Global Link – International Activities
Fall 2022
REGION 10 NEWS
ASCE Nigeria Section stages successful ‘Vision 2025’ conference
Attendees take in a session at the Vision 2025 International Conference.
In 2006, ASCE’s The Vision for Civil Engineering in 2025 presented an aspirational vision for the global future of the profession. In 2022, how is that vision looking in Nigeria? The ASCE Nigeria Section’s Vision 2025 International Conference in late August in Ikeja, Lagos was organized around considering that question. More than 200 professionals attended the conference in person and online, from as far away as Britain and the United States. Attendees included critical civil engineering stakeholders and decision-makers as well as Nigerian government institutions instrumental in building, maintaining, and improving the performance of buildings, industrial projects, and other infrastructure. Region 10 Director Elias Boutros Sayah was a special guest of honor and although unable to attend in person, delivered the keynote address remotely.
New Region 10 leadership set to step in
April J. Lander, MEM, JP, ENV SP, A.M.ASCE, will be sworn in next month as the next Region 10 director, succeeding Elias Boutros Sayah, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, who has served as director since 2019. Sayah will continue in Region 10 leadership through 2025 as immediate past director. Lander will move to serving on the Board of Direction and leading the Region 10 board of governors having recently served two terms as governor from 2015 to 2021. Practicing currently as an independent contractor in New Zealand, Lander has extensive international experience. She has been ASCE’s representative on the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council since 2020. “I will promote international partnerships, facilitate transfer of knowledge, provide professional development and educational opportunities, and encourage activities that will help society adapt to climate change and become more inclusive and sustainable,” she said in her vision statement. Learn more about Lander.
Chao Li, Ph.D., C.Eng., M.ASCE, will be the next Region 10 governor, succeeding Raymond Hai Ming Leung, Ph.D., C.Eng, P.E., F.ASCE, who has served as a governor for the past three years. Li has been an engineer based in Hong Kong since 2007. With ASCE, he was 2017 Hong Kong Section president, chaired the ASCE Greater China Development Committee from 2016 to 2019, and led the organizing committee for the 1st ASCE Greater China Conference in 2021. In his vision statement, Li laid out some goals: “I plan to strengthen connection between Academia and Industry by installing more student chapters. With significant challenges and opportunities offered by AI and digital technology, I want to focus on increasing communication / collaboration between civil engineering and other disciplines.” Learn more about Li.
With the transition, the term of Brett Phillips, Ph.D., CPEng, D.WRE, F.EWRI, F.ASCE, as immediate past director will close, bringing an official end to his many years of distinguished Region 10 leadership.
Region 10 governor represents ASCE at international conference in Athens
The Third International Conference on Natural Hazards & Infrastructure gathered participants in Athens to seek greater collaboration in challenging conventional approaches to projects given the increasing risks climate change poses. Region 10 Governor Panagiotis Andreas Chatzipanos, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE delivered the opening welcome address, talking about the ways in which ASCE is taking on the challenges of the future with our work in advocacy, sustainability and resilience, and natural hazards.
ASCE joins Japan Society of Civil Engineers’ future-focused annual meeting
During a time that feels very much like a crossroads, what does the future hold for civil engineering? ASCE joined in discussing the possibilities as part of a panel at the Japan Society of Civil Engineers 2022 annual meeting in Kyoto and online. Representing ASCE, Eva Lerner-Lam, M.ASCE, F.ITE, president of Palisades Consulting Group, shared the value of ASCE’s national and state report cards and the usefulness of our Future World Vision initiative in reimagining the built world of tomorrow. Learn more about what was discussed.
India, New Zealand ASCE groups join forces for geotechnical-environmental structural webinars
The India Section Southern Region, the New Zealand Group, the student chapters of Malnad College of Engineering and Mahendra Engineering College, and the Indian Geotechnical Society combined to organize the third year of a free webinar series exploring international civil engineering issues with a geotechnical and structural focus. Latest Advances in Geoenviro-Structural Confluence featured Region 10 director-elect April Lander briefing attendees on the importance of disaster risk mitigation methods, with the extreme flooding of Hurricane Ida as an example.
Join fellow international members in discussions at ASCE Collaborate
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UPCOMING EVENTS
9th Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region (CECAR9)
Goa, India
Sept. 21-23
Sustainable and Digital Building Conference
Marinha Grande, Portugal
Oct. 27-28
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Do you have news or an announcement for ASCE international members that might be worthy of an item in Global Link? Submit it to Civil Engineering Source editor Ben Walpole at bwalpole@asce.org.