2007 Issue

UTAH ENGINEERS COUNCIL JOURNAL 27 policies to deal with those changes. ASCE currently has three efforts focused on the future: a Strategic Planning Committee, a Summit on Civil Engineering in 2025, and a Summit on the Infrastructure. The ASCE Strategic Plan will evaluate issues that impact all of us, and our engineering practice, and establish programs and initiatives to bring about changes and prepare us for those changes. Infrastructure re- newal, globalization and offshoring, and public image of civil engineers are a few of the topics being evaluated. The 2025 Summit gathered 50 top engineering leaders to look way out over the horizon to figure out what might be headed our way. Their draft report is being circulated for comment at present. The Infrastructure Summit similarly gathered industry leaders to formulate plans for bringing about improvements to our infrastructure. Our Infrastructure Report Card continues to identify the deteriorating state of our nation’s infrastructure, and this group discussed practical ways to turn this trend around. ASCE has 84 Sections, 11 of which are located outside the United States. Each of these Sections falls within one of 10 Geographic Regions. The Utah Section is within Region 8, which includes much of the western United States. The Region 8 Board includes seven Governors, one of whom is “Guna ” Gunalan from the Utah Sec- tion. The new Chair of Region 8, who will also serve as our Director ASCE — continued SOCIETY FORUM on the ASCE Board, will be Westley Chun, of the Hawaii Section. This Region 8 Board recently met to discuss ways to support the Sections, enhance communication between the local and national ASCE organization, and to sponsor some regional awards. This Re- gion structure is new, and is expanding the opportunities for ASCE service and involvement. So, what is ASCE up to? Lots of things. These are just a few of the many activities that ASCE pursues to advance the profession of civil engineering and to support us in our charge to build a better quality of life.