Virtual Meeting Screen Shot. Click to enlarge.
On January 21, 2021, the International Society for Concrete Pavements (ISCP) held its Annual Open Membership and Board Meeting, virtually for the first time, with over 40 participants logging on from across the globe.
The Society opened the meeting with a tribute to Dr. Ernest J. Barenberg, affectionately known as “Ernie”, who passed away earlier in the week. Ernie created and launched the International Society for Concrete Pavements in January of 1999 with Dr. Shiraz D. Tayabji and colleagues, and served as the first President of the Society; is a 2001 ISCP Honorary Member inductee, and an accomplished concrete pavement innovator! Please see the new January 2021 ISCP article titled “Dr. Ernest Barenberg, First ISCP President, Passed Away at Age 91”: www.concretepavements.org/2021/01/30/dr-ernest-barenberg-iscp-first-president-passed-away-at-age-91/
Jake Hiller, President-ISCP provided a recap of the 2020 Society activities including a new webinar partnership with the International Road Federation (IRF), development of the ISCP Q&O page, planning of upcoming membership changes, and the unfortunate postponement of the 12th International Conference on Concrete Pavements (12th ICCP2021) from 2020 to August 29-September 2, 2021.
Hiller also announced the three new ISCP Honorary Members who were elected in 2020:
Dr. Neeraj Buch (USA)
Mr. Bryan Perrie (SOUTH AFRICA)
Mr. Dale Harrington (USA)
ISCP intends to honor these note-worthy individuals in an induction ceremony at the 12th ICCP2021 in late August. ISCP will also be conducting an Honorary Member Election in early 2021 for other potential members to be inducted concurrently with the 2020 class.
Hiller also discussed plans for the upcoming year, which will center around the re-planning on the 12th ICCP2021, but also include a website re-design, and the implementation of an active membership drive program.
Armen Amirkhanian, Secretary-Treasurer-ISCP, provided a financial and membership update for the Society, including a projected budget for 2021 to maintain ISCP initiatives with uncertain conference expenditures looming.
Much of the discussion from this meeting focused on planning for the re-scheduled 12th ICCP2021. Members were able to share their thoughts on format preferences and get a better understanding of some of the fiscal limitations the Society may be under due to contractual obligations with the conference hotel. While no decision was announced regarding the conference format, it was noted that an online component must be built into the conference program to engage an international audience that may be unable to travel to the United States in person in 2021. The Society and the conference committee appreciate the input provided by its members to provide a suitable method to best promote technology transfer, networking opportunities, and advancing our field given the constraints during this global pandemic.
With hope that the public health crisis will be minimized by January 2022, ISCP intends to hold its Annual Open Membership and Board Meeting 2022 in person next year to coincide with the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. We look forward to your continued participation in the Society in 2021 and beyond!