The number is astoundingly small – 679.
Of everyone who has been a member of ASCE across our 164-year history, only 679 have achieved Distinguished Member status, known as Honorary Member prior to 2008. It is the highest honor ASCE can bestow, reserved for professionals who have attained eminence in some branch of civil engineering or in related arts and sciences, including education and construction.
To...
With increasingly complex projects requiring new technology, will we have enough civil engineers prepared for the challenges of tomorrow?
It is essential to inspire more students to choose careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, pursue gender and minority equality in the workplace, and foster partnerships with diverse groups.
Here’s how.
1. Reform education to include engineering in K-12 schools
Stephen Pruitt, Ph.D., project lead for...
As an engineer, you are always tackling new challenges. It is important for you to stay informed on issues affecting your profession, so you can be prepared with better solutions for tomorrow. Watch these videos from the Interchange series as ASCE’s senior managing director Casey Dinges interviews industry leaders on the hot topics dominating the civil engineering profession:
1. Creating sustainable communities that address the...
Orville T. Magoon, Dist.D.CE, Dist.M.ASCE, coastal engineering expert for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the namesake of ASCE’s Orville T. Magoon Sustainable Coasts Award, has died at 87.
Magoon was an early champion of sustainability, specifically pertaining to coastal engineering research, design, construction, and management. He worked for the Corps from 1952 to 1983 before retiring as chief of the Coastal Engineering Branch...
Robert D. Nichol, P.E., Dist.D.PE, Dist.M.ASCE, chairman of the Long Beach, California-based firm of Moffatt & Nichol and its former president and CEO, has died at 84.
In 1975, Nichol became Moffatt & Nichol’s second president, and his vision and leadership expanded the company from a small southern California firm with one office and 50 employees into one of the world’s top maritime and transportation...
Capt. James H. Blanchar, P.E., D.NE, F.ASCE, a Navy veteran and longtime U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leader whose devotion to ASCE’s Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute included a year as president, has died at 77.
Blanchar served as COPRI president from 2007-2008. He remained active in COPRI until his death, serving on its Waterways Committee since 1999 and chairing it in 1999-2000.
The Kentucky...
The Society’s 1991 President, James E. “Tom” Sawyer, P.E., Pres.91.ASCE, an influential bridge designer and infrastructure builder with works from Florida to Hong Kong, has died at 84.
Sawyer joined ASCE in 1956, and was active for years with the Florida Section. He served as ASCE’s president in 1991.
“Tom will be sorely missed by his many friends at ASCE, but his legacy will live on,”...
William B. “Bing” Conway, P.E., L.S., F.ASCE, principal-in-charge for eight award-winning Mississippi River crossing projects, has died. He was 84.
From 1969 to 2007, Conway was a partner in the firm Modjeski and Masters, and served as CEO from 1992 to 2004. He oversaw the Greater New Orleans No. 2 Bridge, which was the second-longest cantilever span in the United States.
Born in Southhampton, NY, and...
Donald V.N. Roberts, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, who helped integrate sustainable development principles and techniques into engineering education and practice, has died at 87.
Sustainable infrastructure now stands as one of ASCE’s key strategic initiatives, and Roberts was at the forefront of the movement to stress adoption of sustainability by civil engineers. He served as a member of ASCE’s Task Committee on Sustainable Development, which was instrumental...
Their high-rise building started shaking around 3 a.m.
“We woke up, and I remember my mom pulling us out of the apartment,” said Menzer Pehlivan. “And I’m 13 years old, so I’m like, ‘What is going on?’”
Pehlivan and her family were living in Ankara, Turkey, when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook the country on Aug. 19, 1999. They were about 200 miles from the Izmit epicenter,...
