Challenges and Opportunities for Innovation in the Public Works ...

IDMXIFYINGv PROGRI1KINGe AND ZNZCUTZNG INYRRSTRUCTURZ R&D
INTRODUCTION
Carl 0. Magnell
Director of Research
Civil Engineering Research Foundation
On behalf of Harvey Bernstein and the others at the Civil
Engineering Research Foundation, I would like to express our
appreciation for the opportunity to be a part of this seminar. As
you can appreciate, we are much concerned about the issue under
review here, namely innovation, and how to effectively translate it
into the public works arena.
I have begun to shape a perspective on public
works/infrastructure that I would like to share, if nothing else,
as a conversation and thought piece. Let me begin by setting the
stage. I assume many of you read in this morning's paper about the
UofI co-ed's whose letter home truly impacted on both her father
and mother. It appears that she hadn't communicated with her
parents for about a month, a month during which something important
had also impacted on her life. So, she wrote "I'm sorry that I
haven't written sooner, but I didn't want you to worry and get
upset by my telling you about the fatal fire in my dorm;
fortunately, I wasn't hurt. The young man who helped save my
belongings was really nice to me, and has even let me stay with
him. We are getting along fine and I'm sure you will be pleased to
hear that you are going to be grandparents!" At this point her
father's temper soared out of control and the mother fainted. They
didn't get to the next part of the letter, which read, "Dear Mom
and Dad, don't worry! There was no fire, I haven't met anybody, and
you aren't going to be grandparents. I just don't know of any
other way to tell you that I failed ny elective, "Introduction to
Innovation in Public Works Infrastructure", and somehow put it into
perspective for you. Our collective challenge, it seems, is to put
into perspective what our nation's grade really is, with respect to
public works infrastructure, and what actions are both necessary
and possible.
My own purpose in this paper is to briefly consider the broad
challenges of identifying, programming, and executing Public Works
Infrastructure R&D.
PUBLIC WORK8 INFRSTRUCTURE: THE CONCEPT AM THE PROCE88
The R&D challenges I will consider are imbedded in a process
and are part of a concept that in themselves are imperfectly
understood. What is Public Works Infrastructure for the Civil
Engineer and the Civil Engineering profession? Definitions abound,
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