Worldwide recognition allows that the George Washington Bridge is an outstanding symbol of the City of New York. It is one of the Seven Engineering Wonders of Gotham, just as San Francisco boasts the Golden Gate Bridge; Australia, its Sydney Harbour Bridge; and London, its Tower Bridge.

On March 25, 2008, the Geotechnical Group held a lecture at the CUNY Graduate Center Recital Hall in Manhattan focusing on the reconstruction of the ancient library of Alexandria, which was destroyed more than 2,000 years ago and rebuilt in the late 1990s. Amr Ragy, currently chief engineer and estimator for Treviicos Corporation and formerly senior geotechnical engineer for the Alexandria Library project, gave the lecture to the group. The sponsor for this lecture was Treviicos Corporation.

The presentation concluded a two-part lecture that began with a presentation of Electronic Engineering Data (EED) in construction, including Automated Machine Guidance (AMG) and automated stakeout and survey. The construction of the new interchange and access roads leading to Stewart Airport used some of these innovative technologies.

Electronic Engineering Data includes coordinates, alignments, and Digital Terrain Model (DTM) surfaces. The benefits of using EED include the elimination of re-entry of field data (e.g., calculation of quantity items for payment), visualizing the designer’s intent and early identification of potential conflicts, automation of calculations, immediate field access to project information (e.g., an inspector in the field carries project data on a handheld unit), and promoting the sharing of data between parties.

Each year National Engineers Week is held to increase public awareness and appreciation of the engineering profession. On February 18, 2008 (President's Day), the ASCE Met Section celebrated National Engineers Week by organizing a day of interactive activities designed to introduce engineering and basic engineering principles to children at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing, Queens. The event was held in conjunction with the New York Hall of Science's special event series entitled Invention at Play. Over 1,700 visitors attended the New York Hall of Science on the day of the event, which was a wonderful turnout for the Met Section’s first time at the venue.

Now consider sustainable design in a developing country! How do the projects compare and contrast? First let’s consider the similarities. The first critical step in a successful project is determining a clear definition of the scope with the end users. Developing clearly defined objectives simplifies the second step: the project manager’s assembly of the appropriate project team: selecting those individuals with relevant experience who can ensure implementation of sound engineering principles. Next, we must factor in the critical factor of continued and effective communication with all parties throughout a design and construction process. And, the final ingredient to success is flexibility, experience and determination. This generalized approach can be considered as a universal blueprint for any successful project.