June 2007
Volume 32, Issue 6

ASCE members this month will begin electing new national officers to fill president-elect, region director, region governor, and at-large director positions. All officers will begin their terms at the business meeting that will form part of this year’s annual conference, which will be held in Orlando, Florida, November 1–3. Please remember that it is up to each region of ASCE to put forward candidates for these offices. In an effort to minimize instances of uncontested candidates—and therefore balance and improve the voting process—ASCE urges each region to encourage members to run for office each year.

Members will also vote on constitutional amendments to change the membership grade of honorary member to that of distinguished member; to add the grade of president emeritus; to eliminate the procedural requirement that a board-approved constitutional amendment be considered at the annual business meeting before being placed on the membership election ballot; and to replace the word “national” with “Society-level.” 

The amendment to change the grade of honorary member to that of distinguished member was prompted by the widespread awarding of honorary degrees. Those in favor of changing the grade to that of distinguished member contend that it would better convey the eminence and prestige of a designation within the Society second only to that of ASCE president.

Proponents of the amendment to eliminate the procedural requirement that a board-approved constitutional amendment be considered at the annual business meeting before being placed on the election ballot maintain that there is no benefit in asking the membership to approve proposed constitutional amendments at the annual business meeting in October and then seeking input again via the election ballot in June. They also point out that the amendment will reduce the time needed to change the constitution.

The amendment to replace the word “national” with “Society-level” is to make it clear that the reference is to ASCE headquarters and the extent of its operations and not nationwide. The prevalence of the word “national” in a variety of contexts as well as the fact that many have recognized that “national” is not necessarily synonymous with “ASCE” led to this proposed change.

In addition to paper balloting, the Society will again offer online voting in an effort to increase participation, provide added convenience to members, make biographical information about the candidates readily available, and obtain feedback from members about the voting process. Although the laws of New York—the state in which the Society is incorporated—do not expressly permit electronic voting, they do permit nonprofit organizations to implement electronic proxy voting in which members may submit electronic proxy ballots that ultimately are cast by a designated proxy holder. In this case that proxy holder is the secretary of ASCE.
All ASCE members eligible to vote are receiving a paper ballot in this issue at the address of record shown in their member profile. Moreover, voting members who have a valid e-mail address on file with ASCE will receive notification of their unique e-signature code and a link to the election Web site. Members who wish to vote electronically but have not provided a valid e-mail address may obtain an e-signature by contacting the member services department at (800) 548-ASCE (2723). The e-signature will be sent to the member electronically. No e-signatures will be provided verbally. In addition to their e-signature, members voting electronically will be asked for their membership identification number. At the end of the online ballot members will find space to provide feedback on the electronic process. Once a member votes online, he or she will not be able to access the electronic site again.

Members eligible to vote are those whose membership grade is at the associate member level or higher and whose dues for this year were processed by May 15. (Members who wish to explore the possibility of upgrading their membership may visit www.asce.org/advancemembership/, but they will not be eligible to vote in the national election until next year.) Affiliate members and student members are not eligible to vote in the national election; the same is true for those who belong to an institute but not to ASCE. The voting will remain open from June 15 until 5 pm eastern time on August 14, and the results will be published in the September issue.

