Engineering appears to be at a turning point now. It is evolving from an occupation which merely provides clients with competent technical solutions to a profession that serves the community in a socially responsible manner. Under the present education system, we are becoming more and more specialized and we are also working with more and more specialists within our specialties. For example, geotechnical engineers are working daily with geologists, geophysicists, rock engineers, environmental engineers, technologists and technicians of different disciplines. However, for an entire project such as a civil engineering infrastructure project, it is the team work which is the key to success and which is more important than individual technical ability. The skill of leadership, ability to communicate and to coordinate become the key requirements of a "successful" engineer.

Civil engineering reflects advancement of human civilization. Large civil engineering projects certainly reflect the economical, political and social status of a country or a region. In the last century, development of large-scale civil engineering projects gradually shifted from Europe to America and now to Asia. Another important trend of changes in recent years is that more and more countries are encouraging private participation in infrastructure development projects, as compared to completely government financing in the past. BOT, BOO, BT etc are becoming fashion in Asian countries, some of them are successful and some are failure. With our current education system, there is no problem to find sufficient number of competent specialists who can perform calculations and designs, but there is a great vacuum in our profession - i.e. engineers with vision, with managerial knowledge and skill, with legal understanding and with financial know-how. Graduates from AIT are going to be future leaders of our profession, you should not only limit yourself in your own narrow specialization, but be more willing to discuss nontechnical aspects of engineering projects by enhancing communication skills, being better managers of people and system, being better life-long learners and more adaptable to new situations, being more accountable for the results of your decisions within the context of economic, political, cultural, ethical and environmental issues. In other words, an engineer today or future must have much broader skills, must have the ability to work in a team environment and to articulate the rationale behind recommendations and conclusions.

With the rapid development of computer technology and communication facilities, the world is shrinking. The industrialized or developed countries have economically slowed down regarding civil infrastructure systems, and the emerging or developing countries, particularly those in Asia, are aggressively constructing infrastructures to reach the economic status and quality of life of the developed countries. The world is seeking a new economic equilibrium. Today, more than ever, the public is demanding that engineering services be better, faster, and cheaper. The public is much more knowledgeable, in general, regarding technical issues. The public demands explanations and often openly challenges opinions and recommendations of engineers. The information superhighway has made engineering technology very accessible to users throughout the world. Engineers worldwide can therefore readily draw upon resources around the world not previously easily accessible. Globalization or internationalization in engineering profession in terms of technology manpower utilization become essential in our profession in the years to come.

According to a report by the American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC) in "The I Book"(1966), engineers are often content to wait for problems to come to them, rather than anticipating issues and contemplating solutions. Engineers are called upon to make things run but not to run things. They are too conservative and will not take risks. They do not like controversy, hate the process of argument and compromise, and are interested only in engineering. Engineers are described by the public as technical, boring but somewhat intelligent.

Are we that bad? We must admit that due to past emphasis on technical skills and the consequent neglect by engineers of social and environmental dimensions of our work, the image and status of the engineering profession is declining. On the other hand, several notable Americans, such as former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, have called engineers "wealth creators and problem solvers par excellence; protectors, of the very standard of life for everyone". Former Governor of Colorado State in USA Richard Lamm went so far as to say that the future economic well-being of the country will depend on its engineers.

Nevertheless, we cannot deny or ignore the facts that the society generally values many nontechnical professionals and business people more than engineers, as is evidenced by the formers' higher financial compensations and by their presence in positions of power where they influence societal behavior. This problem has been discussed at many engineering conferences. Only if and when engineers are willing and prepared to come out from their technical nutshells and become actively involved in society, community affairs, and politics, we, engineers will always be the victims of other people's decisions and legislation.

To the new graduates, as you are entering a new stage of professional life after today, whether you are going to be in academic, research or practice, I would like to offer you a word "EPIC"; It stands for

• Eeffective, efficient, excellent, ethical and enterprising
• P proper, productive, punctual, perfect and persistent
• Iimagination, involvement, information, and impact (the ACEC's I book)
• Ccurrent, compatible, clear and concise

To the new graduates, I wish you all the luck and success. To the Distinguished Guests, wish you good health and prosperity.