Professionalism can be viewed from the standpoint of several definitional terms or criteria. Included in the definition of professionalism are the terms methods, status, standards, and character. Each term forms a stepwise progression towards a state of both becoming and being a professional. The terms are explored as they relate to this progression, until a culmination is found in the internal qualities inherent in one who is considered a “true professional.”
The role of a teacher is to facilitate learning. This task is accomplished through a variety of instructional methods, the most established being the classroom lecture. Civil engineering students are taught the basics in scientific principles and theory. However, they often lack the understanding of how to apply this knowledge to solve real engineering problems in the field. Consequently, teaching methods that encourage the blending of theory into real‐life applications should be used. An appropriate instructional alternative that can accomplish this is the case study. First, this paper presents traditional teaching methods. Next, the case study approach to teaching is described along with its advantages and disadvantages. Methodology to facilitate case development and steps necessary for implementation into civil engineering education are also discussed. Additionally, the characteristics of three case studies are briefly described.
This paper assists engineers in the conversion of the complicated foot‐pound‐second (FPS) system to the simplified System International (SI), expressed in meters‐newtons‐seconds. It is useful in both analytical and dimensional domains. A short history of the methods is given for general information. The masses of some elements, compounds, liquids, and gases are given, and are expressed in “dimensionless” units as ratios of their unit mass densities, and those of the unit mass density of water, which equal unity. Eight examples are given, showing the precise method of conversion. The examples also provide analyses to be used for checking the answers to the problems. This method of conversion will help engineers acquire the skill of its application, and also will provide a basis for checking and controlling the creation of formulas that are elaborated upon in the analytical and dimension domains. Furthermore, a new parameter of solidity is also introduced as a ratio of the volume of solids to that of the total unit volume. Solidity is inversely proportional to porosity.
During 1988–1989, a consortium of civil engineering departments of New York City colleges and universities administered by the Center for Infrastructure Studies at Columbia University undertook the development of a preventive maintenance management system for the Department of Transportation in the City of New York. The participating schools were: Columbia University, City College, Cooper Union, Polytechnic University, and Pratt Institute. The system that was developed covered a total of 1,426 bridges. The system concentrates on those bridges in “good” or “very good” condition although it makes it clear that preventive maintenance must also be performed on “fair” and “poor” bridges until a steady state is reached. The study established the requirements to protect the bridges through dirt and water control, steel protection, roadway surface maintenance, maintaining mechanical and electrical components on moveable bridges, and performing special requirements on the East River bridges. A computer system for scheduling crews, equipment, and material for each maintenance component was developed. The report recommends a total direct staff of 794 persons and an annual budget of nearly $51,500,000.
The paper presents an array of hypothetical ethical conflicts, couched in the field of environmental protection, and offers sources of guidance to assist engineers in making the proper ethical choices and taking the most prudent courses of action. Engineers are expected to follow and adhere to codes of ethics and standards of performance for their disciplines, but they should also be aware of federal and state laws, company regulations, and the public interest. In the interest of professional integrity, engineers must not engage in dishonest or fraudulent activities and must be sure their work is not misrepresented.
The construction industry faces a major shortfall in needed technical manpower over the upcoming decades due to demographic trends. There will be fewer college‐age students in the educational pipeline, and a higher percentage of those who are available for technical educations will be from groups who are not attracted to them—minorities and women. In addition, students currently attracted to technical fields are less likely to choose an emphasis in civil engineering or construction than in competitive areas. The cumulative impact of new placements needed and growth of the construction field is projected to lead to a shortfall of several hundreds of thousands of technical people in the construction industry by the early part of the 21st century. Such projections can be impacted by actions taken over the next few years. Leaders in the construction industry are encouraged to pursue a more aggressive path for recruitment and retention in their industry, including specific programs aimed at attracting minorities and women, co‐op programs and summer jobs for technical students, support for programs in the civil engineering and construction fields at universities, and public education through the media.
Rapid advances in computer software and hardware have provided engineers with a powerful means of processing, storing, retrieving, and displaying data. This has made computer science a growing and essential part of nearly every engineering discipline. The effective use of computers in engineering processes and applications is recognized by many as the key to increased individual, company, and national productivity. This paper presents the results of a survey that was conducted by the ASCE Task Committee on Computing Education to assess computing needs in the civil engineering profession and to assess the current undergraduate computing curriculum in civil engineering education. The survey results presented in this paper can be used as a guide by educators who wish to enhance the computing aspects of their engineering curricula and by engineering firms that are evaluating the educational profile of new graduates. The goal is to enable students to possess, in addition to their engineering skills, both the ability to evaluate and use production software and the ability to organize and supervise the development of software.
Conditions necessary for successfully commercializing construction research are discussed in this paper. The paper starts with a definition of research as any investigation leading to development of new ideas, products, techniques, or approaches. Research may be either step change with focus on immediate paybacks, or longer‐term, more fundamental exploration. In construction, shorter investigations are the norm. An important benefit of research is the signal that the investment sends throughout the organization. Namely, that the process of change is supported. Supporting change in one area may encourage others in the organization to try new ideas. Such unpredictable benefits make it difficult to evaluate research investment on a cost basis. Change is often successful when conducted in partnership with other affiliated groups. In construction, owners, designers, labor, suppliers, and subcontractors might be brought into an investigation both to help bear the costs and to advise the direction of study. Finally, the paper reviews several approaches for identifying appropriate targets for research. Diversification of research efforts and a segmentation strategy have been found useful.
