Special Issue on Construction Engineering: Opportunity and Vision for Education, Practice, and Research

Engineering is an applied science. In no other engineering specialization is this more relevant than in construction engineering. A challenge among construction engineering academics (both faculty and students) and industry practitioners is to transfer a method, technology, or practice that can be supported in the theoretical sense, whether in a laboratory or classroom setting, and make it applicable to the rarely ideal industry jobsite. This bridge between engineering in the theoretical sense and practice requires intimate collaboration and continuous communication, which has not always occurred between the university and the jobsite. As described by Dr. Michael C. Vorster, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech and conference keynote speaker, the dilemma from the academic perspective is that “we teach too much and our students learn too little.” A primary focus of the Construction Engineering Conference held at Virginia Tech from September 30 to October 2, 2010, was to bring academics and industry leaders together to share experiences, practices, and ideas. This interaction was intended to strengthen the connection between theory and practice for mutual benefit.

The Construction Engineering Conference was a unique opportunity in the sharing of knowledge across aisles. The purpose of this special issue is to archive and disseminate the knowledge for current and future generations of construction engineers. Each conference speaker submitted a manuscript that was peer-reviewed by academic and industry reviewers. In many cases, industry speakers coauthored the manuscript with a construction engineering academic. In all, this special issue includes 28 manuscripts that cover a broad range of construction engineering topics. A debt of gratitude is owed to the authors for their thoughts and efforts in this overall body of work, which makes a significant contribution to the overall body of construction engineering knowledge. Furthermore, the editors are especially grateful to the reviewers, who ensured that the manuscripts maintained the rigorous standards for publication in the ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. Finally, the editors are grateful for the support provided by the Construction Engineering Conference committee and the senior editorial board members of the Journal, especially Dr. Jesus M. de la Garza. Without their guidance and advice, this special issue would not have been possible.

Construction engineering is the series of technical activities throughout the project delivery process that influence design, support construction means and methods decisions, create a safe and productive construction environment, and seek to avoid and solve the engineering issues associated with project delivery.

The Virginia Tech Construction Engineering: Opportunities and Vision for Education, Practice, and Research Conference brought together a focused group of researchers, educators, and practitioners to enlighten all regarding the challenges and opportunities of construction engineering. The goal was to promote opportunities in the area of construction engineering to young faculty; envision an exciting path forward for this field; identify mutually beneficial interfaces between industry practitioners, construction educators, and researchers; and establish a holistic research and education agenda for construction engineering. This gathering included a symposium and workshop, which were two interlaced parts over a 2-day period. The conference program included 21 technical papers, six white papers concerning research topics, and five keynote addresses. This special issue contains 28 papers addressing the symposium and workshop topics. The presentations and video recordings associated with these papers can be retrieved from http://www.cpe.vt.edu/cec2010/, and a summary of the conference can be found in Jaselskis et al. (2011).

A total of 16 students (out of 77 applications) were invited to attend using NSF travel grant funds—12 of these were women. A selection process for faculty and industry practitioners was also followed. In addition to funding lead presenters for the research workshop and some of the symposium presentations, an effort was made to fund junior women and minority faculty. A total of 10 women were selected out of 36 young faculty invitees.

The symposium portion of this conference contained six sessions covering the following areas:

The goal of the workshop was to establish a needs-based research and education agenda for solving current and future industry construction engineering challenges. It contained five sessions on the following topics:

Construction engineering is a broad discipline. The diverse topics covered by industry professionals, educators, and researchers in the papers within this special issue clearly indicate the special nature of construction engineering and create significant momentum regarding its application to improve field performance. Champions are needed who have a major commitment to using construction engineering to improve design and construction performance on projects. The conference and this special issue provide the hope of stimulating further discussion and action to promote construction engineering opportunities in education, practice, and research.

Based on the papers and discussions, the organizing committee identified the following major actions as a path forward:

The ASCE Construction Institute’s Committee on Construction Engineering Education currently exists as a defined organizational entity. This committee met immediately after this conference and discussed the next steps. Please read the following section by this committee’s chair.

This author is writing as the chair of the ASCE Construction Engineering Education Committee. As educators we know that motivation is an important part of learning because when our students are motivated, the process of learning and education is more productive. With that in mind, I try to stay in touch with students by asking each new advisee, “Why did you choose construction engineering?” The answers invariably fall around the theme of “I like to build (Legos as a youngster, a new deck for parents, a farm building for an aunt or uncle, or a remodel for a family friend—take your choice or take all!), and that’s why I chose construction. By the way, I liked math and science, so that’s why I chose engineering.” This question and those answers help me to focus on the excitement that motivates members of our profession.

We like to share in the efforts and rewards of building so that something tangible stands to mark our efforts. This special issue is filled with stories, descriptions, results, and conclusions about the hands-on and technical side of construction. At the Construction Engineering Conference that was developed with the special issue, many committee members viewed the presentations that enhanced the contributions in this volume. After reflecting at the end of the conference, members were inspired to rethink the goals of the committee.

The current statement of purpose is

To foster the advancement of construction engineering education; to serve as a forum for interchange among construction engineering programs, related engineering programs, and industry; to interact with other professional and technical organizations on construction engineering education; to assist in updating ABET criteria and guidelines for construction engineering accreditation; and to encourage the recognition of construction engineering in the professional engineering registration process.

The final two clauses are the part of the purpose that has dominated over the past two decades. Under the leadership of my predecessor, Dr. David W. Johnston, “recognition of construction engineering in the professional engineering registration process” has been achieved as the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) added construction as an afternoon topic in the Professional Engineer exam (Johnston 2007). Certainly, the committee must continue to consolidate this achievement and steward the ABET criteria and guidelines for construction engineering. However, now there is an opportunity to take on new challenges. Therefore, the committee considered various possibilities. We started by restating our purpose and by crisply identifying four major areas in which we can help by serving as a forum for members to identify challenges and opportunities and share best practices. The four major areas are

The Construction Engineering Conference associated with this special edition was a great motivator. The Construction Engineering Education Committee encourages future editions of this conference and its accompanying scholarship. Therefore, we are stepping forward to lead future efforts and eagerly seek partners in that endeavor.

A key group of sponsors made a major difference in the success of the conference. The National Science Foundation supported over 40 travel grants (NSF Grant Award No. NSF1048358). ASCE’s Construction Institute endorsed the conference goals. Virginia Tech supported the attendance of 40 Hokie students. American Infrastructure, the Branch Group, and the Vecellio Group all provided funds to help keep the registration cost low and allow greater attendance.