February 2016

JANUARY ASCE BOARD OF DIRECTION MEETING HIGHLIGHTS Board Tees Up Historic Vote  Christopher J. Menna, Sr., P.E., M.ASCE, your Region 2 Director, is a member of the Philadelphia Section.  Chris represented you at the Board meeting in Chicago on January 14, held in conjunction with the first of three Multi-Region Leadership Conferences.  This was the first meeting of the Board since new directors were installed at the annual business meeting in October. To help forge closer bonds among the new and continuing members, the Board spent some time getting to know more about each other’s professional, leadership and personal backgrounds – information that will be invaluable in tapping the strengths and expertise of individuals as the Board conducts its work over the next year. It is safe to say that everyone was impressed with the diverse professional backgrounds, qualifications and experience of your elected leaders. The January Board meeting is traditionally a one-day meeting with a limited agenda. The major portion of the day is devoted to interviewing candidates for the position of ASCE president-elect. Convening in executive session, the Nominating Committee selected two official nominees, Robin Kemper, P.E., LEED AP, F.SEI, F.ASCE, and Kristina L. Swallow, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE. This is the first time ASCE members will choose between two women official nominees, meaning that ASCE’s next president, Norma Jean Mattei, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE, will be succeeded by another woman. Watch for information on the upcoming election, which begins May 1, and be sure to vote!  Among other business, the Board discussed new governance options and met in executive session with Gregory DiLoreto, P.E., P.LS, Pres.13.ASCE, currently a director on the board of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. Greg shared an update on potential future developments at ISI, which ASCE co-founded with ACEC and APWA. The Board will next meet in March in Arlington, VA, in conjunction with the ASCE Legislative Fly-in and the Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Awards Gala. If you are planning to attend one or both of those events, please stop by the Board meeting. All Board meetings are open meetings and interested members are encouraged to attend. To share your thoughts on ASCE issues and governance, please email Chris.

Great outreach event or other activity? Let the whole Region know! If you’re a local ASCE leader and your Section, Branch, Younger Member Group, or Student Chapter has staged any special events, engaged in outreach from grade-school kids to lawmakers, done charity work, fund raising or anything of the sort, let ASCEnews Weekly know and we may include it in next month’s Region report. You may already have written about it and posted pictures in your newsletter, website, or social media. Share the details and any photos at asce.org/localnews. Got questions? Write to submissions@asce.org. See the other Region reports for February If you live adjacent to a Section in a different Region, or are merely interested in the other Region reports for February, click on each to view them:   Region 1   Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section, Buffalo Section, Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers Section, Ithaca Section, Maine Section, Metropolitan Section, Mohawk-Hudson Section, New Hampshire Section, New Jersey Section, Puerto Rico Section, Rhode Island Section, Rochester Section, Syracuse Section, Vermont Section  Region 2   Central Pennsylvania Section, Delaware Section, Lehigh Valley Section, Maryland Section, National Capital Section, Philadelphia Section, Pittsburgh Section Region 3   Akron-Canton Section, Central Illinois Section, Central Ohio Section, Cincinnati Section, Cleveland Section, Dayton Section, Duluth Section, Illinois Section, Michigan Section, Minnesota Section, North Dakota Section, Quad Cities Section, Toledo Section, Wisconsin Section Region 4   Arkansas Section, Indiana Section, Kentucky Section, North Carolina Section, South Carolina Section, Tennessee Section, Virginia Section, West Virginia Section Region 5   Alabama Section, Florida Section, Georgia Section, Louisiana Section, Mississippi Section   Region 6   New Mexico Section, Oklahoma Section, Texas Section Region 7   Colorado Section, Iowa Section, Kansas City Section, Kansas Section, Nebraska Section, South Dakota Section, St. Louis Section, Wyoming Section Region 8   Alaska Section, Arizona Section, Columbia Section, Hawaii Section, Inland Empire Section, Montana Section, Nevada Section, Oregon Section, Seattle Section, Southern Idaho Section, Tacoma-Olympia Section, Utah Section Region 9   Los Angeles Section, Sacramento Section, San Diego Section, San Francisco Section Region 10  All International Sections, Branches, and Groups Missed last month's Region 2 update? See the December edition of  News Around Region 2 Share this page via social media and email:

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Global satellite coverage improves flood mapping Increased coverage and freely available access has made it possible to apply existing data sets to create flood maps quickly and inexpensively. Consider what technology has enabled in an exclusive article for ASCE’s Civil Engineering online.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Earthquake-detection program inspired by a music app A research team at Stanford University, inspired by the Shazam app, develops a method to sift through vast amounts of ground motion data at lightning speeds. Discover the detection breakthrough in an exclusive article for ASCE’s Civil Engineering online.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Potential economic losses in river basins linked to climate change Researchers have analyzed socioeconomic growth and climate-change induced flooding in river basins worldwide to determine projected economic losses through the year 2080. Consider the study's conclusions in an exclusive article for ASCE’s Civil Engineering online.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Energy benefits of hydrogen-solar synergy revealed A team at Purdue University advances a concept known as "hydricity" that extends the reach of solar thermal power by coupling it with compressed hydrogen collection. Discover what these benefits could mean in an exclusive article for ASCE’s Civil Engineering online.

NATIONAL CAPITAL SECTION Report Card provides reality check for D.C. infrastructure The National Capital Section released its 2016 Report Card for D.C.’s Infrastructure in January and the marks aren’t encouraging. ASCE members graded the area’s infrastructure by eight criteria: capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation. D.C. scored lowest in the categories of levees and transit. Read the complete Report Card.