Late in 2010, one of the Chattanooga Branch members was involved in a discussion that led to the question, “What is the definition of faith?”  It was generally agreed that faith could be defined as trust and confidence in things unseen.

This discussion reminded the Chattanooga Branch member that people in Tennessee place their confidence in civil engineers daily.  Most people in Tennessee haven’t met the civil engineer that designed the bridge they cross in their automobile every day.  They definitely haven’t reviewed the calculations performed during the bridge design.  Still they cross that bridge without hesitation.  People in Tennessee demonstrate that same confidence in civil engineers every time they turn on their kitchen faucet or hit their light switch.  They know that clean water will be delivered, and the room will be filled with light.

Civil engineers should promote our profession and the good things we do to contribute to the health, safety, and welfare of the public and our clients.  We take our roles in society seriously.  Rather than reading or hearing news reports that only mention engineers after catastrophic or tragic events, we should encourage expansion of the message that promotes the confidence society displays every day in the products of our services.

The Chattanooga Branch of ASCE developed, wrote, and produced five public service announcements that were broadcast during Engineer’s Week on two local radio stations during E-week in 2011.  The public service announcements were prepared with City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County Water Quality Program officials to promote public awareness of:

1. steps the public may take to reduce pollutants in storm water runoff,
2. opportunities for public participation in certain program elements to improve storm water quality,
3. the role engineers have in protecting the quality of our rivers and streams

The program was so successful in 2011 that the Chattanooga Branch decided to repeat the program during E-week in 2012.  The same scripts were utilized in 2012 with the E-week dates updated.  A member of the radio station broadcast personnel re-recorded the spots with the 2012 E-week dates included.  The spots fit in the allotted time (30 seconds) and emphasized the most important aspects of the message.  The spots included “This message was brought to you by the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County Water Quality Programs and the American Society of Civil Engineers,” at the end of each message.  The public service announcements were broadcast on AM and FM local radio stations multiple times each weekday during Engineer’s Week which was the week of February 19-25, 2012.  Copies of the each PSA script are attached with electronic copies of the actual broadcast PSA.

E-Week PSA Scripts

Broadcast Recordings:
ASCE E-Week Cut Three
ASCE E-Week Cut Four
ASCE E-Week Cut Five
ASCE E-Week Cut Six
ASCE E-Week Cut Seven