1940: 2^nd National Surveying Teachers Conference

Case School of Applied Science Surveying Camp, Camp Case, Mohican Forest Park, Loudonville, Ohio

July 30 to August 8, 1940

Professor J. S. Dodds, Chair General Committee; Professor M. S. Douglas, Local Arrangement Committee.

In the second National Surveying Teachers a notable resolution on establishing a national surveying congress, organized by Committee VIII, was passed. This resolution is regarded as the spark for the establishment of the National Congress on Surveying and Mapping in 1941, known as ACSM since 1942. The main recommendation of the conference covered minimum course content for six courses (1) elementary surveying for civil engineers, (2) elementary surveying for non-civil engineers, (3) applied surveying, (4) higher surveying, (5) route surveying, and (6) photogrammetry. In general, papers and discussions were focused on teaching methods for photogrammetry, geodetic surveying, astronomical observations, instrumentations, and legal aspects of surveying. At the same conference, it was decided that the national conference would take place every five years. However, due to the challenging circumstances surrounding World War II, the 1945 conference, scheduled at Washington State College, was cancelled. In 1948, another effort to hold the conference was unsuccessful due to substantial snowfall in Washington. An estimated 20 feet of snow or more crushed the main building and other facilities. Nevertheless, a fifth regional conference was held on August 26–28, 1948 at Cooper Union’s Green Engineering Camp at Ringwood, New Jersey.

References

Bolkas, D., Olsen, M. J., & Ghilani, C. D. (2022). SaGES and the National Surveying Educator's Conferences: History of Surveying Education and Future Challenges. Surveying and Land Information Science, 81(2), 97-126.

Curtis, K. S. 1987. Fifty years of national conferences of teachers of surveying. Proceedings of the XIIth national surveying teachers conference. Madison, WI, July 5-10.

Wolf, P. R. 1997. Sixty Years of Surveying Teacher Conferences. Surveying and Land Information Systems 57(3): 133-146.