Six Keynote Addresses

A unique feature of the CEO series is the appearance of keynote speakers to provide insightful perspectives on historical and emerging trends for "hot" topics in CIVIL ENGINEERING IN THE OCEANS. CEO6 will feature six keynote addresses from internationally acclaimed academic, industry, and government experts:


Prof. Robert A. Dalrymple,
Johns Hopkins University
WATER WAVES: THEN AND NOW

The evolution of the prediction of water waves from the first mathematical theories to the current state of the art in numerical models will be surveyed, up to and including computational fluid dynamics models.

Dr. Robert A. Dalrymple is the Hackerman Professor of Civil Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He previously was Director of the Center for Applied Coastal Research at the University of Delaware. He is the coauthor along with Dr. Robert G. Dean of Water Wave Mechanics for Engineers and Scientists, and Coastal Processes with Engineering Applications.

Capt. David M. Balk, Director,
Ocean Facilities Program,
Civil Engineer Corps, US Navy
NAVAL OCEAN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

The US Navy is starting the 21st century with a radical transformation from deep water to littoral threats. This shift is spawning many new innovative systems, ranging from small floating barriers around high value assets in harbors, to open ocean testing facilities and lighterage for amphibious operations, to the very large Mobile Offshore Base. This address outlines how the Naval Facilities Engineering Command is providing critical support to these efforts by developing and applying cuttingedge technology related to system analysis and design, siting, and installation.

Capt. David M. Balk is presently the Director, NAVFAC Ocean Facilities Program, and the First Naval Construction Division Diving Officer. Notable prior experience includes a tour as Executive Officer of the Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, Command of the Seabee Logistic Center, Environmental Department Head of the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center, and Naval Sea Systems Command OOC. He holds a BS in Architectural Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, an MS in Ocean Engineering from Texas A&M, and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Executive Program. Capt. Balk maintains registration as a Professional Engineer and has received the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, and Combat Action Ribbon.

Prof. Robert G. Dean,
Professor, University of Florida
BEACH EROSION AND NOURISHMENT AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO THE NATIONAL ECONOMY

The combination of gradual but pervasive sea level rise and investment on our nation's coastline establishes a scenario for engineering responses to avoid significant future losses due to severe storms. Three general possible responses to an eroding shoreline exist: (1) Structures such as seawalls, revetments, groins, etc.; (2) Retreat; and (3) Beach nourishment. In implementing one of these options, it is desirable to provide storm damage protection and to maintain the recreational, environmental, and aesthetic functions of the beach system. Beach nourishment is the only option of the above three that can fulfill these objectives. The presentation will review estimates of erosion along our nation's shorelines and the damage reduction benefits provided by a wide fronting beach. Methodology for predicting the performance of beach nourishment projects will be discussed. Several case studies will be presented illustrating performance, including one project that has been in place for almost 30 years.

Dr. Robert G. Dean is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. He and his students have worked on and studied the beaches of Florida and the nation for approximately 35 years. His special interests are in the areas of shoreline changes, effects of inlets, sea level rise, and beach nourishment. He recently published a book on beach nourishment.

Dr. Leon E. Borgman,
Emeritus Professor of Geology and Statistics, University of Wyoming
NEW NONPARAMETRIC METHODS IN RISK ANALYSIS BASED ON RESAMPLING TECHNIQUES AND EMPIRICAL SIMULATION

There has been an explosion of development in new nonparametric methodology in the last several decades, as workers in statistics sought to escape the tyranny of parametric and normality assumptions for problems that were clearly not Gaussian and not easily described by the usual standard distribution functions. Methods have been developed that allow one to proceed from raw data sets directly to simulations of possible future new data with a bare minimum of parametric assumptions. Many of these techniques are now being introduced into engineering practice and decision- making. The presentation reviews the univariate and multivariate methods growing out of the resampling procedures, and their extensions for use in extremal statistics and the estimation of risk.

Dr. Leon E. Borgman is well known and has worked with ocean engineering statistical problems for 50 years. Although retired from university teaching, he is still active in consulting work.

Dr. James R. Houston, Director,
US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)
THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE OCEANS - BEACHES, MARITIME TRANSPORTATION, AND OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION

Beach tourism, maritime transportation, and the production of oil and gas make the coastal ocean very important to the US economy. Travel and tourism is America's largest industry, employer, and earner of foreign exchange. Maritime transportation is critical to the US economy. The port industry has direct or indirect impacts on 13 million American jobs. The US offshore supplies more than 25% of the nation's natural gas and 30 percent of its oil. Thus, oil and gas drilling and transportation infrastructure is critical to the US economy.

Dr. James R. Houston heads up the ERDC, the R&D laboratories of the Corps of Engineers with 2,000 employees and an annual program exceeding $700 million. He has published more than 120 papers and received several honors including two Presidential Rank Awards and the 2003 Morrough O'Brien Award from the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association.

Prof. Billy L. Edge,
W. H. Bauer Professor in Dredging Engineering, Texas A&M University
ISSUES IN 21ST CENTURY COASTAL/OCEAN ENGINEERING EDUCATION AND PRACTICE

With the rapidly expanding responsibilities of engineers practicing on the coast and offshore, new tools are required that have not been used in traditional ocean engineering education. From interdisciplinary team approaches in complex problems to practical application of advanced computational techniques, the challenges are real and present in daily practice. Preparation of students for these challenges is a responsibility that causes concerns with the aging faculties and curtailment of some programs.

Dr. Billy Edge currently heads one of largest Ocean Engineering Programs in the United States located in the Civil Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. Before joining the program in 1993, he worked in private practice for 10 years with Cubit Engineering Limited and then Edge & Associates, Inc., where he provided consulting services in the area of port, harbor, and coastal engineering to clients worldwide. His earlier service was to Clemson University where he initiated a coastal engineering program of study. Prior to that, he was a Physical Research Scientist at the Great Lakes Research Center of the US Army Corps of Engineers Lake Survey District in Detroit, MI.