The Daniel V. Terrell Paper Competition

 

The Region 4 Assembly of the American Society of Civil Engineers is proud to conduct the Daniel V. Terrell Paper Competition for Younger Members. This prestigious competition has been held for over 60 years and commemorates Dean Terrell's many years   of work and service to the Society and especially his leadership in the establishment of the District Council System, the predecessor of the Region 4 Assembly. All members, associate members or affiliates of ASCE (not including student members) who are 35 years of age or less on February 1, 2025, residing in Region 4, are eligible to submit papers in this competition. 

The Daniel V. Terrell competition topic (same as the topic for the society’s Daniel W. Mead Contest) must address professional ethics with respect to the following question or statement: 

Consider the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse in Maryland, the Interstate 95 Collapse in Pennsylvania, or other infrastructure disasters. Civil engineers are responsible for planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting and advancing the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Following large infrastructure disasters, civil engineers are often placed in the public spotlight to respond and assess the cause of the disaster and how to prevent future similar events.


Considering ethics, what role do civil engineers play in the prevention and response to an infrastructure disaster? Should an infrastructure disaster rouse civil engineers globally to advocate for more resilient protections for built infrastructure from climate-driven and/or man-made disasters?

 

 
The following rules apply to the Daniel V. Terrell Paper Competition:
 
  •  No individual may submit more than one paper in a given year.
  • Please include your ASCE member ID number, your name, and Section/Branch on the paper.
  • The paper shall be of such length that it can be presented orally in not more than fifteen minutes and contain no more than 2000 words.
  • Submit one electronic copy of the paper, preferably a PDF, with a cover letter to your Section President so that he/she can meet the March 1, 2025 submittal deadline. Entrants should coordinate with their respective Section well in advance of the submittal deadline, as the official submittal to the competition must come from the Section. Late submittals will not be accepted. Each Section is limited to two entries. 
  • The paper must be presented orally, by the author, during the Region 4 Assembly at the Spring 2025 meeting, tentatively scheduled for May 1 & 2, 2025 in Indianapolis, IN.  
  • Contestants are encouraged to seek financial support from their Sections and Branches for associated travel expenses.
  • Reference citations of the papers should conform to official ASCE Journal Submission Guidelines, which can be found on the ASCE Publications website: http://ascelibrary.org/page/authorservicesjournals. Plagiarism is not acceptable and reference citations will be considered under scoring for Originality.
 
AWARDS:
• First Place - Bronze plaque (see picture on front) + $500 cash prize
• Second Place - $250 cash prize
 
COMPETITION SCORING:
Presentation of Paper - 35% (Delivery and Effectiveness - 20%, Choice of Words, Literary Style Pronunciation and Enunciation - 10%, Timing - 5%)
Content of Paper - 65% (Material - 40%, Acquaintance with subject - Scope - 10%, Originality - Independence - 10%, Arrangement - 5%) 
 

Click here for Past Terrell Paper Winners.

DV Terrell Paper Competition Rules