Fort Worth, Texas is known as the city ?where the west begins.? This year, it was home to the American Society of Civil Engineers? Pipelines 2013 conference, which took place June 23-26 at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in Fort Worth?s renowned cultural and entertainment district.
The theme of this year?s conference was ?Pipelines and Trenchless Construction and Renewals: A Global Perspective.? The conference broke attendance records with more than 800 total attendees ? a 20 percent increase from last year?s show. The conference featured the presentation of 155 technical papers and also broke records in exhibiting with 57 exhibiting companies.
For the first time, the conference also had an honorary chair, David Marshall, P.E., engineering director of the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD). Dr. Mohammad Najafi, director of the Center for Underground Infrastructure Research and Education (CUIRE) at the University of Texas at Arlington was the conference chair. Dr. Baosong Ma of the China University of Geosciences served as conference co-chair and also serves as the international chair.
The ASCE Pipelines show was successful in creating a forum for utility and pipeline owners, design and consulting engineers and pipeline experts from around the globe to gain valuable knowledge related to constructing, renewing, operating, managing and maintaining lifeline assets. Conference attendees had the chance to attend the pre-conference workshops, technical sessions and visit the 57 exhibitors from the industry leaders. Among the hot topics on the exhibit floor were corrosion mitigation for pipelines and the best practices for preserving pipeline integrity and longevity.?
Also included in this year?s conference was a special program track on Oil and Gas Applications. Always an important segment of ASCE, the energy market renaissance is expected to continue well into the future. Attendees also had an opportunity to attend the Awards Luncheon on Tuesday with special entertainment along with the 2013 ASCE Award of Excellence and the distinguished Stephen D. Bechtel Pipeline Engineering Award, presented to Joseph Castronovo, P.E., M.ASCE, senior project manager with AECOM.
The ASCE Pipelines 2014 conference will be held Aug. 3-6 in Portland, Ore., with the theme, ?From Underground to the Forefront of Innovation and Sustainability.? ?
