Today's 180,000,000 automobiles, trucks, and buses are creating crisis‐level highway traffic problems in many locations. The two items making up highway transportation costs, the vehicle and the road, are out of balance because of inadequate attention to the roadways. The challenge of a free society is to follow through with long‐range programs such as the Interstate Highway System, the initial construction of which is nearing completion 18 years behind schedule. Many studies are underway to determine the next program for emphasis. While the basic framework is now in place, much now requires reconstruction, rehabilitation, and in some areas, enlargements and adjustments to meet increasing and changing traffic patterns. Additional research is needed, as is a greater emphasis on safety. An effective highway transportation public information program is essential, as well as a positive approach to solving highway problems.

The water resource problems which confront this nation are becoming increasingly complex, Problems must now be addressed which did not exist in the past. These problems include innovative means for project planning and financing, environmental impacts, changing social attitudes and values toward development, and an increasingly complex legal setting. These problems must be addressed in the face of changing institutional roles. The diminished role of the federal government in all aspects of water planning and management illustrates one aspect of changing institutional roles. A central issue is how civil engineers can better perform the tasks of effective water planning and management when faced with both complex problems and altered institutional roles. The Water Policy and Institutions Committee of the Water Resource Planning and Management Division has been established to provide leadership in the division to encourage innovative responses by civil engineers to these new challenges.

In recent years, there has been a noticeable decline in the stature of the civil engineering profession. This decline has materialized because of: (1) Our failure to educate the public on the value of civil engineering services; (2) our refusal to set appropriate limits on our work; (3) our knack for letting opportunity pass us by; (4) our stubborn acceptance of the status quo; and (5) our unreasonable expectations. The professional actions of civil engineers are compared with those of other professionals relative to defined standards. Each of the five contributory factors is discussed, problems identified, and solutions proposed. Included in the discussion are the respective roles of consultants and public sector engineers; the negative affect of bidding as a means of selecting engineers; and the establishment of contractual scopes of work. The Ten Commandments of Engineering Professionalism are presented as a means of professional advancement.

A discussion of the current ASCE code of ethics is given in the form of a code commentary. A brief review of ethical theory is first given and used as a framework for the subsequent discussion of the code. It is argued that, because of the role that engineers play in manipulating the human environment, they should pay particular attention to the first fundamental principle of the code of ethics, i.e., using their knowledge and skill to enhance human welfare.

The practice of outside consulting by civil engineering faculty is widespread in the United States. The writer discusses the pros and cons of the practice and gives general guidelines for faculty members who engage in consulting. The extent of the practice of private consulting by faculty members is discussed, as are the types of arrangements commonly used, such as: directly for a client (owner); or as a subconsultant. A distinction is drawn between performing work as a consultant and performing work as an employee. The ethical problems which may be faced and the relative degree of professional liability in various situations are also discussed. The eight general guidelines and suggestions for the conduct of private consulting represent a fair and logical framework for the practice. A faculty member following these guidelines should be able to conduct some private consulting at minimum risk and to the betterment of all.

When engineering services are required by governmental agencies, they either provide the services in‐house or contract with consulting engineers. This paper discusses optimization of the use of consulting engineers for services needed by the public sector. It presents criteria for determining when consultants should be retained and how the contractual process should be developed and implemented. The paper also provides an objective view of the roles and responsibilities of both the governmental agencies and the consulting engineers.

The paper describes the futility of initiating some public affairs activities in the Roanoke branch and in the Virginia section of ASCE. The branch and section meetings, which involved public as well as technical aspects, fail to generate adequate political impact. Two of the resolutions drafted by section committees to fulfill the engineer's public obligations to protect the public's safety have failed to be adopted by the District 6 Council even though revised by the Section Board of Directors. These deal with the Engineer‐in‐Training (EIT) examination as an educational requirement and with the need to pinpoint responsibility for all engineering practice when the engineer's sound judgment is overruled by managers or legislators. Another resolution for providing professional support for safety conscious whistleblowers has pass unanimously and was endorsed by two other councils. Its movement for twelve months through the society's bureaucratic maze is too slow to avert future technical crises or for engineers to guide technology. Suggestions are made on how the profession's activities and policies can be streamlined so as to enlist public support for such guidance.

This report was directed by the ASCE Board of Direction, and approved by the board, October 1986. The performance of civil engineering (CE) majors in the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam [formerly the Engineers in Training (EIT) Exam] was reported by the National Council of Engineering Examiners (NCEE). A survey comparing the FE Exam with national CE curricula was obtained from CE department heads; 85% responded. The Task Committee determined that the FE Exam is fair for CE seniors and makes recommendations for improving the CE students' performance.

During the early 1970's, the ASCE established the Committee for Integration of Education and Practice. The primary charge to this committee was to get practicing engineers involved with education and to involve educators in practice. This eventually led to the establishment of the Professional Interchange Program. This paper describes the program, reviews some of its modest accomplishments, presents its drawbacks, chronicles the events that led to the initiation and eventual termination of the program, and discusses the possible redirection that future endeavors in this area may take.

The American‐built Panama Canal, product of American engineering genius, will be owned and operated by Panama by the year 2000, under terms of the 1977 Treaties. Then, Panama can invite Cuba, Nicaragua, the Soviets or any other country to operate this strategic waterway. This paper offers substantial evidence of unconstitutional treaties obtained illegally in forcing possible fraud upon the U.S. Senate for its “advice and consent”—and upon the American people. Panama's secret counter‐reservation made possible the Carter‐Torrijos Treaties. Further exacerbating the situation is the unstable and corrupt dictatorship of Guardia General Manuel Antonio Noriega, who maintains close ties with Cuba and the Nicaraguan Communist Sandinistas in transshipping munitions. Even more important than the Canal is the integrity of the Constitution, as well as U.S. interests in the Caribbean. Solutions are offered looking towards sound constitutional policy and assertion of legitimate defense rights over the Canal—which is not yet lost.

The issue of analyzing a complex problem in mechanics is discussed and the possible calculation methods are reviewed. The relatively easy access and use of general‐purpose computer codes might be very attractive; however, the unqualified user may be surprised by the presence of many pitfalls, some of which are shown through examples. When computer codes are examined in a wider perspective, as in the examples, the results might be confusing so as to motivate for further studies. On the other hand, an engineering model is specially derived for a certain problem, and the simplifying assumptions are based on a deep understanding of the phenomenon. Thus, both sensitivities of the physical phenomenon and general trends of behavior may be obtained from an engineering model, as well as detailed results of response in a quick and efficient way. The power of engineering models is shown through examples and their special features and advantages are discussed.