Attendees: Robert G. Dean (University of Florida), Orville T. Magoon (Coastal Zone Foundation), Billy L. Edge (Texas A. & M University), Fredric Raichlen (California Institute  of Technology), John Fisher (North Carolina University), Robert A. Dalrymple (University of Delaware).

Date: February 3, 1999.

Place: Guenoc Winery, Middletown, CA

The meeting was called to order by John Fisher with a discussion on the establishment of a new professional organization for coastal engineers.

The group developed the following reasons for an association including:

1. providing for professional registration for coastal engineers;
2. providing education leadership and continuing education opportunities;
3. coordinating academic research laboratories and large equipment purchases by the same;
4. accrediting of coastal engineering programs;
5. helping with the implementation of the forthcoming National Research Council Marine Board Report on Coastal Engineering Research and Educational Needs Recommendations.

There was unanimous agreement that the association should be distinct from existing national organizations, such as the nascent Coastal, Ocean, Port, Institute (COPRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). It should start out with national interests, but should permit international members and perhaps have international goals in the future. It will not produce a journal or organize meetings, as this is a major role of COPRI. It will have annual meetings, but these will, at least in the beginning, coincide with meetings planned by other societies.

The association different than most professional societies. It should be more focussed, serving as spokesperson for coastal engineers and doing public relations work for the field. It should be dissimilar from COPRI and international societies such as the Coastal Engineering Committee in the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. However, some overlap with other organizations is not a fatal flaw.

It was estimated that the membership of the association would always be small as there are only a few hundred potential members in the U.S.

It was pointed out that professional registration is a long-term, rather than short-term, goal, due to the need to address individual license boards of the states. There are some politics involved and the association will need to do some clever campaigning--letters to state boards and state governors, for example.

As a first step, the association could develop a set of guidelines for coastal engineers. Robert Dean pointed out that Florida has such a guideline. The idea would be to have some criteria for the states or companies that do work on the coast can use to evaluate the qualifications of engineers that they may employ. The intent is that the employers and the general public will be better served if knowledgeable coastal engineers are employed.

At the next meeting of the Organizing Committee, it was decided to broaden the Organizing Committee by adding more practicing engineers, government engineers, users of coastal engineering, and academics, to be sure that the mission statement and the goals of the association would be inclusive and appropriate.

Next, the mission statement for the organization was discussed. Based on some other
societies' mission statements, provided by John Fisher, a rough draft was developed:

"The Society is a professional organization dedicated to the advancement of excellence in education, research, and practice of coastal engineering."

It was then suggested that a concise definition be included in the mission statement to define coastal engineering. This definition should be inclusive enough to included port engineers.

The objectives of the association were then discussed, starting with short term, then long term goals:
 

Short-term Goals:

Support and promulgate the Marine Board's Coastal Engineering Research and Educational Needs report recommendations.

Develop criteria for qualifications for coastal engineers. Disseminate criteria to states and federal agencies.

Develop standards for coastal engineering education and provide model curricula.

Provide leadership for the national research agenda in coastal engineering. Foster collaborative research in and between major national laboratories.

Educate the public about coastal engineering. Including K-12, college.

Serve as spokesgroup for the profession.

Provide position papers and a legislative agenda.

Offer coastal engineering short courses. These could include professional development courses, providing continuing education credits (for coastal engineering and then outreach to others). In addition, a national short course in coastal engineering, similar to the Dutch course, with subsidies for international attendees, would help to build international business contacts.

Establish and maintain communication with other organizations (national and international). Explore synergistic arrangements with other organizations.

Long-term Goals:

Develop a Certification Program for Professional Engineers that would certify them as coastal engineers.This certification is a step toward establishing Professional Registration as a coastal engineer, similar to present day Professional Engineering licenses in other fields.

Develop structural codes/building codes for coastal hazards.

Foster research and usage of good coastal erosion strategies/coastal hazard mitigation.

Educate the public on the utility of sound coastal engineering practice.

Provide manuals for coastal engineering practice.

Next, management issues for the Society were discussed. In order to communicate with members an electronic newsletter would be established, probably on the association's web page, which also must be also established. The association should provide a Membership Directory of coastal engineers. They need to meet the qualifications and do we have a liability?

For now, the organizing group will call itself as the "Organizing Committee of the Association of Coastal Engineers". This meets Robert Dean's desire to have some accomplishments before going public with the organization.

The title of the association includes the word "engineers". Orville Magoon pointed out that this disqualifies many others who may be working on coastal problems, such as mathematicians and coastal geologists. It was decided that these people could receive Affiliated memberships. This lead to a discussion on the types of memberships:

Members: coastal engineers (should they be registered/certified to be a member?)

Requirements: ABET college degree or 14 ? years experience or P.E.
Which college/graduate courses: coastal processes, waves

Affiliated members

Corporate members

Student members

Assignments:

For the next meeting, a variety of people from industry, government and academia were discussed as invitees. These individuals would serve to broaden the base of the organizing committee:

The next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, June 20, 1999 1-5 pm at the hotel hosting the Coastal Sediments Conference of the ASCE. An Informational meeting open to the public on Monday night-right after the last session for one hour is also planned.

A variety of assignments were assigned to be done by organizing committee members:

Push the Marine Board Report on Coastal Engineering Educational and Research Needs.

Talk to Howard Marlowe, the Coastal States Organization, staffers.

J. WPCOE editorial. Shore and Beach--Robert Dalrymple, Orville Magoon, and Robert Dean

Draft Qualifications for Coastal Engineers -- Robert Dean

Draft Mission Statements and Constitution and Bylaws --John Fisher and Billy Edge

Draft Membership requirements. Billy Edge and John Fisher

Web Page design and select host computer. Robert Dalrymple

Discuss with COPRI executive committee to clear conflicts-Robert Dalrymple, Billy Edge.

Contact Nick for Coastal Sediments Rooms-- Billy Edge

Letter to invite six people to meeting in June--John Fisher

Minutes of this meeting Robert Dalrymple

Survey of international organizations that might have similar interests-- Orville Magoon.

Agenda for next meeting: June, including report and discussion of previous meeting

(send in cover letter), the mission statement, membership

Handout for Long Island -- Mission statement, interest questionnaire for others, including name, address, fax, mail John Fisher

As the last item of business, a number of names for the society were suggested:

National Association of Coastal Engineers