Program Information
Opening Plenary Session
Click here for a copy of the Annual Preliminary Program
Friday, November 2
8:00 - 9:45 a.m.
Infrastructure for all Generations:
Plan, Design, Build, Manage
Presidential Remarks
William F. Marcuson, III, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE
ASCE President 2007
Moderator
Our theme for the ASCE's 137th Annual Civil Engineering Conference encompasses everything we should be doing as civil engineers. Planning and designing are the key ingredients for all infrastructure projects from transportation to growth, and good planning ensures long term results. Whether the engineer builds the project or provides oversight for the owner, we are ensuring the design will perform for the anticipated life span and hopefully beyond. Engineers become the stewards of our infrastructure by managing the maintenance and up grading over the life of each project so the project will serve the peoples needs for generations to come as economically as possible.
Roger L. Jeffery, P.E., F.ASCE
2007 Annual Conference Chair
Keynote
Join us for an entertaining and thought provoking discussion with international best-selling author, John P. Strelecky. Taking a proverbial page from his inspirational book, The Why Cafe, John explores the humorous side of some of life’s biggest questions - why we exist, and why we design and live our lives the way we do.
John’s books have been translated into seventeen languages and sold on every continent in the world (including Antarctica). His work has prompted Gannett Media (USA TODAY…) to say that “He has put his finger on the pulse of the world.” For more information about John, visit www.whycafe.com.
Session I
Planned Growth (Celebration)
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
If you could build the city of your dreams where would you begin? What would be your priorities? Who would live in your city? Although these sound like hypothetical questions they are not. We will hear from three speakers today about three new cities transformed from dreams to reality here in the Orlando area. Disney developed the city of Celebration adjacent to their theme parks. The city of Baldwin Park was developed from, an old Naval Training Facility and lastly the city of Reunion was developed on virgin land west of Orlando.
Moderator: Carol Connor, P.E., Executive Vice President, MSCW, Inc.
Presenters: To Be Announced
Session II
Transportation
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Transportation – Regional
There are approximately 3.5 million people currently living in the seven-county Central Florida Region, which is comprised of Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties. Projections show that between 2005 and 2050, an additional four million people will move into the region. The seven-county region is extraordinary in that less than one-fifth of the total land area is developed. Few, if any, other regions of the country share such relative amounts of open space. Also since most growth in Central Florida has happened over the last 20 years, citizens enjoy relatively new infrastructure such as roads and schools. Due to various reasons the era of easy growth and development is now ending, the area is now wary of the region’s capability to provide for the mobility required to sustain and support the population growth. In recognition of these issues, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has been encouraging closer collaboration on transportation decisions among metropolitan planning organizations and local governments within common regions. The panel will discuss how these different entities are working together to improve the transportation for the region.
Moderator: Shelley Lauten, Director, www.myregion.org
Panelists: Noranne Downs, P.E., District 5 Secretary, Florida Department of Transportation, Orlando, FL; Roger Neiswender, AICP Transportation Department Director, City of Orlando, Orlando, FL; Mike Snyder, P.E., Executive Director, Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, Orlando, FL
Noranne Downs, P.E. |
Shelley Lauten |
Roger Neiswender |
Session III
Everglades - Building the System
2:45 - 4:15 p.m.
The Florida Everglades was once a vibrant, free-flowing river of grass that provided clean water from Lake Okeechobee south to Florida Bay. Today, this extraordinary ecosystem is dying. Over the past half century, the health and size of the Everglades have steadily declined. Lost to drainage and development, the Everglades ecosystem is suffering from severe shortage of clean reliable water.
To ensure and preserve South Florida’s natural environment, enhance water supplies, and maintain flood protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District, has developed a plan to save the Everglades. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) calls for a series of ecological and water system improvements that will take over 20 years to complete. The estimated cost of the plan, to be shared equally by the federal government and the state of Florida, is $7.8 billion.
In an effort to expedite restoration of the Everglades the South Florida Water Management District created the Acceler8 Program. Acceler8 is a major boost for Everglades restoration. The expedited course of action reaffirms the commitment of the federal/state/local partnership to revitalize the ecosystem by stepping up the pace on eight restoration projects at a cost of $1.2 billion over five years.
Presenters in this session will provide an overview of CERP and Acceler8 including a brief overview of projects currently under design and construction. A brief overview of a newly created program to restore the northern Everglades.
Presenters: Kenneth G. Ammon, P.E., M.ASCE, Assistant Deputy Executive Director; Stu Applebaum Deputy Program Manager for Restoration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District; Jeffrey Kivetts, M.ASCE, Director Everglades Restoration Engineering Department, South Florida Water Management District
Kenneth G. Ammon, P.E., M.ASCE |
Stu Applebaum |
Jeffrey Kivett, M.ASCE |
Session IV
Space- Infrastructure for Space
4:15 – 5:30 p.m.
While we Plan Design Build and Manage our infrastructure here on earth we may find the need for more than is available on our planet. Where will we go and what will we do when we get there? Will we make cities in space? Will we live on the moon or Mars? Come and hear Russell R. Romanella the current director of the International Space Station talk about our future.
Moderator: Kevin Casey, P.E., F.ASCE, Vice President, Paul S. Ford and Company
Presenter: Russel R. Romanella, Director, International Space Station.
Russel R. Romanella
Thursday, November 1
Pre-Conference Event
CEO Forum: Every Engineer’s Duty What Tragedy Has Taught Us about Professionalism, Ethics, Leadership and Public Safety
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
The CEO forum, consisting of CEOs, senior leadership and decision-makers, will kick off this year's Annual Conference with a lively Q&A session moderated by Lt. Gen. Henry J. Hatch, P.E., Hon.M.ASCE, NAE, US Army (ret.). Come take part as industry professionals discuss current issues in infrastructure, including the professional, ethical and leadership issues associated with Hurricane Katrina, Every Engineers Duty, and the Big Dig. What questions do you have for the leadership of our profession? Engage our panelists and get answers to your burning questions by attending and participating in this
important event.
Session Coordinator: T.E. (Ed) Richardson, PE, M.ASCE, - Senior Vice President & Manager of Engineering, The Bechtel Corporation – Chair, CEFI Board of Directors
Panel Kickoff – Set the Stage: TBD
Moderator: Henry J. Hatch, Hon.M.ASCE
Presenters: David E. Daniel, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE, NAE, President, University of Texas at Dallas; George W. Black Jr., P.E., M.ASCE Senior Civil Engineer/National Resource Specialist, National Transportation Safety Board. ; Gerald Galloway Jr., Ph.D., P.E, D.WRE, Hon.M.ASCE; Glenn L. Martin Institute, University of Maryland; Benjamin R. Schwegler, Jr., Ph.D., M.ASCE, Vice President & Chief Scientist, Walt Disney Imagineering, Research & Development, Inc.; Jane Chmielenski, President and COO, DMJM Harris