Senior Editor Tom Sawyer wrote this week’s cover story after shadowing members of the American Society of Civil Engineers and their Japanese counterparts as they examined debris from the March 11 tsunami in Japan. The team searched for clues for improving design standards for all kinds of buildings and infrastructure that may face a tsunami in the future. It left Sawyer determined to bring home the message that the only possible gain from such tragedies is to learn from them and act on the knowledge. From left: ASCE tsunami team leader Gary Chock, ENR’s Tom Sawyer and members of the

Their remarks came from the heart. Some were passionate, some were funny. Sharing their awards, they all thanked the teams that helped them achieve this recognition, as everything in this industry requires enormous collaboration.

As regular readers of Engineering News-Record and longtime volunteer leaders of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, we were extremely disappointed by two articles relating to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s crane and derrick standard that painted the association in an unfavorable light. The articles in question, “Gutsy Builder Took a Quantum Leap” (8/16/2010) and “Hoisting Hero Sent Clear Message to Industry When Voting for Higher Safety” (1/12/2011), stated that ARTBA “pressured” its rulemaking committee representative, Joe Collins, to vote down a key provision of the crane and derrick standard “on the grounds that it was bad for

It felt like the Oscars. Five times when the announcer said, “The envelope please,” the winner was Engineering News-Record. It was an exhilarating afternoon at American Business Media’s Jesse H. Neal Awards, held March 10 in New York City. Photo: Sue Pearsall Winning Team members include: (from left, first row) Aileen Cho, Jane Kolleeny, Joanne Gonchar, Francesca Messina, Laurie Meisel, Tom Sawyer; (second row) Richard Korman, Scott Lewis, Richard Demler, Bill Hanley and Alanna Malone. In addition, ENR’s sister publication GreenSource won a Neal for Best Integrated Package for “GreenBuild Chicago: Transforming the Metropolis” and its managing editor Jane Kolleeny

Industry professionals poured out their passion at a conference in Washington, D.C., about the nation’s need to step up efforts to mitigate natural hazards through more resilient design and construction. Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and wildfires are known natural hazards with risks that vary by location, but speakers at the event agreed that these risks can be mitigated by building in resilience. Codes, land-use planning and insurance programs all should be part of the solution. Photo Courtesy Of The Institute For Business & Home Safety North Carolina insurance institute test center withstood hurricane force winds that blew down a near-twin structure

Timing is everything. While writing this week’s cover story about the three amazing tunneling jobs that will expand New York City’s subway system, ENR Senior Editor Aileen Cho took a few hours away from work to attend a gathering of tunneling intelligentsia. Photo: Matthew Mauro Bloomberg praised The Moles’ role in the life of the city. CHO She was a guest at The Moles annual awards dinner on Jan. 26, when almost 2,000 heavy-construction experts gathered to honor leading executives Robert E. Alger, CEO of Lane Construction, and Peter O. Shea, executive vice president at J.F. Shea Co. Inc. In

In addition to the amazing photo contest image, ENR has a new touch on the magazine’s cover this week. Our logo has been refined and our tagline updated to keep current with our digital transformation. ENR now delivers news to subscribers via electronic news alerts 365 days a year—not just once week —and on our website 24/7. Our print magazine, published 36 times a year, is “the construction resource” of the industry for analysis, data and commentary in addition to news. Photo: Sue Pearsall For ENR (From left) Joanne Foulke, Ted Keller, Debra Rubin, Richard Demler and Tom Sawyer reviewed

Recognition from leaders in the construction industry is particularly gratifying. I am delighted to share the news that, on Oct. 28, I was inducted into the National Academy of Construction, a group of industry leaders recognized for outstanding achievements in and contributions to engineering and construction. The academy provides a body of industry experts who can be and have been asked to serve on governmental committees and work on investigations and reports. It also sponsors a program called the National Construction Forum, which works to identify major industrywide issues and integrate the efforts of industry groups who are working on

Design and construction firms are waking up to the reality that one-way communication is losing ground to interactive websites and social media, such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Though these “meeting” sites are popular, a firm should neither put all its marketing eggs in one social-media basket nor dump traditional marketing tools; rather, experts say, social media should be considered as just another arrow in a firm’s quiver. “The question is, how do you re-engage the things you already know how to do with these new tool sets?” social media expert Chris Brogan asked some 700 attendees of Build Business, the