October 29, 2005
Inaugural Address
Dennis R. Martenson, P.E., DEE
Principal Engineer - CDM
Engineering the FutureThank you for that kind introduction a few minutes ago, Bob. And thanks to all of you for joining me in Los Angeles for our annual conference. I'm very honored to become president of this prestigious organization.
I would like to start with a maritime quote that seems appropriate as we convene this meeting on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
"Our plans miscarry because they have no aim; When one does not know what harbor to head for, no wind is the right wind."
With this quote in mind, I want to let you know what my plans are for you and your ASCE, and what my goals are for a clear direction for you and ASCE. Before getting into my prepared remarks, I want to begin today by recognizing some very special people.
As you may know, ASCE has agreements of cooperation with 67 civil engineering organizations around the world. I'd like to personally thank all of those who traveled from other countries to attend this conference.
I also wish to thank those ASCE members from Minnesota, who supported my efforts in seeking the presidency of ASCE. In particular, I thank my good friend Tom Eggum for all his assistance in getting out the vote.
I want to acknowledge my many colleagues from CDM for their support of ASCE and for making it possible for me to serve as president. In particular, I am grateful to CDM Chairman and CEO Tom Furman, CDM President Dick Fox, and my regional manager, Carl Johnson.
Some of my family members are here today, and I would like to recognize them. My daughter Annemarie and her husband Clark, my grandchildren, Hannah, Emily, Ella, and Noah . My other daughter, Amy Mahan, and her husband Brian are not here today, since she just delivered my fifth grandchild, Evan.
And of course, I have saved the very best for last. I want to thank Catherine, my wife of 43 years, for all her encouragement, patience, and sharing. Catherine has developed an interest in civil engineering, probably not by choice, and has always supported my work with ASCE. Catherine, I want to thank you publicly for all your support over the years.
This year's conference theme is "Next Generation Infrastructure: Projects that Create the Future." With that theme in mind, I will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities that will confront the civil engineers who will create that future. These challenges and opportunities compromise the four planks of my presidency. They are:
- No. 1 - Natural disasters and Terrorism
- No. 2 - Infrastructure Needs
- No. 3 - Ethics and Integrity
- No. 4 - ASCE's future
Plank 1 - Natural Disasters and Terrorism
The devastation of the city of New Orleans stands as a stark example of how our infrastructure—water, sewer, electricity, transportation, and communication—forms the essential foundation of our economy. We see the chaos that results when we are unable to provide for the public's basic needs, and the hardship of that strained economy as the mayor is forced to lay off 3,000 city employees. In the wake of such devastation, engineers must undertake the challenges of being emergency responders—ready to quickly follow the "first responders" who are engaged in rescue operations. We must become the "second responders," providing rapid emergency repairs and service restoration. We must help to shape the rebuilding efforts for a safe and sustainable infrastructure.
Recent terrorist acts have brought heightened urban threats and introduced new dimensions for the engineer's role in society. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, and the recent train bombings in Madrid and London create new challenges. We must provide for infrastructure security, hardening our designs to withstand destructive threats and sabotage.
Likewise, the South Asia tsunami and the severe back-to-back hurricanes Katrina and Rita along the U.S. Gulf Coast underscore the need to build and re-build to withstand natural disasters, and to review the effectiveness of what is already in place. Civil engineers will play a critical role in this.
These threats are related to my second plank, our country's infrastructure.
Plank 2 - Infrastructure Needs
Moving forward first requires a sound foundation. The ASCE 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure tells an unsettling story. The overall grade is a D, barely passing in my view. And the U.S. infrastructure needs are estimated to be $1.6 trillion over the next 5 years. However, funding levels for infrastructure are falling short and creating a crisis. Our aging infrastructure is deteriorating faster than we are able to restore it. It is our duty to raise our voices and make our elected officials keenly aware of the crisis. Sound infrastructure is the basis for a sound economy.
Also Related to the Issue of Infrastructure Are Cities of the Future
People—young and old—are leaving the suburbs and moving back downtown. These new urban dwellers
- demand reliable utility services,
- a high quality of life,
- and a restored urban environment.