All of the candidates are official nominees, and pursuant to subsection 7.14.1 of the rules of policy and procedure, they are presented in alphabetical order within the region or office for which there is a vacancy, beginning on page 3; this information is also posted on the online site. The official nominee for president-elect is D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE; for Region 2 director, Reza Darvishian, P.E., F.ASCE; for Region 6 director, David M. Schnurbusch, P.E., M.ASCE; for Region 7 director, Robert W. Stokes, P.E., M.ASCE; for Region 10 director, Potenciano A. Leoncio, Jr., P.E., M.ASCE; and for at-large director, Henry J. Hatch, P.E., Hon.M.ASCE. The official nominees for region governor are as follows: Leonard Cilli, A.M.ASCE, and Anthony M. Puntin, P.E., M.ASCE, for Region 1; Kim Parker Brown, P.E., M.ASCE, and Christopher J. Menna, P.E., M.ASCE, for Region 2; David F. Pritchard, P.E., M.ASCE, and Donald G. Wittmer, P.E., M.ASCE, for Region 3; Charles W. Black, Jr., P.E., M.ASCE, David D. Dee, Jr., P.E., M.ASCE, and Theresa E. Harrison, P.E., M.ASCE, for Region 4; E. Bruce Lawson, P.E., M.ASCE, Norma Jean Mattei, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, and Lisa S. Woods, P.E., M.ASCE, for Region 5; Thomas A. Chapel, CPG, P.E., M.ASCE, and Michael A. Vander Wert, P.E., M.ASCE, for Region 7; Dale A. Nelson, P.E., F.ASCE, and Dennis L. Richards, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE, for Region 8; and Anthony A. Akel, P.E., M.ASCE, and Joan Al-Kazily, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, for Region 9.

For the third consecutive year ASCE has taken part in the P3 Awards event (“P3” denoting “People, Prosperity, Planet”), a national competition focused on sustainability that this year was held April 24–25 in Washington, D.C, on the National Mall. Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the event saw more than 350 students and professors in more than 45 engineering teams from universities around the country exhibit designs embodying the principles of sustainable development.

The Society hosted a booth on the National Mall that provided information regarding its activities in the area of sustainable development, in particular, the work of its Committee on Sustainability and the results from its Practice, Education, and Research for Sustainable Infrastructure (PERSI) program, which seeks to incorporate the tenets of sustainability into the standards governing the construction and maintenance of infrastructure.

“We’ve been trying to spread the word about sustainability,” says Fernando Pons, P.E., M.ASCE, a member of the Committee on Sustainability who helped organize the effort on the National Mall. “We’d also like to see more sections and branches form committees and work to advance this initiative. We’re currently working on some guidelines that we think will encourage more participation at the local level.”

In 2004 the Committee on Sustainability published Sustainable Engineering Practice: An Introduction, a 136-page book designed to help readers gain an insight into sustainability principles and their application to engineering work. According to Policy 418, which was adopted by ASCE’s Board of Direction in 2004, the Society “recognizes the leadership role of engineers in sustainable development, and their responsibility to provide quality and innovation in addressing the challenges of sustainability.” Moreover, “the ASCE Code of Ethics requires civil engineers to strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties,” the policy observes. It also states that “ASCE will work on a global scale to promote public recognition and understanding of the needs and opportunities for sustainable development.”

Last July ASCE, together with the United Kingdom’s Institution of Civil Engineers and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, signed an agreement entitled “A Sustainable Future for the Planet,” which committed each organization to strive to “develop, monitor, and implement an action plan to help articulate and deliver their contribution to sustainable development.” Signed in London during the Triennial Conference (an event held every three years on alternating sides of the Atlantic), the agreement was significant not only because of the solidarity it reflected but also because it officially endorsed a commitment to advance the principles of sustainability around the world.

Numerous civil engineering students showcased sustainable designs on the National Mall. A team of students from Duke University designed a model of a temporary housing structure based on the type of trailers deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. “We developed a trailer that is self-sufficient and can be deployed anytime, anywhere,” explains Nicholas Miller, S.M.ASCE, a sophomore from Portland, Oregon. “Our trailer can handle most modern appliances, [such as] a refrigerator, dishwasher, and washer and dryer. Seventy percent of the electricity is provided through solar panels on the roof. The rest of the energy is covered by a biodiesel generator. We designed this to operate without having to depend on surrounding infrastructure. So if the power lines are down, it won’t matter.”

