Welcome

ASCE AZ

2022/2023!

THE ARIZONA CIVIL ENGINEER

Volume 98 Issue 1 November 2022

A Message from the President

Laura Spencer, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE

Hello ASCE Arizona Section Members,

I want to start this ASCE fiscal year by saying how excited I am to serve as your President of the ASCE Arizona Section. Let me begin by thanking all those who have stepped up to serve you by taking on leadership positions joining the board of all the branches, younger member groups, and student chapters within the Arizona Section. I am lucky to have had great ASCE leadership examples during my time on the Phoenix Branch Board as well as on the Arizona Section Board. I want to thank Jose Aguilar (our current Past-President) for his service to ASCE as our President last year. Jose, along with all the previous ASCE leadership, have built a strong Section and I have learned so much from them. I am happy Jose will still be involved on our Section Board as the Past-President, as he is a wealth of ASCE knowledge.

Speaking of great leadership examples, I want to stress how great ASCE is at providing leadership positions at all levels. ASCE strives to shape leaders in all stages of your career. ASCE Society has great resources to help bolster each member’s leadership skills, no matter where you are in your career. Check out the resources available from ASCE here. At our Annual State Conference in October, I had several discussions with members in attendance about how taking on a board position in ASCE provides an excellent opportunity to practice public speaking (not to mention all the other opportunities it lends itself to). While not the only aspect of leadership, developing your public speaking ability is of the utmost importance to concisely get your point across. Regardless of the topic or the audience, public speaking is a part of our profession and our overall society. I can attest that over my years serving on ASCE Boards, I have developed into a public speaker who is comfortable in front of any audience, and it has helped me thrive in my career. Based on my conversations with past board members, they echo my sentiments. If you are looking for a way to grow in your career and develop as a leader, a great place to start is by getting involved in your ASCE Branch or Younger Member Group.

Please reach out with any questions, ideas, or for how to get involved. I am looking forward to spending the next year leading your ASCE Arizona Section and look forward to getting to know our membership even better.

Sincerely,

Laura Spencer, Ph.D., P.E.

Solmax (Technical Manager)

ASCE Arizona Section President

2022 ASCE/ASHE State Conference Recap

The Annual ASCE/ASHE State Conference was held on October 27, 2022. It was a great success with over 170 attendees and 30 different presentations covering topics like transportation projects, ethics, storytelling for engineers, the Terzaghi Lecture, structural projects, and many more. It was an eventful day full of learning and networking with colleagues. We were privileged to have the 2024 ASCE Society President, Marsia Geldert-Murphey present our Keynote lecture, “Engineering the Future” during our lunch session. We also presented the Annual Section Awards, the Outstanding Senior Awards for U of A, ASU, and NAU, and acknowledged the winners of the ASCE Student Scholarships for each university. Congratulations to all our award winners (award winners are listed here). There was also a rousing game of Jeopardy for the university students in attendance and a social hour to wrap up the event. The ASCE Arizona Section wants to thank all our sponsors, committee members, and volunteers for helping to make the 2022 ASCE/ASHE State Conference a success.

2022/2023 ASCE Arizona Election Results

Apply for the 2023 Legislative Fly-In

ASCE Government Relations

Applications are now being accepted for the 2023 Legislative Fly-In!

The Legislative Fly-In is your opportunity to join an inside look at the public policy process and to interact directly with congressional staff. This year's event will take place exclusively in-person in Washington, D.C. on March 1-3, 2023.

The 2023 Fly-In program includes:

Meetings on Capitol Hill with your Members of Congress or their staff.
Exclusive briefing sessions on key activities in Congress and ASCE's legislative priorities.
Interactive training on lobbying and influencing your elected leaders — including pre-event webinars.
Networking with your ASCE peers from across the country.
Tips on continuing relationships with your elected officials once you return home.

The best participants are active Key Contacts, those interested in advocating on behalf of ASCE and our Priority Issues, and those who are willing to continue to foster relationships with legislators and their staff when they return home. Be sure to complete your application by November 18, 2022.

Need a little help? Check out the application guide or reach out anytime with any questions.