在杰拉尔德（Jerry）巴克瓦尔特（Buckwalter）与美国土木工程师协会（American Vorighation of Tooker of American Engineers）协会合作（自去年6月以来一直担任首席运营和战略官）之前的几年，他一直在考虑基础设施的未来。诺斯罗普·格鲁曼（Northrop Grumman）的前战略主任通过在布什和奥巴马政府期间关于国家基础设施咨询委员会的条款引起了ASCE的注意。
About nine years ago, he joined ASCE’s Industry Leaders Council “as a kind of orthogonal thinker” providing an outsider perspective, Buckwalter says. From there, he urged ASCE to find a way to visualize the “massive change” coming not only to the profession, but to the world.
未来的世界宣明会项目于去年10月在迈阿密揭幕，想象着从现在开始的基础设施系统从现在起最高50年，这是由气候变化，替代能源，先进的建筑材料和先进的建筑材料和使用的当前长期趋势的影响之后的样子自动驾驶汽车等。
It was Buckwalter’s championing of the effort that persuaded ASCE leadership to commit to a four-year project requiring a multimillion-dollar investment, including the hiring of Los Angeles-based Experimental Design Inc., which led the research effort that ultimately visualized five future world concepts. Plans for the effort include the creation of a digital model that can be used to visualize future environments.
Alex McDowell, creative director at Experimental Design, says the challenge to visualize future infrastructure systems was “much more interesting” than those his firm usually undertakes because “it’s driven by real-world conditions.” From the start of the research effort, McDowell explains, “The real revelation was how absolutely engaged the board members and other experts were. It was really exciting.”
Mott Macdonald North America的总裁兼首席执行官，ASCE现任行业领导者委员会主席Nick Denichilo说，尽管ASCE不断评估包括过去的研究工作在内的土木工程的未来，但Buckwalter推动了所需的界限。他说：“杰里真的加强了。”“正是由于他的领导技能和韧性，我们能够将这一倡议带到现状。”
So far, the effort has received positive feedback not only from ASCE members, but college students, academia and even some nongovernmental organizations. Several universities are considering partnering with ASCE and contributing to the funding of the project, which the association set up as a separate entity.
