The Public Relation comittees supports the ASCE New Orleans Branch in its mission to educate the public on the roll Civil Engineers play in their everyday lives, and to reinforce that we exist to serve the public. With the help of National ASCE, the New Orleans and Baton Rouge branches recently rented billboard spaces to spread the word. Last year we posted a billboard on Veterans Memorial near Clearview Parkway, across the street from the Clearview Mall, and on Airport Road featuring a picture of the construction on the I10 bridge. The committee also periodically posts anouncements in the Time Picayune and other local journals to recognize award recipients, newly installed directors and other significant events in our branch.

If you have any new and creative ideas to help the New Orleans Branch Public Relations Committee with its mission, National ASCE offers State Public Affairs Grants (SPAG) to partially or fully fund public or government relations projects. The New Orleans Branch has used these grants in the past to fund radio and television commercials and to fund the recent billboars. Our Public Relations committee is always looking for fresh ideas to extend the good image of the civil engineer.

ASCE New Orleans Public Relations Report

ASCE National has had considerable exposure associated with our review of the USACE Interagency Performance Evaluation Taskforce. In December 2007, Sherwood L. Boehlert, Former Chair of the House Science Committee was asked by David Mongan, ASCE President to assemble an independent panel of outside experts to examine the policies and procedures followed by ASCE in conducting engineering studies of natural and man-made disasters. The report, submitted to National September 2008, identified four areas for improving the overall process by which future assessments are conducted: transparency; funding; communication; and potential conflicts of interest.

The ASCENO Public Relations Committee has made arrangements to present these finding as part of a news report at WWLTV, similar to those conducted previously with Levees.com. We will schedule this once National officially acceptance these recommendations.

The New Orleans Branch is currently looking for a chair for the public relations committee. If you are interested in becoming a leader in the New Orleans Civil Engineering community and our interested in helping out with the public relations committee, please contact Reid L. Dennis, P.E., acting chair.