This year’s ASCE convention was held in downtown Denver, Colorado in mid-
October and attended by board members Logan Johnson, PE – President and
Leland Williams, EIT – Junior Delegate. Located in the Rocky Mountains and steeped
in America’s western expansion history; downtown Denver seemed a natural fit to
discuss the upcoming changes to The Society, our practice, and our communities.
Our 2018 president Kristina Swallow, PE,
ENV SP, F.ASCE; called on us as a Society
to have the courage to adapt, be open to
diversity, and further our opportunities
to mentor others. Pres. Swallow
reminded us all that we are a “people
serving
profession”,
community
involvement is a necessity as our cities
densify, projects become larger in scale,
and we continue to expand the many
networks to move people, freight, and services. Furthermore, as civil engineers we
need to adapt to a changing world and its current and future needs. Adaptation to
current needs of aging infrastructure, natural disasters, and limited resources; or
the need to adapt to the future’s demands, which may include floating, off-world,
and smart cities.
Looking at the history of Denver’s Union Station, which supported rail legs to
Cheyenne, WY and the Transcontinental Railroad; discussing the future of
transportation seemed a fitting start to the convention. Keynote speaker Dirk
Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop TT and responder to the Elon Musk’s 2013 Hyperloop
white paper, is an example of transportation innovation and adaptation. The
hyperloop system is a high-speed low-pressure capsule that uses passive magnetic