ASCE actively continued its leadership role in the public policy arena while promoting the profession throughout society to enhance the stature of civil engineering.
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ASCE’s 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure warns that America's infrastructure crisis is widespread and well documented with a price tag of $1.6 trillion over five years. ASCE released the Report Card in March, reaching more than 90 million people through news coverage. The campaign grades 15 infrastructure categories, including public parks and recreation, rail and security. In January 2005, ASCE launched a postcard campaign entitled “Greetings from America’s Crumbling Infrastructure” distributing postcards depicting the infrastructure crisis to 4,000 media contacts and elected officials. The award-winning Report Card Web site received more than 1.5 million visits within 24 hours of its launch. Site visitors can join an infrastructure advocacy community and e-mail their elected officials and media contacts.
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ASCE launched a disaster response Web site to inform members and the public of the Society’s response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes, assist affected members and reinforce the public perception of ASCE as a leader in disaster response. ASCE coordinated a multidisciplinary in-house crisis team and created 10 new links to timely information. The Web site featured frequent updates on ASCE’s hurricane assessment teams, and highlights of ASCE’s extensive media response, demonstrating ASCE’s recognition for technical expertise. The site’s initial focus was on humanitarian aid and the need for financial contributions, and it promoted ASCE’s Local Hurricane Relief Fund to assist chapters, universities and members in need. One page reported on displaced members and linked them with jobs and housing.
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ASCE worked aggressively to maintain its high profile position as the top media source for stories related to all aspects of the profession. During the year, ASCE stayed closely connected to reporters and producers from major media outlets. ASCE proactively positioned the Society and its members as leaders following the Tsunami and Gulf Coast hurricane disasters, providing more than 80 media interviews. ASCE successfully submitted reports to Engineering News-Record (ENR) from its Asian Tsunami assessment teams. In addition, ENR carried reports from President Bill Henry’s global anti-corruption tour.
To increase civil engineering coverage in local television newscasts, ASCE joined a news collaborative led by the American Institute of Physics. ASCE serves on the editorial board for Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science (DBIS) and placed syndicated news segments on such topics as glass bridges and smart sensors for building security. ASCE promoted civil engineering beyond the news media to reach documentary producers for Discovery Television, The History Channel and PBS. The Concrete Canoe Competition was covered in a full-page feature in Readers Digest and Pat Galloway was profiled in Time magazine. The Body of Knowledge initiative, to encourage higher education for civil engineers, was featured in a cover story on education in ENR.
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ASCE continued its leadership role in the public policy arena. Our new office location on Capitol Hill gives the Society an even stronger presence in Washington and close access to policymakers.
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Approximately 7,000 ASCE members across the nation participate in ASCE’s Key Contact Program. Our Back Home Visits Program recruits members to visit legislators in home districts. About 110 ASCE members attended the fifth annual Government Relations Leadership Training in Washington and met with Members of Congress and Hill staff. Attendees from 40 different states made visits to 150 House and Senate offices. For the third year in a row, ASCE partnered with the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) to produce the event. Key Contacts are using the ASCE Internet Advocacy Web site, “Six Clicks to Contact your Legislator”, more than ever: ASCE generated 1,650 e-mails and faxes to legislators, realizing 130 percent of the FY 2005 goal.
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In 2005, ASCE was joined again by the American Public Works Association (APWA) to produce ‘Town Hall Meetings’ on infrastructure, held in conjunction with the 2005 Zone Leadership Conferences for Section and Branch leaders. These lively and heated sessions engaged community leaders and ASCE members in discussions on transportation challenges.
During the 2005 state legislative session, ASCE tracked 269 pieces of legislation in 50 states and sent 14 state key alerts. ASCE published a state legislative trends document forecasting important future issues. Successes included:
In 2005, ASCE’s Sections received funds through the State Public Affairs Grants program (SPAG) based on the merits of proposed public relations and government affairs projects. Wisconsin won three grants to support its state Infrastructure Report Card distribution, Regional Future City Competitions and technical professional activities. San Diego hosted a Legislative Day at the capitol and launched its second Infrastructure Report Card campaign for the region. Forty-one sections received a total of $107,000, and $30,000 was allocated for ASCE’s government relations leadership training in Washington.
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Public relations initiatives conducted by ASCE through its E-Week partnerships included participating in the 2005 New Faces of Engineering, an initiative that promotes the accomplishments of young engineers. ASCE also took part in the 2005 E-Week Family Festival at the National Building Museum. This event attracted 7,000 participants and a record number of ASCE volunteers.
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New Face of Civil Engineering
Lucy Phillips was named the 2005 ‘New Face of Engineering’ for her outstanding achievement as a young civil engineer. Nominated by ASCE for the award, the E-Week selection committee recognized Lucy for her careful evaluation of army airfields and contingency airfields worldwide during her tenure at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. She stressed the need to examine airfields with an organized, holistic and systematic approach in order to save resources. Lucy also exhibits an unwavering enthusiasm with students that encourages them to stick with engineering and science. ASCE profiled a total of 10 New Faces of Civil Engineering for the competition.