The first Sumerian city‐states, which knew no centralized authority, emerged around 3500 B.C. in the lower part of Mesopotamia, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers merge before flowing into the Persian gulf. This region, believed to have been the biblical Garden of Eden, is modern‐day Iraq. At the time, Sumer was a fertile and a difficult land: There was too much water at the wrong time; the topography was flat; and building materials consisted exclusively of clay, asphalt, and vegetable fibers, with no timber or stone. Fierce competition among the cities for favorable location, the inventiveness of the Sumerians, their strong religious beliefs, and their understanding of and respect for organized society led them to the creation of an urban society and the development of technology as a social system. It is in this context that this paper suggests that engineering, as a concept of social progress through technology, started in Sumer.
In the public sector, contract awards are typically made to the "lowest responsible bidder." This term is defined by many contract‐awarding authorities as the contractor with the lowest bid who provides the bonds required by contract. Numerous professionals believe this approach is an inefficient and ineffective means to procure construction services. This paper provides a description of the competitive‐bid process along with a more complete definition of lowest responsible bidder. The definition incorporates bid responsiveness and bidder responsibility—criteria to measure both are outlined. A review of surety bonding is presented. Agencies have been dissatisfied with contractors' performance and quality of work under traditional procurement procedures. As a result, they have investigated and developed prequalification procedures. The potential role of these procedures are presented along with a comparison between surety bonding and owner contractor prequalification. A brief discussion of prequalification versus postqualification is also described.
Paper investigates the problems associated with quality in projects designed and/or constructed by international firms in developing countries. These problems make the task of achieving and maintaining quality in the constructed project difficult to accomplish. Possible solutions are enumerated, including selection of an efficient project team, preplanning, adequate communications, knowledge of local conditions and limitations, clear and concise contract documents, an adequate payment system, and use of peer review. Comparisons are also made (in tabular form) between the writers' recommendations for developing countries and information presented in the ASCE Quality in the Constructed Project manual concerning the following areas: owner, project team, contract agreements, communications, payment system, and peer review.
Claims frequency against design professionals continues to increase, and many design firms are foregoing insurance coverage due to the expense. Efforts at tort reform have been sporadic, and some proposals have been attacked on the basis that they alter long‐standing rights without any evidence that they will reduce litigation and insurance expenses. Characteristics of the civil justice system that increase claims frequency against design professionals are reviewed, along with relevant claims survey data. The current system does not cull out the majority of unmeritorious claims prior to trial. Therefore, tort reform efforts should concentrate on modifications to increase the civil justice system's efficiency at removing unmeritorious claims prior to trial. Proposed modifications meeting this criteria are presented. Consistent, knowledgeable involvement by design professionals is necessary to insure that the tort reform debate includes the concerns of design professionals.
The writers conducted a study of performance measures among engineers and professionals in other fields. They discovered that performance declined with increasing age after age 35. However, some older engineers continued as high performers throughout their careers. From this study emerged the concept of four stages of career development and the characteristics of the high‐performing professionals in each stage. Those who successfully move from one stage to the next pass through a novation—a renegotiation of obligations and expectations with those around them. Understanding what is expected at each stage—and how novations proceed—can greatly increase individual performance and one's value to the organization, thereby increasing opportunities for success and a valued career.
The number of cleanup sites is growing. Federal, state and private cleanups must be undertaken. Impediments to hazardous‐waste construction such as fear of liability, lack of insurance, and lack of direction, are identified. The perils of cleaning up hazardous wastes are examined. Engineer and contractor liability for cleanup of hazardous wastes, the concept of joint and several liability, and the operation of statutes of limitation and repose are discussed. The variations in statutes of limitation for toxic torts are identified, by state. Reasons for the loss of insurance coverage are given. Insurers believe that liabilities thrust upon them were not contemplated when they entered into their insurance contracts. Insurers, rather than face additional losses because of judicial activism, have withdrawn from the field, leaving engineers and contractors without protection. Strategies in use, such as risk‐transfer ploys, self‐insuring, governmental indemnification, expendable subsidiaries, and going bare, are analyzed. After considering the causes of the problems, several solutions, including two Utopian ones that bypass the tort system and eliminate the tort system, are proposed.
The seismic hazard in the Mid‐South, including the states of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi, has been brought to public concern in the past decade because of the proximity of these states to the famous New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ). This well‐studied earthquake hazard became a hot issue in this region after the Loma Prieta earthquake in California, on October 17, 1989. Many local issues are being debated or discussed in developing appropriate earthquake policy and plans, The writer, as an educator and reseacher in earthquake engineering at Memphis State University, addresses several of these earthquake issues regarding the long‐term design consideration for a long recurrence period major earthquake, revision of building code, and construction cost for earthquake resistant design and their social impacts.
The National Society of Professional Engineers has initiated a dialogue on political contributions and their relationships to engineers' contracts with governmental agencies. Triggered by newspaper headlines and stories that link the two, the dialogue is a sensitive exercise. The profession is forced to question its constituent behavior, or the relevance of codes of ethics that prohibit these relationships. To a man, individuals deny participation in quid pro quo arrangements, but the existence of institutional quid pro quo systems of acceptability for contracts can hardly be disputed. From important quarters, the dialogue is punctuated by silence on a subject that deserves much greater general understanding. Because of the dialogue, NSPE contributes to understanding, and meets a test of self‐regulation. The profession of politics itself is addressing campaign spending and fund‐raising as a national issue of great concern. Greater participation by associated engineering societies is urged.
