Volume 8, Issue 1
2015 Recap – A Message from the U.S. Section Secretariat
We would like to thank you for your continued membership in and support of PIANC, the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure! 2015 was a busy year for the US Section, and we are looking forward to another great year of activities and technical exchanges. The 2016 membership renewals will be emailed to each member in January, but if you are interested in getting a jump start please use the 2016 membership invoice.
More information: Full Story
Robert M. Engler, Ph.D. Student Travel Scholarship Announced at the Dredging 2015 Conference
It is with great respect that the US Section PIANC honors Commissioner Dr. Robert “Bob” Engler who passed away in March of this year, by announcing the Robert M. Engler, Ph.D. Student Travel Scholarship. During the recent Dredging 2015 Conference in Savannah, The The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), provided a moving tribute to Bob during which she made the announcement. The scholarship will enable PIANC USA to provide travel funding to full time students to attend its technical conferences.
More information: Full Story | News Release (pdf, 114 KB)
Industry Experts Discuss Dredging at Conference in Savannah
PIANC USA and the Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute of ASCE jointly organized the Dredging 2015 conference October 19-22 in Savannah, Georgia. It was a four-day technical specialty conference that brought together 325+ professionals and practitioners from all parts of the world to discuss a broad spectrum of topics related to dredging. The theme for Dredging 2015, Moving and Managing Sediments, included technical presentations on all types of dredging projects from navigation channel deepening and maintenance to environmental restoration to the development of new ports and marinas.
PIANC USA Welcomes Two New Commissioners
PIANC USA welcomes Mr. William Ronald Coles, P.E. and Ms. Lillian Almodóvar as new commissioners of its U.S. National Commission.
Young Professionals Update
Attention Young Professionals (YPs), the PIANC Young Professionals Commission is a professional network for PIANC members 40 years of age and younger. Join us on our LinkedIn group!
PIANC USA and COPRI are hosting a student paper competition for the upcoming PORTS ’16 Conference, June 12-15, 2016 in New Orleans, LA. The competition is open to all undergraduate and masters students. Submissions are due March 25, 2016.
Save the Date! PIANC USA YP Event: “One if by Land – Two if by Sea! A Look at Waterfront Development in the Upper Potomac River System”
Attention Young Professionals (YPs), mark your calendar for the dates in June 2016 for the PIANC USA YP technical visit to Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. The visit will be held from June 18 – 20, 2016, just prior to the Transportation Research Board’s conference, From Sail to Satellite: Delivering Solutions for Tomorrow’s Marine Transportation System.
Working Group Call for Members: InCom 190 and PTG on Climate Change
PIANC is seeking volunteers for two new working groups. PIANC USA still has spots to fill in the Permanent Task Group on Climate Change. PIANC’s Inland Navigation Commission also has openings on their new working group InCom 190, “Corrosion Protection of Lock Equipment”. Please see the “Terms of Reference” for specific information on each.If interested in serving as a U.S. Rep or on a subcommittee, please email CVs to Anne Cann, PIANC USA Secretary, as soon as possible. The kickoff meetings for these working groups will likely be held in February 2016.
More information: InCom 190 Terms of Reference (pdf, 217 KB)
RecCom Working Group 130 and Marcom Working Group 165 Release Reports
The Working Group reports of RecCom 130, “Anti-Sedimentation Systems for Marinas and Yacht Harbors,” and Marcom 165, “Design and Maintenance of Container Terminal Pavements” have been released and are available on the PIANC website. For PIANC members, the reports are free on the Members Only pages. Look under “Free Technical Reports.” For non-members, the reports are available in the download shop. Look under “RecCom” and “MarCom.”
More information: WG 130 Press Release (pdf, 314 KB) | WG 165 Press Release (pdf, 308 KB)
Case Studies Needed for PIANC’s Think Climate Coalition
PIANC is currently working with several partner organizations in a new “Think Climate” coalition. PIANC Working Group 178 is preparing technical guidance on climate change adaptation for maritime and inland port and navigation infrastructure, and asks that people share their experiences of adapting port and navigation infrastructure to the effects of a changing climate.
More information: PIANC Think Climate Letter (pdf, 375 KB) | PIANC Think Climate
Latin American Update
Kevin Knight, PIANC-USA liaison to Latin America, was part of a U.S. team in September who delivered key presentations on Inland and Deep Draft navigation on behalf of PIANC USA to the Colombian Maritime Administration at the Colombian PIANC Congress in Cartagena – this marked Colombia’s inaugural Congress, as a new standing member of PIANC. The following week, USACE and PIANC USA were well-represented at the 7th SmartRivers Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
PIANC U.S. to Host Smart Rivers 2017
The U.S. Section of PIANC is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the SMART Rivers 2017 Conference in the United States. Jim McCarville will serve as the conference chair and the organizing committee held its first planning meeting in January 2016. A location and date for the conference have not yet been set, but the committee is targeting the fall of 2017.
More information: Conference Information
PIANC at COP21
On Sunday 6th December, Transport Day at the Paris #COP21, PIANC’s Think Climate coalition formally launched its 2015-2020 Action Plan, entitled Navigating a Changing Climate. The international associations that are partners in the PIANC Think Climate coalition have prepared this Action Plan jointly, as an initiative under the Transport Focus of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda coordinated by the Paris Process on Mobility and Climate. The Navigating a Changing Climate initiative forms part of the COP21 #WeAreTransport campaign, which seeks to deliver urgent action: decarbonising the transport sector, improving the resilience of transport infrastructure, and adapting transport infrastructure to the effects of the changing climate.
The PIANC Bulletin, formerly a quarterly newsletter and now a bi-monthly e-newsletter, is designed to keep interested parties up-to-date on the latest PIANC USA developments.