That alone is a great challenge, but fixing water, sewer, and transportation systems is not enough. To build an urban renaissance, we must take a more holistic view of the urban environment. We must create fresh, proactive, and stakeholder-based approaches to urban revitalization—improving the quality of life, enhancing the urban environment, and creating economic opportunities for every citizen. This requires an integrated approach that brings together multi-disciplinary teams to create multi-purpose projects that preserve urban waterways, provide amenities, and recharge the economy. CDM has an initiative called "Cities of the Future" that addresses the needs of urban revitalization. An example of this is CDM's Integrated Resources Plan for Los Angeles, CA.
What is the role of the civil engineer in this urban renaissance? We must become facilitators of integration and stakeholder involvement. We must be catalysts for greater "integration" of utility functions, with water and wastewater departments working together to implement new urban management programs that provide reliable services, fuel economic development, and improve the quality of city life.
And all of this must be done with highest degree of ethics and integrity. And so my third plank.
Plank 3 - Ethics and Integrity
Today, perhaps more than ever before, engineers must be the vanguard of ethics and integrity in global environmental and infrastructure projects. ENR estimates that world construction spending in 2004 was $3.9 trillion. Sadly, about 10% of this money, that's $390 billion, is lost to bribery, fraud and corruption, often on projects in developing countries. As engineers, we must accept the personal responsibility to help combat fraud, bribery and corruption in the engineering and construction industry. We must refuse to condone or ignore corruption.
We must report infractions when we see them.
And we must urge our professional engineering societies to adopt and enforce guidelines for ethical professional practice. To quote Thomas Camp, a founder of CDM, "Engineers in the public service have an even greater obligation... to determine that the projects with which they are associated...are in the best public interest because they have no other client or employer than the public itself. They must place the public interest and welfare above their own or their client's private gains."
With the challenges I've just discussed in mind, let's look at my fourth plank, the agenda for the next year.
ASCE's Agenda for the Future
My goal is to build on the best of the past... for a better future. We have a great deal of work underway that I intend to continue to strengthen ASCE. Let me call out just a few. ASCE has a thriving government relations initiative. We work with legislative coalitions to advance knowledge about infrastructure needs, funding challenges, and solutions. We will continue to keep our members informed and prepared to be vocal advocates for important legislative initiatives.
I want to continue our work on the Body of Knowledge, aka Policy 465. This policy prepares engineers for the broader roles of integrator and facilitator that I mentioned today. It recognizes that there is a body of knowledge necessary to effectively practice engineering that goes beyond the traditional bachelor's degree and technical competence. It expands the depth and breadth of required knowledge to include
- the ability to function on multidisciplinary teams,
- communicate effectively,
- know contemporary issues and understand their impact on engineering solutions,
- and understand business and public policy fundamentals.
No. 4 - I want to continue to advance Bill Henry's Global Principles of Professional Conduct by raising awareness and reducing bribery, corruption and fraud in worldwide engineering and construction projects.
No. 5 - Finally, I want to advance a new strategic plan for ASCE to define a path for the next 5 years and provide guidance for the next 20 years and beyond. We want to adopt an ongoing strategy-making process that helps our organization both adapt to change and become change agents. My goal is to have this new plan and approach in place by January 2007.
In conclusion, I thank you once again for the opportunity to address you today. I've highlighted what I believe are some of the challenges and roles of civil engineers in our changing world. These planks included:
- Infrastructure - it is our duty to raise our voices about this important need
- Natural Disasters and Terrorism - in wake of devastation engineers must also become emergency responders
- Ethics and Integrity - we must be the vanguard of ethics
- ASCE's future - requires a new strategic plan to define not only the next 5 years but one that will provide guidance for the next 20 years and beyond And I've told you about my priorities as the new president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. I now look forward to working with you to
- advance our profession,
- reinforce our duty to serve the public and to serve them ethically,
- and continue our important mission of providing civil engineering solutions for the problems that confront our nation and our world.
Now we must embark on this essential journey.
Thank You!
