Annual Report 2011 - CSCE • Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Report of the Vice-PresidentTechnical Divisions — Programs Coordinating CommitteeThe Programs Coordinating Committee (PCC) is responsible for coordinating the developmentand delivery of the technical products and services that are produced byand on behalf of the Society (e.g., conferences, symposia, seminars, lectures, shortcourses and workshops). The framework that guides PCC activities addresses currentcivil engineering issues such as: the image, awareness and perception of theprofession; the challenges of infrastructure renewal; the incorporation of sustainabledevelopment; and the application of emerging technologies. As each of theseissues extends to all the technical areas within our Society, PCC continues to placean emphasis on aligning its program objectives for the benefit of its members, whilemaintaining the CSCE’s Vision 2020—Leadership in Sustainable Infrastructure. Thefollowing summaries provide an overview of the recent activities in the Socety’stechnical divisions and interdivisional committees.Cold RegionsChair: Dan Smith, P.Eng., FCSCEThe Division is currently rebuilding a networkof members interested in the technical challengesof cold regions engineering. The Divisionis supporting the organization of theFifteenth International Specialty Conferenceon Cold Regions Engineering, a joint conferencesupported by both CSCE and ASCE,which will take place in Quebec City, August18–23, 2012.The Division Chair will meet with ASCEmembers of the Technical Council on ColdRegions Engineering in Anchorage, Alaska todiscuss a future revision (4th edition) of theCold Regions Utilities Monograph (CRUM).As an outcome of this meeting, it is intendedthat a Canadian and U.S. Steering Committeewill be formed to revise the CRUM document.Construction DivisionChair: Mohamed Attalla, P.Eng., FCSCEThe mandate of the Division is to representthose CSCE members interested in Constructionactivities in Canada and to supportCSCE by conducting activities that are relatedto the fields of Construction. The Division ispreparing a special issue on Productivity inConstruction of the Canadian Civil Engineer(CIVIL) for August 2013.The Division is also coordinating a specialissue on construction for the Canadian Journalof Civil Engineering (CJCE). Papers havebeen solicited and refereed and will be finalizedlater this year for publication.The Division is collaborating with the CanadianConstruction Association (CCA) in developingan entity called Canadian ConstructionInnovation whose research projects willbe industry driven with the major objective tobuild strong links with NRC-IRC. The Divisionis also working with the UK Associationof Researchers in Construction Management(ARCOM) to develop a Memorandum ofUnderstanding between the two organizationswith a view to strengthening the links betweenmembers of ARCOM and CSCE by agreeingto cooperate through the setting up a channelof communication.Engineering Mechanics/Materials DivisionChair: Medhat Shehata, P.Eng., MCSCEThe Division held its second international specialtyconference in conjunction with the annualconference in June 2011 where morethan 90 peer-reviewed papers were published.The third specialty conference is planned totake place during the 2013 CSCE annualconference in Montreal.The Division put together a Special Issue ofthe Canadian Civil Engineer in the spring of2012 on “Sustainable Materials for GreenBuildings” featuring topics pertaining to perviousconcrete pavements, glass fiber-reinforcedplastics and ultra-high performanceconcrete in bridge rehabilitation, and alternativeaggregate sources for low-strength constructionmaterials.The Division is discussing the possibility ofdeveloping position papers in various areas ofits expertise, i.e. reinforcement corrosion aswell as developing the criteria for a new awardin the area of engineering materials. Finally,the division is investigating the potential forestablishing an international conference in thearea of engineering material and mechanics tobe held every four years and not intended toreplace the specialty conference that takesplace every other year during the annualCSCE conference.Hydrotechnical DivisionChair: Ioan Nistor, P.Eng., MCSCEThe Division organized the 20th CanadianHydrotechnical Conference which was heldin conjunction with the CSCE Annual Conferencein Ottawa in June 2011. This was amajor undertaking which required significanteffort and coordination.The Division was in charge of this year’sNational Lecture Tour (NLT) delivered byDr. Ioan Nistor on the topic of EngineeringLessons from the 2011 Japan Tsunami. Thetour was a real success and was the secondmost attended NLT event ever.The Division will participate in the organizationof the 2nd International and 4th Coastaland Offshore Engineering Specialty Conferenceto be held in conjunction with the CSCEAnnual Conference Montreal in 2013.The Chair of the Division was invited by theNanjing Hydraulic Research Institute andHohai University, one of the leading coastaland river engineering universities in China, tomake presentations on the effort related totsunami impacts and effects on infrastructure.The visits allowed also for discussions on possiblecollaboration between the Chinese hydraulicengineering and the Canadianhydraulic and coastal engineering communities.Environmental DivisionChair: Gopal Achari, P.Eng., MCSCEThe Division was heavily involved in the organizationof the 12th International EnvironmentalSpecialty Conference to be held inEdmonton. Over 85 abstracts were submittedand over 50 papers in a variety of environmentaltopics including solid/hazardous waste,air/water/land pollution, climate change andsustainability issues and green technology wereaccepted for presentation at the meeting.11