New ACEC/CSU Course To Prime Practitioners For Booming Sustainable Design Market Gary Pease, Nitsch Engineering ACEC and Colorado State University will offer the nation's first-ever “green” certificate program titled: "Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Communities" July 16-19 in Colorado. The four-day "summer institute" addresses the growing national demand for green infrastructure and includes in-depth discussions on green engineering principles, examination of state-of-the-art sustainable solutions in transportation and water markets, and on-site visits to sustainable projects. The growing need for sustainable design is expected to create an additional $10 billion in built environment projects over the next five years, according to McGraw Hill's Green Source newsletter. Boston-based Nitsch Engineering is one ACEC member firm already building a successful practice in sustainable consulting including biomimicry, eco-hydrology and ecological restoration solutions for corporate and municipal clients. "Engineers have habitually designed in accordance with environmental constraints in mind, but now we have the architectural community, the regulatory bodies and political world also asking for sustainable solutions," says Gary Pease, vice president at Nitsch Engineering. "We now see green design requirements in RFPs, led by some progressive public and academic clients, and even some land developers who are beginning to see the marketability of green projects." For more information and to register for this content-rich educational program, click here.

Participation on ACEC Executive Committee; Corrigan Elected Senior Vice Chair Richard L. Corrigan Nominations for ACEC's 2008-2009 Executive Committee are due April 20 to Nominating Committee Chairman Edward Mulcahy c/o the ACEC national office. Applications are available from MO Executive Directors or ACEC's Corporate Secretary, Paula Pesnell. A reception for all candidates will be hosted by the Nominating Committee at the Annual Convention in May. Richard L. Corrigan, senior vice president of CH2M Hill and member of the ACEC Executive Committee, has been elected by members of the 2007-2008 Executive Committee as their Senior Vice Chairman. Corrigan is also vice chairman of the Design Professionals Coalition which comprises ACEC's largest firms.

GSA To Detail Market Opportunities, New BIM Policy At Annual Convention Senior officials from the General Services Administration's Public Building Service (GSA-PBS) will brief ACEC members on new market opportunities, as well as the agency's new Building Information Modeling (BIM) policy at the Annual Convention in May. William Holley, chief engineer at GSA, will outline future priorities for the agency and business opportunities for engineering firms. Holley oversees a yearly budget of $1.65 billion for GSA-PBS, which is charged with the construction and management of a substantial portion of the inventory of government-owned buildings and leased facilities. GSA's use of BIM initially began as a pilot program, although last November the agency announced that it has initiated a broader, incremental rollout of new buildings, which must be designed using BIM. Charles Matta, director of GSA's Center for Federal Buildings,and Modernization will brief Convention attendeeson the agency's new BIM requirements. To access more information on the GSA-PBS BIM program, click here. Click here to register for this and other programs at the Annual Convention.

Greetings From Big Sky ACEC members at the recent Multi-State Ski Conference held at Big Sky, Montana, took a break between events to create this portrait. Jointly-sponsored by ACEC/Montana; ACEC/Idaho and ACEC/Wyoming, the Conference included a three-state session to discuss pertinent ACEC issues and several seminars on business management. ACEC Vice Chairman Woody German briefed attendees on prominent national issues.

Now's The Time To Register For ACEC's June On-Site Courses Building Information Modeling (BIM): The Promise and The Reality for A/E/C Firms June 7-8, Philadelphia, PA A must for firm leaders and project managers considering expansion into BIM, this course offers an in-depth look at the BIM multi-dimensional project planning strategies. Click here for details and to register. Project Management for Project Leaders June 11-12, Evanston (Chicago), IL This joint ACEC/Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering immersion course in state-of-the-art project leadership introduces new management skills and techniques. Click here for details and to register. The Business of Design Consulting (BDC): A Best Practices Educational Event for the Engineering Firm of the 21st Century June 20-23, Boston, MA Called "outstanding," "well worth the time," and "a great learning experience," this intensive multi-day course features interactive workshops, extensive discussion and application exercises, on marketing, finance and business management, leadership and human resources, legal/risk management and information technology. Click here for details and to register.

Upcoming Online Seminars Improving Quality with Building Information Modeling (BIM) April 11, 1:30-3pm                   1.5 PDHs Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers many benefits, such as time and cost savings. Brad Workman, Bentley Systems, Inc. analyzes the issues, metrics and case studies illustrating these benefits in various building and practice types. Click here for details and to register. Pandemic Flu—Implications for Your Firm and Your Clients April 19, 1:30 3 pm                   1.5 PDHs Daniel Barnett, M.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, presents this online seminar to help A/E/C firms prepare for a major health-related crisis. Early registrants will receive reminder e-mail notification in advance of the event. Click here for details and to register.

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