2006 Annual Report

American Society of Civil Engineers

Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute

Information Report to the Board of Direction

August 1, 2006

The Board of Governors met on October 30-31, 2005 and May 22-23, 2006.  The next meeting is scheduled for October 26-27, 2006.

1.0       RESOLUTIONS

1.1       No resolutions are awaiting committee action.

2.0       ACTIVITES RELATIVE TO ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE ANNUAL ELEMENT OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN

2.1       Objective 2.4:  Be the primary source of technical information

Element 2.4.5:  Produce new conferences that deliver technical information to civil engineers and related professionals consistent with identified market needs.

COPRI prepared the technical program for the following conferences that were managed by ASCE since the last report:

• Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Symposium, Los Angeles, CA, in conjunction with TCLEE and the ASCE Annual 2005 Conference

COPRI cosponsored the following conferences since the last report:

• Asian and Pacific Coasts ‘05 (APAC), Jeju, Korea
• Port of Los Angeles Container Wharf Seismic Code Workshop, San Pedro, CA
• ASBPA Fall ’05 Conference, San Francisco, CA
• Alternative Maritime Power Conference ’06, Los Angeles, CA

COPRI is the ASCE support unit for the annual Offshore Technology Conference (OTC).  Specifically, the COPRI Ocean and Offshore Engineering Committee has a subcommittee on Offshore Technology Conference Support that performs functions that are critical to the success of OTC.  This committee helped develop the technical program for the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) ‘06.  OTC had over 59,236 attendees in May, 2006.  Bill Luyties, the ASCE representative on the OTC Board of Directors, is serving his last year on the Board and will be replaced after the 2007 conference. 

COPRI is in the process of developing the following conferences with ASCE and others:

• International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE) ’06, San Diego, CA
• ASBPA Fall Conference ‘06, Long Branch, NJ
• Restore America’s Estuaries ’06, New Orleans, LA
• Ports ’07, San Diego, CA
• Coastal Sediments ’07, New Orleans, LA
• Coastal Structures ’07, Venice Italy
• Tropical Beaches ’08, Honolulu
• Solutions to Coastal Disasters ’08, TBD
• International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE) ’08, Hamburg, Germany
• IAHR Conference ’09, Vancouver, Canada

 

•    Other Institute Activities

• Strategic Planning:  The COPRI Board and Committee Chairs held a strategic planning meeting on May 22, 2006, in College Station, TX.  This was a follow up meeting to the two-day meeting held in May 2005.  The four main prongs of the plan focus on Membership, Education, Technical Expertise, and COPRI Brand & Image, with specific objectives and actions defined for each. 

• Hurricane Katrina:  COPRI was a major participant in ASCE’s response to the Hurricane Katrina (2005), including assisting with website content and supplying experts for assessment teams, news media and events.  COPRI members investigated the breaches in New Orleans as part of the ASCE team, and several are now serving on ASCE’s External Review Panel including Billy Edge, Ph.D., P.E., COPRI President.  Separate port and coastal teams carried out post-Katrina assessments along the Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana coastlines.  The teams are developing the formal report (to be published by ASCE).  COPRI members have presented their findings in front of congressional hearings, the 2006 ASPBA Coastal Summit, and in June at a hurricane seminar in Japan organized by the Port and Airport Research Institute (PARI)

• COPRI organized the inaugural 2006 ASCE OTC Hall of Fame Gala Dinner, in honor of the authors of nine extraordinary civil engineering papers which have provided the offshore industry with innovation, direction and lasting impact on the design, construction or installation of the offshore infrastructure.  The black-tie gala dinner was held in conjunction with the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), on May 2, 2006 at the Petroleum Club in Houston.  Sponsorship totaled $22,000, with J. Ray McDermott’s gold level donation of $10,000.  ASCE notables including President, Dennis Martenson, P.E., and President-elect, William Marcuson, Ph.D., P.E., Executive Director, Patrick J. Natale, P.E., and COPRI President Billy Edge, Ph.D., P.E., were in attendance along with 200 professionals from throughout the offshore industry.

