The Panama Canal, one of the busiest waterways in the world, is facing two historic events. This year is the Canal's diamond anniversary—its 75th year of service to international shipping. Later, on December 31, 1999, in accordance with the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, the United States will relinquish control of the canal to the Republic of Panama. The Panama Canal, because of its farsighted design, innovative construction, and dedicated,maintenance and modernization programs, continues to provide quality transit service to international commerce. The writer discusses the many improvements that have been made to the Panama Canal, and the future challenges confronting it. The paper examines the preparations being made for the transfer of the Panama Canal to the Republic of Panama at the end of this century.

Many of today's engineering graduates may have done well in their courses, yet are not prepared for the jobs they face in the present world. The students have information from a multitude of courses, but are weak in concept and problem‐solving tools that enable them to perform within the complex systems of today. The solution involves developing a systems prospective, leadership and communication skills, and an understanding of the society within which they must work and produce acceptable products. A fundamental change in the conceptualization of the basic and engineering sciences, as well as engineering analysis and design is required—a complete transformation that may require the definition of new disciplines. The entire curriculum must be redesigned from the foundation up with new cross‐disciplinary courses and course blocks. Solutions to engineering problems are no longer simply technical, but must consider demographics and other social, economic, and political factors. Therefore, the social sciences and humanities courses taught to engineers must be redesigned, also. To provide this curriculum by the year 2000, we must start now.

Substantial evidence exists to warn the civil engineering profession of impending shortages in the qualified labor force in the coming decades. ASCE has set ambitious goals for growth in the number of civil engineering students in order to meet the increasing demand. Current recruiting efforts to minimize such shortages include high‐school outreach programs and an extensive public‐relations program sponsored by ASCE. These programs are described and shown to be necessary measures to halt the recently observed decline in the number of new civil engineers. It is recommended that the programs be supplemented by additional high‐school summer camps and by activities in conjunction with a nearby ASCE student chapter. To bolster the ASCE advertising campaign, far‐reaching methods of drawing attention to civil engineering projects are advocated. Programs for middle‐ and grammar‐school students are emphasized because of their greater effectiveness and longer‐term impact. Support of programs already in effect is encouraged, and a creative approach is recommended for developing new recruiting methods.

The Government Engineers Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) conducted a survey involving 3,100 of its government engineering members in June 1988. The objectives were first, to determine the status of engineers in government, and second, to establish guidance for ASCE in providing improved support for this group and help in strengthening the role of engineers in government as they deal with the nation's growing public‐works needs. The report provides a comprehensive display of the highly significant results along with a statistical analysis of variance for the responding groups. The major conclusion is that most of the issues identified require broad‐based solutions that can only be accomplished through a national coalition of engineering interest groups.

There is a growing interest in the United States in alternative ways to resolve disputes. One of these is voluntary mediation, a unique approach. Mediation is particularly adaptable to resolving in‐process land development, construction, and related disputes. A major decision is whether a “third party” neutral, a mediator, should also have a formal legal background, or good general knowledge of the substantive or functional subject matter of the dispute. Civil engineers should take steps to allow for appropriate mediation procedures to be operative prior to the commencement of any design‐ or construction‐related litigation.

The writer outlines the decline of U.S. highways, bridges, ports, and other elements of the infrastructure, which has occurred largely because of underinvestment in maintenance and rehabilitation. Civil engineers are encouraged to play a significant role in increasing public awareness and emphasizing the importance of maintaining the infrastructure, and state governments are encouraged to develop comprehensive financial strategies to contribute funding to the rehabilitation effort. Improved education of civil engineers is stressed.

Continuing‐education programs provide a vital service to the engineering profession and are an important university function. They serve to keep engineers current on technology and to educate them in skills needed for managing enterprises. They are an excellent example of university‐industry cooperation, and universities can obtain considerable benefit from making possible such transfers of knowledge. Nevertheless, the role of continuing education for professional engineers is not in the mainstream of many universities. This role is frequently performed by in‐house company programs or consultants. A notable exception is the Texas A&M University Construction Executive Program, which has become nationally recognized for its contribution to the construction industry. Using this program as an example, the role of the university in continuing education is assessed.

