A number of N-EWN partners were represented at the American Society for Civil Engineers’ INSPIRE Conference this past November. The conference took place over three days (Thursday, Nov 16 – Saturday, Nov. 18) in Arlington, Virginia, and several IRIS affiliates gave presentations, showed posters, or spoke in workshops and panels. Check out this list of presentations from our affiliates, as well as N-EWN partners from across the country, plus photos captured at the event (submitted by Ashley Schutt, ERDC).

The Network for Engineering With Nature (N-EWN) is a collaboration between IRIS and the US Army Corps of Engineers, including industry, government, and nonprofit partners from across the country. Check out N-EWN’s review of the event for a more complete list of N-EWN affiliates who presented at the conference.

Workshop on Nature-Based Solutions

Brian Bledsoe, Dan Walker, Emily Corwin, Tori Tomiczek and Lydia Olander

From ASCE: This Workshop on NbS [was] designed to determine what guidance is needed to support sound engineering design, to develop manuals of practice, performance standards, and training curricula on the topic of natural and nature-based infrastructure solutions. These solutions are deployed in a network/systems context to ensure appropriate and effective applications that work together with conventional infrastructure to strengthen the overall infrastructure system. Natural and nature-based infrastructure includes river floodplains, setback levees, forested water supply, watersheds, freshwater and coastal wetlands, living shorelines, dune and beach systems, living breakwaters and reefs, as well as landscape level interactions among these features and with conventional infrastructure. Nature based solutions (NbS) are sustainable planning, design, environmental management and engineering practices that weave natural features or processes into the built environment to promote adaptation and resilience.

Panels

• Natural Infrastructure and Engineering With Nature Training and Education – Brian Bledsoe, Kyle McKay, Candice Piercy, Ellen Herbert and Tori Tomiczek 

Presentations

• Designing Salt Marsh Landscapes for Flood Protection – Matt Bilskie
• Quantifying the Benefits of Nature-based Design in Federal Flood Management Infrastructure – Matt Chambers

Posters

• Lock-in: Origination and Significance within Infrastructure Systems – Alysha Helmrich
• Socioeconomic Value of Salt Marsh Ecosystems For People and Property in Georgia – Matt Bilskie