April 2021 President’s Report

Utilities Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI) Committee.   About a year ago, Peter Nardini of SGH proposed creating a BSCES chapter of the ASCE Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute.  At that time, the BSCES Board gave Peter the green light to start a UESI group with the goal of establishing a BSCES chapter in the following year.  Peter has been successful in recruiting an executive committee consisting of BSCES members from both consulting and utilities organizations.  This spring, group members ran their first technical event.  He has received the support of the leadership of ASCE UESI and produced a mission statement that will guide the activities of our chapter.  I am grateful for the efforts of Peter and I’m convinced that this will serve an important role in BSCES in the coming years.  If you would like to lend a hand or to learn more, please reach out to Peter at pnardini@sgh.com. 

Legislative Fellow.  Faithful readers of BSCESNews may have noticed that reports from the BSCES Legislative Fellow have not appeared in this year’s newsletter.  Unfortunately, this is due to a hiatus that the Board of Government decided to impose on the program based on feedback from last year’s Legislative Fellow.  That fellow, who had successfully served in this role a number of years back, let us know that she had been frustrated by a number of factors beyond her control which prevented her from being the effective resource that she had been previously.  BSCES leaders realized at the time that we needed to go about rebuilding our connections at the State House and have made some efforts to do so.  I would like to report “mission accomplished” on this task, but regretfully have to acknowledge that there is still work to be done to ensure our Legislative Fellow is a valuable resource for Massachusetts legislators.

Thank you to our volunteers.  In my short time as BSCES president, I’ve learned that the secret sauce that allows BSCES to simultaneously take on so many activities is the countless hours of volunteer time by our many generous active members.  It is these members that allow us to produce this monthly newsletter, publish the BSCES Civil Engineering Practice journal, plan and host technical and networking events including an annual awards celebration, younger member group events, the PE refresher course, and other professional development opportunities. These member volunteers have also enabled us to solicit and award scholarships, support collegiate ASCE groups, and deliver outreach activities like the Model Bridge and Future City Competitions.  On behalf of BSCES (which is really just you and the rest of our members), I’d like to express my gratitude to our volunteers; whether you give one hour-a-year to support a single activity or are heavily engaged in chairing one of our groups.  Thank you for your ongoing support!  Needless to say, the work doesn’t get done by itself.

We need you.  It’s fair to say that the finite energy of our active members is the limiting factor on what BSCES can achieve for its members and the community.  We recognize the broad societal changes that have reduced participation in professional organizations like BSCES.  Many of us are, as they say, “bowling alone.”  Despite this social trend, we continue to successfully recruit eager volunteers for our many activities.  People volunteer for many reasons.   These include personal satisfaction in performance of the task at-hand and knowledge that you’re serving the needs of the engineering community, the chance to acquire and/or demonstrate leadership skills, networking opportunities that provide you with information on business trends and technical advances, the development of personal relationships with others that share professional and personal interests, and an expanded network of professional colleagues that you can draw on when looking for your next job or hiring new staff. 

We need you!  There’s a place for both the bit-player and for those with more time to commit.  For most volunteers, our institute chapters and technical groups are the most logical entry point.  If that’s your area of interest, then peruse the list of technical groups and their activities at https://www.bsces.org/technical-areas.  Figure out where you want to make your mark and reach out to the chair of your group of interest.  I guarantee that you will be welcomed with open arms.  Other groups in need of volunteers include our Government Affairs & Professional Practice Committee, Public Awareness & Outreach Committee, Newsletter Editorial Board, Journal Editorial Board, Southeast Massachusetts Committee, and Website Committee.