Goals of Civil Engineering Research—Its Responsiveness to the Needs, Desires, and Aspirations of Man

The Conference on Goals and the realted resource documents on Research Needs reflected a sense of urgency for the civil engineering profession and civil engineering research to be more directly and consciously responsive to the needs, desires, and aspirations of man. There is a need for emphasis on soft research, on the needs for civil engineering facilities and their real effects on people and nature. ASCE can assume a major responsibility and role in attitude, thinking, and goals. If it does not, others will and ASCE will not survive as a powerful, viable servant of the profession and the public. As a goal for funding and support needed to produce desired changes, $3 billion per year for civil engineering research over the next 10 yrs is a reasonable, conservative estimate. The amount is less than 3% of projected yearly construction costs experienced throughout the nation.