ASCE Global Center of Excellence in Computing

Abstract

During the last two millennia, civil engineers were perceived to be within the group of principal pioneers of our civilization, since they were leaders who initiated important changes to our world. Unfortunately, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, many no longer see us as leaders. Often, we are now perceived as followers and technologists who have conceded leadership to other professions such as those related to information science and fields— engineering or otherwise—that are not in civil engineering. Recent attempts to address this crisis are already at both the national and international levels for example, Anderson et al. 2006; Arciszewski 2006; Institution of Engineers 1996; NAE 2004, 2005; NSF 1995; Royal Academy of Engineering 2006; Russell and Stouffer 2005; Russell et al. 2006; Seely 2005 , including the activities of the ASCE Body of Knowledge II Committee ASCE 2004 and the recent NSF-sponsored workshop on “Reforming Civil and Environmental Engineering Education,” held in October 2006 in Istanbul, Turkey. Today, recovering lost leadership requires recognizing of two factors that currently drive progress in our society and our profession. These factors are globalization and computing. They are strongly interrelated, since recent advances in computing have accelerated the globalization of civil engineering. Also, the growing scale of international projects and cooperation increases demand for new generations of methods and tools that draw on advances in computing. Such demand subsequently drives computing research and creates new needs for education. Globalization is a very old phenomenon that has always initiated changes in civilizations. It is a complex process of gradual cultural, social, political, and technological changes that are closely interrelated and that may affect participants in unpredictable and undesired ways. In civil engineering, globalization is currently an unavoidable fact of life. Many construction companies have global operations; and many consulting companies, even small ones, are planning to establish international activities. Computing is often understood by practicing civil engineers to be just a skill associated with making and using computers as