active with professional organizations such as BSCES or similar; and 6) be a registered, or soon-to-be registered, professional engineer.

 

The Bertram Berger Young Engineer Award winner will receive a $2,500 stipend to be used for continuing education and/or professional development. To nominate an individual for the Bertram Berger Young Engineer Award, please submit an up to three page narrative statement describing how the nominee meets the above described criteria by 5:00 PM on Friday, March 30, 2012. Please see the insert at the end of this newsletter for more information.

 

 

This is a reminder that the deadline for submitting a paper for consideration as the winner of the 2012 Ernest A. Herzog Award is Friday, April 6, 2012. Award applicants are asked to submit a paper that identifies an infrastructure project, innovation, or idea in which the author was actively involved in as an owner, advocate, engineer, or end-user. The paper must address specific benefits to current professional practices, lifestyle, and/or sustainability through the application of existing or innovative technologies or methods. Please see the insert at the end of this newsletter for more information.

 

 

The Younger Member Group finished the year with a holiday social at Sacco’s Bowl Haven in Davis Square on December 22nd. Professionals and students attended the event as an informal networking opportunity. With two lanes, six professionals, and three students, nearly two rounds of candlepin bowling were played over the two-hour period interrupted only by Flatbread’s pizza, and the sharing of stories. The Younger Member Group will host their Annual Engineers Week Networking Event in February. Make sure to reserve your spot so you can be a part of the action!

 

 

• Unlike the past two years, there is more than one individual (4 to be exact) seeking the position of ASCE President-Elect. These gentlemen are ASCE “lifers;” they have provided many years of services to ASCE on a local, regional, and national level. They are now seeking ASCE’s highest position. Their Biographical and Vision Statements are available for review. You are strongly encouraged to review this material. More information on the election process and the candidates will be included in future newsletters.

 

• A new ASCE program titled Sustainability in Action: Project Profiles has recently been launched. ASCE’s website now features a library of brief project profiles that demonstrate how sustainable infrastructure contributes economic, environmental, and social benefits. The goal is to grow the number of project profiles on the site such that eventually users could search projects by type, size, and location as their first stop to research sustainable infrastructure solutions and appreciate the triple-bottom-line benefits of sustainability in action. All are encouraged to submit projects for review and consideration. A brief and easy-to-use online submission form is available.

 

• ASCE administers the Innovation in Sustainable Civil Engineering Award. The award is given annually to a civil engineering project in recognition of creativity in the form of innovative sustainability. Projects considered for the award must demonstrate adherence to the principles of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Further information on eligibility requirements, the submission form, and a step-by-step guide to submitting an award nomination are available.

 

• Infrastructure is the lifeline of our economy, and like everything, it has a lifespan. In many areas, our infrastructure networks are simply too old. ASCE’s 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure graded the U.S. infrastructure with a “D”. ASCE recently launched a new series of reports that take a closer look at the economic impacts of our failing infrastructure in America. These economic studies look forward to 2020 and 2040 to determine potential impacts on GDP, personal income, and jobs if current infrastructure investment trends continue. The first was released in July 2011 and focused on surface transportation; the report on water was released December 2011. Other subsequent reports focus on, energy, marine port, and airport facilities. The final summary report is expected in mid-2012. The reports can be viewed at the Failure to Act section of ASCES’s website.

 

• Did you know ASCE has a YouTube Channel? The site has an extensive collection of ASCE and Civil Engineering videos. One of the latest videos is that of President-Elect Greg DiLoreto discussing the Nation’s water supply infrastructure and the recently released Failure to Act Report. This news report was produced for NBC News and for NBC affiliates stations’ newscasts.

 

 

• BSCES is pleased to announce that this year’s Ernest A. Herzog Award dinner will feature ASCE President-Elect Greg DiLoreto as the keynote speaker. The event will be held the night of May 9, 2012 in Boston. More information will follow in subsequent newsletters.

 

• BSCES leadership and staff are currently developing a membership survey that will be distributed in late January or early February. BSCES is continually striving to provide the membership with high quality and timely programs/events. Your participation would be greatly appreciated.

 

• Did you know that BSCES is “connected”? As the forms of communication continue to expand, BSCES is trying to keep up with all of the social media outlets. Follow, like, connect, and subscribe to BSCES on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. These sites, in addition to the BSCES homepage, will provide information on upcoming events and highlights of BSCES accomplishments.

 

• As a volunteer based organization, BSCES relies heavily on the time, effort, and financial support of individuals and companies within the civil engineering industry. I have said it before, but it is worth repeating: BSCES is one of the top Sections (if not the best) within all of ASCE. I would like to thank you for your time and dedication. As always, please feel free to contact me (apuntin@engineers.org) if you have any thoughts as to how we can better serve you.