WHO:
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

WHAT:
139th Annual Civil Engineering Conference From Builders to Integrators – Civil Engineers Leading the Way

WHEN:
Oct. 29-31, 2009

WHERE:
Kansas City Marriott Downtown, Kansas City, Mo.

WHY:
The civil engineer of the future faces many challenges, from meeting the basic human needs of an ever-growing population to promoting economic growth in a global economy. To solve these challenges, civil engineers must transition from being builders to being integrators. They must become global communicators, leaders, managers and technology experts. The conference, which seeks to lay the groundwork for this transition, will include highlights such as:

- Educational sessions on such topics as: Engineers’ Role In Emergency Management, Vision 2025 – The New Role for Civil Engineers, Guiding Principles for Developing Critical Infrastructure, The Civil Engineering Team – The Importance of the Paraprofessional, The Economic Crisis – Leveraging Infrastructure Development for Recovery, and many others

- An international roundtable on Investing in Sustainable Infrastructure for Economic Growth

- Opening and closing plenary sessions featuring Erik Peterson, project founder of Seven Revolutions, and political humorist Ben Stein, respectively

- A younger member leadership symposium

- An industry leaders forum

- Technical tours, including the National World War I Museum and the kcICON Bridge Project, the Missouri River’s first cable-stay road bridge

- Short courses on assorted professional development topics

For more information on the conference, please visit www.asceannualconference.org. Complimentary registration is available to members of the media. For more information, or to register, please contact Joan Buhrman at jbuhrman@asce or 703-295-6406.

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 146,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.