ASCE Region 8 | January 2020
“Help you matter more and enable you to make a bigger difference”
Region 8 Director's Column
In This Issue


Region 8 Director's Column


Southern Idaho Section Update


Region 8 Calendar of Upcoming Events
Tony at the entrance to the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel between the US and Canada
Hou`oli Makahiki Hou!! Hope you all had a safe and Happy New Year!!

A common practice at the start of the new year is to make resolutions. Please consider resolving to recruit at least one new member in 2020. ASCE’s number one strategic goal is that “An ever-growing number of civil engineers are members of, and engage in, ASCE.” The health of our organization, especially locally, is largely dependent on our membership and those members getting involved or participating. In the last 10 years, ASCE has lost over 10,000 members. Let’s work together to get those former members back into our great organization and to recruit new people with new ideas.

The ASCE Board Nominating Committee met in Detroit, MI on January 9 to interview five outstanding candidates for our next Society President-Elect. It was a tough decision but the Board chose to advance two names to the 2020 Society election ballot. The two successful candidates are:

  • Maria C. Lehman, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE

  • Dennis D. Truax, Ph.D., DEE, D.WRE, F.NSPE, F.ASCE

Professional information and vision statements from both candidates will be available on the ASCE website elections page in the near future. The election takes place in May.
As a reminder, your Region 8 Board of Governors and Assembly will be meeting in San Francisco, CA on January 22 and 23, respectively. If you have any concerns or ideas that you want us to discuss, please feel free to contact me or any one of our Region 8 Governors.

Mahalo for being a member of ASCE and for all that you do to help our great profession. #Region8isgreat!!!

Mahalo and Aloha,
Tony C.G. Lau, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE
Society Director, Region 8
Southern Idaho Section Update
The Southern Idaho Section had a phenomenal 2019 and we are excited for another exceptional year in 2020. The Section Board and Conference Committee are hard at work planning the 2020 ASCE Idaho Civil Engineering Conference co-hosted by the Boise State Civil Engineering Department ( March 24-25 @ Boise State University ). Last year’s conference was a huge success with over 100 engineers in attendance and 24 PDHs offered. This two day event will feature up to 3 tracks with a variety of Civil Engineering presentations as well as a Casino Happy Hour and the Annual Awards Banquet. We welcome engineers from all sections to attend and present! Please visit our website for more information. 
Joint Holiday Social (ASCE/ISPE/ITE/WTS/SWE) 
The Southern Idaho Section recently had its joint winter social with the other engineering societies at Bodivino in Boise, Idaho. This is the most popular social every year with roughly 75 engineers in attendance. The Southern Idaho Section sponsors the holiday bingo activity as an ice breaker and each society provides raffle prizes for those who donate to the canned food drive. Every year we have a competition to see which society collects the most donated items during the event, and this year the win goes to ITE and WTS!
Joint Winter Social
Southern Idaho Student Scholarship

The Scholarship Committee received multiple applications from college students throughout Southern Idaho. The applications were so outstanding the board approved not one, but two scholarship winners! This is the first time the Southern Idaho Section has awarded more than one scholarship to its students. The board was impressed with their drive and determination as well as their ASCE involvement and Community Service. Congratulations to Kathryn Hogarth from Idaho State University (Left) and Joshua Sanders from Brigham Young University-Idaho (Right)!!  
Southern Idaho Section Scholarship Winner Kathryn Hogarth from Idaho State University
Southern Idaho Section Scholarship Winner Joshua Sanders from Brigham Young University-Idaho
Southern Idaho Civil Award

In an effort to give back to the civil engineering community, the Southern Idaho Section has started a new awards program to recognize the hard work and achievements of civil engineers throughout the state. The award is open to ASCE members and non-members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Each month, the nominated individual is presented with a certificate of appreciation and featured on the Southern Idaho Section website and social media pages. 

Be sure to follow us on social media to stay up to date on all our activities here in Southern Idaho! 


Michelle McDonald, EI, M.ASCE
President, Southern Idaho Section
Region 8 Calendar of Upcoming Events

  • Region 8 Winter Board of Governors Meeting date of Wednesday, January 22, 2020

  • Region 8 Assembly Winter Meeting date of Thursday, January 23, 2020

  • 2020 Region 8 and 9 Multi-Region Leadership Conference (MRLC), San Francisco, CA, January 24 and 25, 2020

  • Legislative Fly-In, March 11 and 12, 2020


Visit  Region 8 Events  for more information.