2023 National ASCE Convention
The Windy City played host to one of the premiere events on the ASCE calendar when the membership ( which included your NH President – Nick Golon and President-Elect Michael Eno ) gathered at the Hilton Chicago to “ Be Future Ready ” at the ASCE 2023
Convention . Overlooking Grant Park and Lake Michigan , the Hilton Chicago hotel has dominated the city skyline for nearly one hundred years and provided a stark contrast to the future themed event for convention attendees , as well as a reminder of what it takes to stand the test of time .
Sheryl
Connelly , former Ford Motor Company ' s Chief Futurist for nearly 20 years , who was named one of Fast Company ’ s “ 100 Most Creative People in Business ”, is identified as one of the top Female Futurist by Forbes and is listed among TechWeek ’ s “ Top 100 Innovators .”, delivered the opening keynote address . As a leading practitioner at the cutting edge of innovation , she shared insights on the disruptive ideas , technology , and trends that will affect businesses in the next five , ten , and twenty years . She provided eight tips to help navigate uncertainty ;
1 . The goal is preparation , not prediction . 2 . Lean into uncertainty . 3 . Do not over rely on the numbers . 4 . Beware of SWOT ( strengths , weaknesses , opportunities , threats ).
5 . Imagine multiple futures . 6 . Challenge orthodoxies . 7 . Serve as the polite contrarian . 8 . Be patient .
The Society ’ s flagship event included sessions examining emerging technologies and updates on risk management , ethics , new funding for resilience , and more . One such session , “ Fighting PFAS : Where should our money go ?”, was extremely topical to the State of NH . In this session , panelists discussed where to draw the battlelines and get the most value from the limited resources available to mitigate these chemicals . Emerging technologies that are available to ultimately separate , concentrate , and destroy PFAS in our environment and how to effectively communicate the risks of PFAS to the public were highlighted , but the sobering reality was that Federal and state governments will need to spend billions in taxpayer money to remove these " forever chemicals " from our natural resources .
In need of a pick-meup after an intriguing but gloomy session , your NH contingent was able to find time to take in some traditional Chicago fair , with lunch at the
Eleven City Diner . Needless to say , the “ The DIP Box ”, a Chicago style French dip sandwich ( roast beef , mozzarella , and grilled onions ) did not disappoint .
Chi-town did not disappoint with other sights and sounds with attendees given the opportunity to enjoy a pre-screening of the Future World Vision film , “ Cities of the Future : Reimagining Our World ”, at the opening reception at the Museum of Science and Industry . The film showed to build the future , first we must visualize it , and although not yet complete , Cities of the Future brought Future World Vision concepts to the big screen , and will prepare
10