Global Link – International Activities
Summer 2024
ASCE bonds with Brazil members, societies on president’s trip
Joined by Brazilian civil engineering leaders, ASCE 2024 President Marsia Geldert-Murphey visited one of the lovely botanical gardens in Curitiba, Brazil.
South America, specifically Brazil, was the focus of this year’s annual presidential trip to reinforce ASCE’s ties with our international engineering brethren. With Brazil set to host the G20 summit later this year and the all-important COP30 on climate change in 2025, an ASCE group led by 2024 President Marsia Geldert-Murphey decided to touch base with Brazil Group members and sister societies and assess the nation’s efforts to embrace sustainability.
In São Paulo, ASCE met with the leaders of the Federal Council of Engineering and Agronomy and the Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy of the State of Sao Paulo to discuss the state of engineering profession in Brazil and the United States, and to participate in their first of its kind international training seminar. Geldert-Murphey, Region 10 Director April Lander, Brazil Group President Renan Gustavo Soares, and Executive Director Tom Smith provided training on relevant ASCE programs and resources as well as the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s Envision rating system. It was simultaneously translated into Portuguese.
Alongside the training event, the Region 10 Board of Governors held its annual in-person meeting in the city. The main topic of discussion was how the Society’s recently adopted strategic plan applies to Region 10.
The second leg of the trip took them to Curitiba, a model city for urban planning and sustainability. Through its urban planning institute, ASCE leaders learned about the city’s adoption of smart city technology through its urban planning institute and witnessed its impressive control center. They also enjoyed meeting with leaders of the Brazilian Association of Civil Engineers and the Institute of Engineering of Parana and discussing potential areas of collaboration.
On a recent visit to Washington, D.C., Region 10 Governor Olga Marin presented ASCE with a print of a civil engineering icon she painted.
Society members reelect 2 Region 10 governors to 2nd terms
Congratulations to Kamal Laksiri, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, and Olga Marin, P.E., MSc., M.ASCE, who each will serve three more years as Region 10 governors, having been elected by ASCE’s international members to second terms. Laksiri has been an ASCE member since 1988 and a practicing engineer since 1991. Today the Sri Lankan is project director of Moragolla Hydropower, CEB, and of Broadlands Hydropower, CEB. Laksiri founded the Sri Lanka Section in 2021. Marin served as 2021 Colombia Section president and in previous section leadership roles. She’s been active on several ASCE committees including MOSAIC, history and heritage, and the strategy task committee. Marin is co-founder and partner of Tafur Marín Ingeniería Estructural S.A.S.
At the overall ASCE level, members elected Marsha Anderson Bomar to serve as 2025 president-elect and 2026 president. Anderson Bomar, Ph.D., AICP, ENV SP, F.ITE, F.ASCE, will bring much institutional knowledge to the role as ASCE leaders explore ways to reimagine, continuously grow, and improve the Society. With her election, ASCE will have had eight women lead the Society since Patricia Galloway was the first in 2004, with six in the last 10 years. Next year’s 18-member ASCE Board of Direction will set another milestone with 12 women engineers. Get the complete 2024 election results.
2020 ASCE president leads UN forum urging sped-up Sustainable Development Goals
Fostering greater collaboration between science, policymakers, and societal and engineering communities is vital to accelerate progress on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. But how can that be achieved? That was a focus of the ninth annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation for the UN’s SDGs at UN headquarters in New York.
ASCE 2020 President Guna Gunalan led the forum in his role as chair of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations-UN Relations Committee. A panel discussion that included ASCE Executive Director Tom Smith explored advancing the SDGs with a strong focus on ASCE 73, Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure, as recently endorsed by the WFEO. Watch the video here.
Student chapter in Bangladesh stages ‘CEvilization’ tech fest
At Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology in Gazipur, Bangladesh, the ASCE student chapter staged “CEvilization Season 1,” a conference and competition that drew more than 500 participants from 35+ universities and engineering colleges across Bangladesh, each showcasing skills in their specialties to win prizes. In a virtual address, ASCE President Marsia Geldert-Murphey expressed admiration for the event and gave attendees encouragement. Visit the student chapter on Facebook.
UAE Section president chairs 6th annual ‘Women in Engineering Forum’
Abu Dhabi University’s College of Engineering, with support from ASCE’s United Arab Emirates Section and others, recently held its annual celebration of women’s contributions to engineering. UAE Section President Reem Sabouni, an ADU associate professor, served as chair of the sixth “Women in Engineering Forum.” More than 20 influential female engineers headlined, with more than 150 in attenadance. Speakers addressed the challenges women face in the engineering field and presented solutions to harness their potential. Visit the official forum website.
Lebanon Section hosts ‘Future Leaders Plant Greener Future’
Collaborating with other agencies in Lebanon, ASCE’s section there hosted a community service event for Earth Day that drew 200 people to rehabilitate a section of park in Beirut to make it more student-friendly. The “Future Leaders Plant Greener Future” project, called Pine Campus, creates a green area with WiFi so university students can study in nature in the heart of the city. Watch the work in action in a video.
Publish your research results free in the journal ASCE OPEN
ASCE OPEN: Multidisciplinary Journal of Civil Engineering is a Gold Open Access journal. Authors typically pay an article processing charge to publish a paper in the journal, but ASCE provides waivers to those who qualify. You might, depending on where you live and if you lack access to other funding. Inquire by submitting an Open Access Waiver request to articlewaiver@asce.org.
Global members are discussing hot topics at ASCE Collaborate
ASCE Collaborate is an exclusive forum for Society members from the United States and around the world to engage in candid talk and share advice about issues relevant to civil engineering. From technical questions to career guidance, virtually any topic is welcome. Start or join a conversation.
Get English-language translation and editing of journal papers
You can now produce polished English-language papers that meet the rigorous style standards of academic journals, including ASCE’s. A partnership with Editage offers language editing and translation services for authors. ASCE members receive a 15% discount. Learn how it works.
UPCOMING EVENTS
COTA International Conference for Transportation Professionals
Shenzhen, China
July 23-26
2024 ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
July 28-31
Engineering Mechanics Institute 2024 International Conference
Vienna, Austria
Sept. 11-13
Second International Conference in Civil Engineering for a Sustainable Planet (ICCESP 2024)
Co-sponsor ASCE India Section, Southern Region
Kazhakuttom, Thiruvananthapuram, India
Dec. 6-8
International Perspectives in Water and Environment (IPWE) Conference
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
Jan. 8-10, 2025
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.