PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE I Love Science! M y wife, Barbara, and I took our two younger grandkids, ages 11 and 12, on a summer trip to New York City. We did lots of the usual tourist things: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Staten Island Ferry, etc. Of course, they got the story from me about the Brooklyn Bridge and many others since. The SpongeBob Broadway show was a hit. We made a point for one day to visit the American Museum of Natural History. We were going to visit the museum in the morning, then go ride bikes in Central Park later. I love the fact that in science Dan and grandkids in NYC Well, of course, we were sucked into it and spent the whole day in the museum. I had told them in advance about Theodore Roosevelt and his devotion to learning about the world and his many contri- butions, including starting the National Park System. We made a point to see some of his taxidermy work that is still on display. The Hayden Planetarium was great, with Neil deGrasse Tyson talking about the universe and many strange things beyond our planet. I saw a quote of his on a T-shirt in the museum shop that I particularly liked: “The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.” we are always quest ioning everything and are excited when we find something unexpected. Likewise, in our industry, we need to acknowledge the limits of our knowledge (risks!) and be open to new information and willing to make adjus tment s as our understanding improves. I’m reminded of a conversation I had years ago with Bill Marcussen, former head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Waterways Experiment Station and ASCE pres- ident. He told me that, as a young engineer with the Corps, he was des- cribing his analysis of the seismic stability of the Fort Peck Dam to a panel of experts, which in- cluded Ralph Peck, Arthur Casagrande and others. Although he was eager to get on with the details of his analysis, they kept stopping him and questioning his material properties along the lines of: “how do you know that you know what you think you know?” (I paraphrase). A good lesson! The more you know, the more you realize the limits of what you know and appreciate the need to address uncertainties. In our own way, in our own industry, a big part of our mission at DFI is to advance Save The Date! Dan Brown, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE. President [email protected] In our industry, we need to acknowledge the limits of our knowledge (risks!) and be open to new information and willing to make adjustments as our understanding improves. knowledge, continue learning and improve our understanding of the things we do. I find this to be eminently satisfying and a large part of my motivation to be so involved in our organization. When we share our experiences and learn from each other’s work, it allows us all to improve. The research that we’ re funding via the Com- mittee Project Fund helps our technical committees investigate problems and learn. I’m looking forward to our upcoming DFI Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif., October 25-27, because, even after 40+ years in this industry, I always learn something at DFI meetings. As Ben Franklin, founding father and noted scientist, was reported to have said: “an investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” P.S. My favorite moment in the Major League Baseball All-Star game this summer was Bill Nye, The Science Guy, getting a hit in the celebrity softball game! S3: Slope – Support – Stabilization Renaissance - The Depot Hotel Minneapolis | Minneapolis, Minn. August 6-8, 2019 Watch for details at www.dfi.org DEEP FOUNDATIONS • SEPT/OCT 2018 • 7
