Fall 2023 - Flipbook - Page 3
engineering to better enable informed policies and sound
decisions. We must engage with our fellow organizations,
such as Engineers without Borders, that supply on-the-ground
functional technologies and products to improve personal
lives of our world communities and make tangible connections
to people in need. We must get involved in ASCE’s Future
World Vision, to help shape the environment and
infrastructure to improve the lives of our children and grandchildren.
I am excited to see where the next 12 months takes all of us.
But even more so, I am eager to see how each one of our
members can help our EWRI community grow and prosper. I
will certainly try to do my part. Please let me know how I can
help you do yours.
As a part of this introduction, I was asked to answer a few
“fun” questions. I was given a list of 20 from which to choose.
Here are four responses that I believe are the most interesting.
At the end of a long workday, how do you relax?
After walking the dog, I like to settle into conversation with my
wife on the day’s or week’s happenings while sipping on a
Manhattan or craft brew.
What was your first car?
What I could afford as a senior was a decade-old Toyota
Corolla. It was this dark brown color with flecks of glitter in
it. While not a sought after teen ride, with my limited budget, I
was willing to take what I could get to have reliable transportation, even sparkly brown.
Do you play any musical instruments?
The guitar. If you have been to any of the International Low
Impact Development Conferences or the Stormwater
Operations and Maintenance Conferences, you may have
seen me play. While my guitar talent is pretty limited, I really
enjoy getting on stage with my band mates and singing the
parodies that forever after are stuck in my head and tarnish
the real songs.
EDITOR’S CORNER
It is an exciting time for civil
engineers, as their role in
society is increasingly
changing. Historically, the role
of civil engineers has primarily
been to provide services and
infrastructure to society.
Currently, civil engineers are
also tasked with protecting
society from a variety of threats, such as aging
infrastructure, changing climate conditions, and
environmental contamination. Addressing these threats
requires an understanding not only of the technical issues
and underlying social issues, but also creativity and
persistence.
The articles in this edition of Currents discuss civil
engineers’ efforts to address the aforementioned threats,
including:
• Efforts to rehabilitate our deteriorating water
infrastructure, and the need for increased funding to
protect our water quality;
• The upcoming addition of stormwater to the ASCE
infrastructure report card, in order to increase the
visibility of increasing pressures on our stormwater
infrastructure;
• A virtual reality tool which inspires the user to
develop creative solutions to threats, such as sealevel rise; and
• Tools for modeling radionuclide transport in the
environment, in order to prevent the public from
being exposed to harmful levels of radiation.
What is one thing on your bucket list?
I have SCUBA dived in the Caribbean Islands, Hawaii,
Mexico, Bonaire, and Zanzibar (I lived in Tanzania, East
Africa for a couple of years). But I have always wanted to
dive the Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Malaysia, Micronesia,
Indonesia, and Palau. I may make it to Australia next year to
check one of those off of my list.
If you have an article you would like to contribute for a
future edition of Currents, please reach out to me
(cpolityk@yahoo.com) or Jennifer Jacyna, Manager of
Members Services for EWRI (jjacyna@asce.org). Please
enjoy this edition of Currents!
To a wonderfully productive year,
Scott D. Struck, Ph.D., ENV SP, F.EWRI
Catherine Soistman
cpolityk@yahoo.com
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