The purpose of the Engineers Legislative Alliance of Wisconsin (ELAW) is to serve government and the public on legislative matters. The task of the alliance is to impart knowledge by giving and making known the body of facts and principles accumulated by engineers and scientists. The alliance, using sound engineering judgment, advocates legislative measures that will effect change in society for the improvement of the economy and standard of living of all citizens. Alliance members are individuals who represent technical and professional organizations and public and private agencies subscribing to ELAW's purpose and objectives. As a new legislative process for engineers in Wisconsin, the alliance proved unsuccessful. This was due to the loss of support and lack of interest on the part of members and their respective organizations. The way to proactive advocacy of needed legislation, beyond parochial professional society current interests, is through engineers' individual efforts.

A feature considered fundamental to the engineering professional practice is the preoccupation with substance. Form is not necessarily disregarded, but it remains only a function. This is in marked contrast to other, frequently more popular professions, such as architecture, where the organic blend of form and content represents highest achievement. The best engineering accomplishment is a design that functions perfectly, calling no attention to itself or the author. Commonly, the public praises a “world champion” structure, such as the Verrazano or Golden Gate bridges, both having enjoyed the distinction of being the world's longest spans for certain periods. Designers Strauss and Ammann, on the other hand, are not household names. Such is not the case in medicine, for example, where complete success (i.e., perfect health) is never in sight, but the steps in the right direction meet with public acclaim and personal recognition. The need to improve the engineering image has been frequently discussed by fellow practitioners; this paper merely draws attention to it. It is noted that if fame eludes engineers, they are not spared notoriety should their structures fail. Is it possible that the engineering style has remained anonymous by succeeding too often and too well? Use is made of a relatively limited engineering activity—bridge inspection. It deals with less‐than‐perfect structures and thus enjoys public attention. Under these unusual circumstances engineers evaluate and describe works of their own design numerically and linguistically. Their range of expression matches that of more than one professional style at a time.

Public concern over the deterioration of the infrastructure calls for rational solutions to the problem of neglect of dangerously failing water, wastewater, and transportation networks. In particular, decisions over maintenance, replacement, and rehabilitation planning require sound methodologies and data‐collection practices. In this paper, the concepts of maintenance management incorporating preventive maintenance principles in lieu of crisis management are presented. The information hierarchy and structure for a modern maintenance management system is analyzed in light of its different functions. The case of the development of a maintenance management system for a water distribution system is described, including the different necessary modules and their interfaces. The phased development approach is suggested for the best integration of a maintenance management information system (MIS) by the sponsoring organization.

Rapid advancement in the field of microprocessor design has resulted in significant changes in the tools used by civil engineers. The wealth of computer hardware and software now available, while making computations easier and quicker, has raised new questions as to its reliability. The engineer must not allow the advanced technology to think for him and must recognize its limitations. The computer can never exhibit engineering judgment, and its ability to produce innovation in design is directly related to that of the programmer. Advanced technology becomes a boon to the engineer only through its responsible use. The engineer should not only be thoroughly familiar with the design problem and design process, but also the advanced technology to be utilized. As a final safeguard, a complete review of the design output should be made to ensure accuracy and correct application.

By definition, liability is a legal issue, and responsibility is a moral and ethical issue. For civil engineers, responsibility must come before liability, because our prime concern must be the integrity of our work. To remain in business, however, we must protect ourselves from liability claims. A number of alternatives are available such as unified risk insurance and quality assurance. There is also a need for a national organization to investigate the liability environment. Our philosophy should be that responsibility will lead to better projects, thus giving less cause for liability claims.

This paper examines the impact and current level of activity by engineers, both as a group and individually, in professional organizations, community‐action organizations, and political groups. The paper documents instances where low participation by engineers has resulted in legislation harmful to the practice of engineering and costly to the public, since recommendations developed through sound engineering principles were circumvented in favor of the goals of special‐interest groups. The study goes on to document that when engineers act together to support important legislation, positive results are achievable. The paper concludes that the collective action by engineers to protect public works legislation and the engineering profession from competing and detrimental forces is a necessary function of our society, and that the individual participation by each engineer within the community is effective, and the responsibility of each individual.