Annual Report 2007

American Society of Civil Engineers

Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute

Information Report to the Board of Direction

August 2007

The Governing Board (GB) of the Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI) met on October 27, 2006, and March 28, 2007.  The next meeting is scheduled for September 7, 2007.

1.0       Responses to Resolutions Referred

No resolutions were referred to the COPRI GB for action.

2.0       Progress on Tasks Supporting the Strategic Plan

The past year has been one of transition and significant accomplishment for COPRI.  In August 2006, COPRI Director Kelly Barnes left ASCE and was replaced by Chris Hanson.  In April 2007, Lesa Rair, COPRI Coordinator, resigned as did Mr. Hanson in May 2007.  ASCE and the COPRI GB acted quickly to hire a new director, Tom Chase, in July.  Also in July, Jennifer Moulton was hired as the part-time COPRI Coordinator.  COPRI’s accomplishments are discussed in the remainder of this section.

The ASCE Strategic Plan identifies the mission of the Society as –

To provide essential value to our members, their careers, our partners, and the public, ASCE will:

• Facilitate the advancement of technology
• Encourage and provide the tools for lifelong learning
• Promote professionalism and the profession
• Develop and support civil engineer leaders
• Advocate infrastructure and environmental stewardship.

In support of this mission, COPRI accomplished a broad range of activities in the following discreet areas, which are discussed in more detail in the remainder of this section:

• Completed development of the COPRI Strategic Plan;
• Sponsored or co-sponsored technical conferences; and,
• Codes and Standards

• COPRI Strategic Plan

In October 2006, COPRI adopted a strategic plan for furthering its mission through its fourteen committees, with an emphasis on increasing the number and diversity of members in COPRI, expanding educational outreach, and enhancing informational dissemination within and beyond COPRI. This summary highlights the major elements of the strategic plan.

Membership: COPRI established a goal to increase the number of student and individual active members by 10% by the end of fiscal year 2010.

Education: Plans call for furthering educational opportunities for existing COPRI members, as well as fostering K-12 outreach.

Technical Expertise: COPRI plans to increase the number and quality of sponsored conferences, symposiums, workshops, and webinars. The need for, cost, and process of coastal engineering certification will be explored and documented by COPRI’s coastal committees for review by the Governing Board of COPRI by September 30th, 2007.

Image: The Strategic Plan includes a “continuous-renewal” process through which COPRI will evaluate ongoing policies, awards, and membership requirements to ensure that the Institute supports its members and related technical communities.

 

• Technical Conferences

• COPRI Sponsored Conferences

• Ports 2007 – COPRI presented the tenth in a series of triennial “Ports” conferences in San Diego, CA, from March 25-27, 2007.  Co-sponsored with the U.S. Section of the International Navigation Association (PIANC), “Ports 2007- 30 Years of Sharing Ideas,” was attended by almost 800 international participants.  Three pre-conference short courses were taught: Vessel Berthing and Mooring; Geotextile Tubes for Dredged Material Dewatering; and, Coastal Hazard Analysis and Mapping.   The technical program addressed topics including port planning, environmental issues and mitigation, waterways and channels, landside transportation, terminals and specific facilities, security, life-cycle management, and non-traditional projects.
• Coastal Sediments 2007 – The Sixth International Symposium on Coastal Engineering and Science of Coastal Sediment Processes – Coastal Sediments 07 – was held in New Orleans, LA, May 13-14, 2007.  The Conference theme, Coastal Engineering and Science in Cascading Spatial and Temporal Scales, was chosen to stimulate research and papers devoted to the various scales of processes, and their interactions, at which coastal engineers and scientists must work in developing knowledge and capabilities to assist society in managing the coast.
• OTC Hall of Fame Dinner 2007 – Nine extraordinary civil engineering papers, which have provided the industry with innovation, direction and lasting impact on the design, construction or installation of offshore infrastructure, were honored at the ASCE OTC Hall of Fame Gala Dinner on May 1, 2007, in Houston, TX. This is the second group of authors to be recognized following the successful introduction of this event in 2006.  Held in conjunction with the annual Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), nearly 200 professionals from throughout the offshore industry attended to pay tribute to the authors and their respective papers.  A compilation of the nine honored papers entitled “Offshore Technology in Civil Engineering: Hall of Fame Papers from the Early Years, Vol. 2” (edited by John S. Templeton III) was given to each guest.

• Co-Sponsored Conferences – COPRI co-sponsored the following conferences:
• 30th International Conference on Coastal Engineering, September 3-8, 2006, in San Diego
• Restore America’s Estuaries, December 9-13, 2006, in New Orleans, LA
• Offshore Technology Conference, April 30-May 3, 2007, in Houston, TX
• Coastal Structures 2007, July 2-4, 2007, in Venice, Italy

• Publications

In addition to publishing conference proceedings for the Port 2007 and Coastal Sediments 2007 conference, COPRI released the Application of GIS Technologies in Port Facilities and Operations Management. This committee report identifies effective GIS techniques for the management of complex port and harbor infrastructure and discusses in-depth the capabilities, requirements, and limitations of available GIS applications. It also provides useful GIS database techniques and software integration tips, an overview and discussion of GIS data types and map projections, and several case studies focusing on facility and operations management.

 

• Codes and Standards

COPRI is continuing to the following guidelines and standards:

• Standard on Seismic Design of Piers and Wharves
• Diving Qualification Standard for Underwater Engineering Investigations
• Guidelines on Port Pavement Design

3.0       Summary of Matters Referred to the Committee

No matters were referred to the COPRI GB for action.

4.0       List of the Meetings Held Since the Previous Meeting

The Governing Board (GB) of the Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI) met on October 27, 2006, and March 28, 2007.  The next meeting is scheduled for September 7, 2007.

5.0       Summary of How the Committee Proceeded to Accomplish its Tasks

Included in item 2.0 above.

6.0       Recommendations Approved by the Committee for Consideration by the Board or Other Society Entity

None.

• Include a Summary of All Critical Infrastructure Related Activities

COPRI members were involved in ASCE’s External Review Panel organized to provide peer review of the United States Army Corps of Engineers Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force’s (IPET) work including their report, “Performance Evaluation of the New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana Hurricane Protection System.”

• Include Any Minority Reports from Those who Disagree with the Report Presented by the Chair

None.

Respectfully submitted,

 

Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute

Stephen A. Curtis, P.E., President

James H. Blanchar, P.E., Vice President

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

Gordon H. Sterling, Past President

Lesley C. Ewing, P.E., ASCE Appointed Governor

John R. Headland, P.E., Treasurer

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

                       

Report prepared by: Tom Chase, COPRI Director