• Public Policy:  COPRI has recently become more involved with public policy issues relating to the COPRI mission.  In light of Hurricane Katrina, COPRI worked closely with the ASCE Government Relations Department to update and develop two new ASCE Policies and one COPRI Policy:  Louisiana Coastal Wetlands (ASCE), Beneficial Use of Dredged Materials (ASCE), Regional Sediment Management (COPRI).   The Institute has also been monitoring the Senate hearings and legislative developments of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). 

• New Committees:  The COPRI Governing Board recently approved the transition of the Tidal Hydraulics Committee from EWRI to COPRI.   

• Local Groups (Houston & New York): The Deepwater Infrastructure Forum (DIF) was established in 2001 within COPRI, and its purpose is to serve the offshore industry in the Houston area.  DIF continues to help meet the needs of an audience that was not currently drawn to the local ASCE community.  DIF serves as the clearinghouse for all local offshore activities and coordinates closely with other organizations in the Houston area.  The DIF meetings occur approximately quarterly and typically draw 50 to 75 people.  The theme of the 2005 meetings was “Challenges of the Cold Regions” and the 2006 meetings are focusing on “Contracting Strategies for Deepwater Projects.” 

COPRI worked with the New York ASCE Met Section's Environmental & Marine Committee to hold their first meeting in New York City in April 2006.  The lecture was led by speaker Dennis Padron, P.E., and focused on Wharf Deepening and Strengthening in New York Harbor.

 

• Newsletter (Waterways): The newsletter has been highly acclaimed.  It serves as an important promotional piece for COPRI products and services, and as a report of past events.  Numerous photographs give the newsletter a community feeling.  In addition to the print newsletter, COPRI also produces an electronic newsletter in an effort to cut expenses and to provide more timely information without space limitations.  E-newsletters are e-mailed to COPRI members with e-mail addresses (80 percent).  The newsletter is also mailed to a “non-member distribution list” which includes top Army Corps of Engineer officials, members of Congress and staffers, and other prominent people in COPRI related fields. 

• Publications:  COPRI prepared the following publications for printing/sale by ASCE since the last report:
• Offshore Technology Papers in Civil Engineering
• Civil Engineering in the Oceans 2005
• Ship Channel Design No. 8 Second Edition

• Membership Statistics:

COPRI began Oct. 1, 2000 with approximately 1100 ASCE members

Individual Membership in July 2006: 

                        ASCE Members:                  3,047

                        COPRI-only Members:         70

Total Membership:             3,117

Organizational Members:

            Blasland, Bouck & Lee, Inc.

Manson Construction Company

Moffatt & Nichol Engineering

MWH Americas Inc.

Ocean and Coastal Consultants

Ocean Facilities Program NAVFAC

U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

Waterway Surveys & Engineering

Supporting Organizational Members:

            Institute for Water Resources

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company

                                    Sustaining Organizational Members

Tetra Tech Inc.

Membership drives for individual membership have concentrated on capturing attendees from COPRI conferences or co-sponsored conferences.  These efforts have been successful at low cost. 

 

• Partnering:  COPRI is actively partnering with PIANC, IAHR, ACE, SNAME, ASBPA, universities, and government agencies on its numerous conferences and activities.  Formal Partnering Agreements are in place with PIANC, IAHR, and ACE.  Current activities include:

• COPRI is partnering with SNAME, OOAE, and IMarEST as a financial sponsor for the annual International Student Offshore Design Competition.
• PIANC is partnering with COPRI on the Ports 2007 Conference. 
• IAHR will host the COPRI Coastal Structures ’07 Conference in Venice, Italy.
• ASBPA is a cooperating organization for Coastal Sediments 2007
• COPRI is working with the Association of Coastal Engineering to investigate the possibility of pursuing Coastal Engineering Certification.

Respectfully submitted,

 

Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute

Billy Edge, Ph.D., P.E, President

Gordon Sterling, Past President

Stephen Curtis, P.E., Vice President

Jim Blanchar, P.E.

John Headland, P.E., ASCE Appointed Governor

David Kriebel, Ph.D., P.E., Secretary

            Thomas H. Christensen, P.E., Treasurer

           

Report prepared by:            

Kelly Barnes and Lesa Rair, staff contacts