Global Link – International Activities
Winter 2024
5 nations’ engineering societies renew collaboration agreements at ASCE convention
Photo: Jason Dixson Photography
ASCE 2023 President Maria Lehman, center, greets members from Nigeria and elsewhere at the Global Reception during the ASCE 2023 Convention in Chicago.
The ASCE 2023 Convention was held in Chicago, yet the Windy City had a distinct international air, with members and guests representing 29 countries in attendance. Among the 90 who made the trip, several represented sister societies with which ASCE renewed agreements of cooperation; they are with
Costa Rica – Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Costa Rica (CFIA)
Ethiopia – Ethiopian Association of Civil Engineers (EACE)
Ghana – Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE)
Mongolia – Mongolian Association of Civil Engineers (MACE)
Nigeria – Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE)
Sustainability, ASCE codes and standards, the ASCE Future World Vision initiative, and the upcoming ASCE giant-screen movie Cities of the Future were the hot topics discussed during the Global Engineering Session. During the convention’s Global Reception, the Region 10 ASCE Distinguished Service Medal Awards for 2023 were announced. Former Region 10 Director Brett Phillips was on hand to receive his award for representing ASCE’s international members in a variety of leadership roles going back many years, including on the ASCE Board of Direction and Executive Committee and as Australia Section president.
Find out more about the convention overall, including the sneak peek at Cities of the Future, as covered in Civil Engineering Source.
ASCE expresses ‘heartfelt sympathy’ to Japanese engineers in earthquake’s aftermath
ASCE members in Japan and members of Japanese sister societies are grateful for an expression of solidarity in a letter from the Society following the magnitude 7.6 New Year's Day earthquake that rocked the western part of the country. “We hope that as the focus shifts to rebuilding, you will find comfort in the support of your friends and professional peers worldwide,” it read in part. More than 200 people have been killed, about 100 remain missing, and thousands have been left homeless by the initial quake and its aftershocks. View the extensive damage as covered by The Japan Times.
“Your words of support mean a lot to us and the entire Japanese community,” replied ASCE Japan Section Vice President Naoki Nakazawa on behalf of the section. “Thank you for your warm message to us,” wrote Japan Society of Civil Engineers immediate past president UEDA Tamon. Also representing JSCE, Yukiko Shibuya, director of its International Activities Center, offered thanks, including how the updated ASCE 41-23 standard on seismic evaluations of existing buildings will help engineers assess the damage.
China keys on sustainability as Greater China Section stages second successful ASCE conference
Breakthroughs and insights on ways civil engineers can make projects more sustainable dominated discussions as more than 150 ASCE members and friends attended the Greater China Section’s second Greater China Conference at Shenzhen University. ASCE 2023 President Maria Lehman delivered a virtual opening speech, and in person, Region 10 Director April Lander talked about ASCE’s international presence and sustainability. Also in attendance were Region 10 Governor Chao Li, Greater China Section President Xiaowei Deng, and past Region 10 Governor Raymond Leung.
India Section – Southern Region and student chapter embrace annual ASCE Day
The founding of ASCE dates to Nov. 5, 1852, but it’s been just the past few years that the Society has commemorated the occasion annually as ASCE Day, and units around the world have joined to celebrate. Above, the ASCE student chapter at SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Tamil Nadu, India, gathers to mark the 171st anniversary after planting 171 saplings and holding a structural dynamics expo in association with ASCE’s India Section – Southern Region.
Society member conferred Bhutan’s highest honor for hydropower work
Arvind Kumar Mishra, A.M.ASCE, has received the 2023 Druk Thuksey award, Bhutan’s highest honor for civilians, from King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. From 2010 to 2022 Mishra was executive director of the Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority, where he oversaw a project that brought 720 MW of power online within seven years, opening in 2019.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
India Section International Conference
“Vision 2050: Engineering Excellence to Transform Communities”
Mumbai, India
Jan. 16
9th International Workshop on Civil Structural Health Monitoring
Kuwait
Feb. 12-14
Cities of the Future premiere week
Feb. 16-23
2nd International Conference on Sustainability - ICSDI 2024
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Feb. 18-22
Construction Institute Summit / Construction Research Congress
Des Moines, Iowa
Mar. 20-23
Submit your item for a future Global Link
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 associate editor John Marston at jmarston@asce.org.