The USGS Centennial: From Mining to Mapping the Moon
The United States Geological Survey was established 100 years ago by the U.S. Congress primarily to determine the extent of the rapidly industrializing nation's mineral resources. The...
Highway History: Modern Turnpike Era Recounted
Early history of the development of revenue bond financing of transportation projects is outlined including advances in engineering technique and policies. The origins of the original...
The Personalized System of Instruction: Death Knell for the Lecture�
In most universities, teaching methods have not changed substantially since the invention of the printing press 500 years ago. Yet in recent years, some engineering schools have shown...
Fledgling Standards-Writing Program: Progress Report
Officially reborn just over two years ago, ASCE's standards effort now includes more than a dozen standards-writing committees at work or now being formed. Focus is in four...
U.S.-China Relations: Friends Now, Partners Tomorrow
Now that diplomatic relations are resumed, U.S. firms are vying for a share of the big development contracts China has to offer: ports and waterways development, earthquake engineering,...
Construction Risk: Who Pays�
A report is given on the January 1979 Construction Risk and Liability Sharing Conference sponsored by ASCE's Construction Division Committees on Contract Administration and...
The Computer Service Bureau: What Role Today�
Given the fact that minicomputers are finding their way into more and more engineering offices today, it is timely to ask: does the computer service bureau still have a role to play? This...
Highway Embankment Doubles as Dam
By slightly modifying the design of a highway and its drainage, Pennsylvania engineers were able to reclaim about 100 acres of former swampland for residential use. Without extra cost...
Stamford's Urban Renewal Project Takes Off
Stamford, Conn. is one of the most fiscally sound cities in the United States. And a key reason is that over the past 13 years, it has become the home of 16 of the nation's...
New Umbrella Society for Engineering is Taking Shape
If all goes as planned (and the prognosis is good), 1980 will see the start of operation of a new umbrella society in engineering. The joint creation of many engineering specialty societies...
Women Engineers: Here to Stay
Women represent 51% of the U.S. population; 1% of the engineering profession. That is now changing and, consequently, women graduates are highly sought after. But once hired, many women...
Honolulu Sewage Plant Pioneers Advanced Primary Treatment, Has Deepest Ocean Outfall
Honolulu recently started up a new sewage treatment plant that brings a new twist to decades-old sewage-treatment technology: advanced primary treatment. Key to this primary treatment...
What Has the U.S. Gotten Out of the Space Program�
Since the time of its creation in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has spent billions of dollars on space activities. What has the U.S. gotten out of these tremendous...
Education in Civil Engineering: Boost Professional Orientation�
ASCE held a Conference on Civil Engineering Education at Madison, Wisc., in April 1979, and these three items seemed to be among those generating most interest: (1)Professional Schools...
Facelifting City Streets
Augusta, Georgia rebuilt a four-block, 10-acre section of the main street (Broad Street) to improve traffic flow, beautify the street, provide safe, efficient and convenient parking and...
Environmental Engineering Research Needs
In June 1979 a National Science Foundation�ASCE workshop was convened to prepare a report suggesting top-priority research needs in civil engineering for the 1980s. The field was split...
IRT�� New York City's First Subway
In October 1904, New York City opened its first subway, the Lexington Avenue IRT line. It was the nation's first subway to operate with trains of cars (Boston's...
First U.S. Van Pool�� Big Success
In l972, a 3M company traffic engineer came up with a way to relieve traffic congestion at company headquarters: van pools. The program is employee supported and run. 3M buys the vans...
Transportation Engineering Research Needs
In June 1979 a workshop on Civil Engineering Research Needs was convened by the National Science Foundation and ASCE. Of 10 subfields into which civil engineering was split, one was transportation...
Redesigning the Auto: A Key to Solving the U.S. Energy
The automobile is a tremendous consumer of energy. The entire transport sector uses 26% of the energy used in the U.S.�� and half the oil. In fact, the American auto alone consumes one-ninth...
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