Becoming Future Ready – Will the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Make our Communities More Resilient?

Our infrastructure’s ability to bounce back, recover, and withstand weather and other threats has been tested
this year. “Build Back Better” is the theme of the administration, and they are looking for investments in infrastructure to solve for climate, equity, and economic challenges all at once. Nearly one year after the passage of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, do we have the tools in place to make our infrastructure more resilient and prepared for the future?

Emily Feenstra
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) - Chief Policy & External Affairs Officer

The Future of Infrastructure: Embracing Resilience Imperative

When we update and build new infrastructure, we must embrace the resilience imperative. This is not just because we are facing more hazards arising from climate change and security threats. It is also a consequence of the increasingly hyperconnected nature of the critical lifeline systems we rely on – water, energy, transportation, and communications – which means that what used to be a localized shock or disturbance now cascades in far more disruptive and destructive ways. Going forward, we must embrace a system-of-systems approach that bakes resilience into the design and operations of infrastructure so that is it better able to withstand, recover, and bounce forward when shocks and disruptions happen.

Dr. Stephen E. Flynn
Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University - Founding Director

Driving Economic Development through Innovation

WA real world smart city testbed that offers 5G connectivity and a 1.5 mile autonomous vehicle test track. Set in a 500 acre commercial office park, the test track interacts with people and vehicles going about their daily business. The track and right of way are owned by the City of Peachtree Corners.

Brandon Branham
City of Peachtree Corners & Curiosity Lab - Assistant City Manager / Chief Technology Officer

Engineering with an “I”

We can’t meet today’s challenges of climate change and decarbonization by maintaining the status quo. We need to put ingenuity back into engineering and work with the forces of nature instead of against them. Dr. Lees will demonstrate this with examples of soft engineering that out-performed traditional designs in recent earthquakes.

Dr. Andrew Lees
Tensar - Global Application Technology Manager

Collecting Pavement Data to Support Resilient Infrastructure

To design and construct resilient infrastructure we need to know the condition and to predict future condition. The ways that we collect this data has evolved and will continue to advance. This presentation looks at the past, present, and future of pavement condition data collection and demonstrates how the pavement industry is advancing with new partners and technologies.

Dr. Bill Vavrik, P.E.
Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) - VP, Transportation & Infrastructure Sector Manager

The BCA – The Backbone of Resilience

This presentation will frame a discussion around the benefit-cost analysis (BCA), why it is the backbone of resilience and without the BCA, resilience is just a buzzword. The talk will also cover how the BCA has evolved through history, highlighting specifically how it has evolved in support of the advancement of resilience, or our ability to effectively absorb and rebound forward after a shock or disaster.

John Malueg, P.E.
Stantec - VP, Manager of Resiliency Programs

Space-Age Infrastructure Monitoring

Satellite technology has changed our lives in so many ways. It’s also changing how we monitor the condition of our infrastructure. Dr Perdikou will describe what’s possible now and what will be possible in the future to address the challenges faced by infrastructure.  

Dr. Skevi Perdikou
Geofem - Technology Manager

Introduction to EPDs

An Environmental Product Declaration, or EPD, is a document that transparently communicates the environmental performance or impact of any product or material over its lifetime. Within the construction industry, EPDs support carbon emission reduction by making it possible to compare the impacts of different materials and products in order to select the most sustainable option. Architects, engineers, and designers can then choose the most sustainable option for their project. This also allows manufacturers to optimize the impact of their products and market their carbon transparency.

Keith Lindemulder
Commercial Metals Company (CMC) - Sustainability Manager

Innovation for Resilience

How is innovation a direct precursor to resiliency? Throughout history, our great achievements and endeavors that have stood the test of time were often disruptive, cutting-edge projects in their time. This talk aims to briefly explore the relationship between innovation and resiliency and suggest some best practices to foster innovation in your organization.

Eric Thompson
Spelman College - Assistant Director, Innovation Lab & Co-Director Blackstone Launchpad

How to Make the Construction Industry More Appealing to Future Generations

We all know infrastructure is the backbone of society. Every government spends more than one-third of its annual budget on the infrastructure sector. A big challenge our industry is facing today is the need to achieve Net Zero targets by 2030, and we must consider new school of thoughts. It is possible to achieve these targets if we will get the support of young minds. Together let's make it our mission to #TeamUpWithGenz.

Ishaan Rajankar, CEng
Mott MacDonald - Chartered Engineer

Dynamic Digital Transformation for Roadway and Infrastructure Planning and Construction

From autonomous paving to embedded solar panels to wireless Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) communications, emerging technologies are transforming the planning and construction of roadways and infrastructure at an accelerating rate. At the same time, strategic disruptions from pandemics to climate change to geopolitical supply chain interruptions threaten to undermine long-term plans for change. In this presentation, Innovation and Emerging Technology Strategist Jack Shaw will show you how to develop plans and goals to incorporate emerging technologies into your processes while managing the potential impacts of strategic disruptions.

Jack Shaw
Breakthrough Business Technologies - Innovation and Technology Strategist and Futurist