The team also designed a water filtration system that fits beneath the trailer and consists of a coarse screen, upflow and downflow sand filters, a filter employing granular activated carbon, and in-line chlorination. The system is designed to reduce energy output through a centralized pump while minimizing wastewater by eliminating backwash. “The trailer has two water systems, one for freshwater and one for gray water,” explains Samantha Beardsley, S.M.ASCE, a sophomore from Columbia, South Carolina. “The potable water comes in through the sinks. The gray water goes to places like the shower and laundry machine and dishwasher. All of that water is recycled and can be used in those nonpotable applications again and again. So it’s pretty much self-sufficient in the area of water. We couldn’t make it entirely independent because you still have to have potable water trucked in, but it is very sustainable and reuses water as best it can.”

More than 700,000 people applied for emergency housing after Hurricane Katrina, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. “The Federal Emergency Management Agency hurriedly bought 145,000 trailers and mobile homes just before and after Katrina hit, spending $2.7 billion largely through no-bid
contracts,” reported the Washington Post on March 8, 2007. “Now, it is selling off as many as 41,000 of the homes, netting, so far, about 40 cents on each dollar spent by taxpayers.”

The members of the Duke team hope to receive funding to purchase a FEMA trailer and build a prototype based on their design that will encourage investment in preparedness for future emergencies. “People have said that this is a broken model,” Miller adds. “But we don’t think that’s the case at all. We believe that it just needs to evolve slightly. We don’t think FEMA should be selling these trailers away. We think they should use the assets they already have and improve on them for future disasters.”

Established in 2004 to respond to the challenge of meeting the world’s needs for goods and services in ways that embody the principles of sustainable development, the P3 Award competition encourages college students to research, develop, and design models that showcase sustainability but also are consistent with the quest for economic prosperity and a higher quality of life. Support for this year’s contest was provided by more than 40 partners from the federal government, industry, and scientific and professional societies. To support next year’s P3 student teams, U.S. institutions of higher education can apply for grants of up to $10,000. For more information about the contest, visit www.epa.gov/P3.

    —Mark Fitzgerald

President-Elect

D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE

Education
•  B.S., civil engineering, Texas a&m University, 1974
•  M.S., civil engineering, University of Houston, 1976
•  Licensed professional engineer in Texas and Louisiana

Work experience
•  1974–79: Turner Collie & Braden
•  1979–82: Rady & Associates
•  1982–85: Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation
•  1985–present: Klotz Associates, Inc., president

ASCE involvement (national level)
•  2005–present: Region 6 governor
•  2005–present: Committee on Government Affairs
•  2005–present: Task Force for Political Involvement, chair
•  2005: Edmund Friedman Professional Recognition Award
•  2004–05: Region 6 Formation Team
•  2004–present: State Government Relations Committee, chair
•  2001–04: Board of Direction—District 15 director
•  2001–02: Program Committee
•  2003–05: Policy Review Committee, chair
•  2003–04: Technical Activities Committee
•  1989–94: Committee on Employment Conditions, chair
•  1988–92: Committee on Engineering Management
•  1998–2001: 2001 National Convention, conference chair
•  1998–2000: Committee on Conventions and Conferences
•  1999–present: Environmental and Water Resources Institute

ASCE involvement (Texas Section)
•  1995–2001: Hawley Fund Trustee, chair
•  2004: John Focht Citizen Engineer Award
•  1990–91: president
•  1994: Texas Section Award of Honor
•  1979–present: various committees

ASCE involvement (Houston Branch)
•  1993: Houston Branch Award of Honor
•  1993–94: Honors Committee
•  1987–88: president
•  1985–86: Continuing Education Committee, chair
•  1982–83: Steering Committee
•  1983: asce National Convention

Other volunteer activities, civic
•  Greater Houston Partnership:
  – Water Issues Committee, chair
  – Environmental Advisory Committee
  – Infrastructure and Transportation Advisory Committee
  – Governmental Relations Advisory Committee
•  Harris County Flood Control Task Force, county appointee
•  Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District, county appointee
•  University of Houston, Civil Engineering Advisory Board, chair
•  Texas a&m University, Civil Engineering Advisory Board
  – Distinguished Graduate of Department of Civil Engineering, 2004
•  Houston Council of Engineering Companies, president
•  Texas Council of Engineering Companies, board vice president
•  American Academy of Water Resources Engineers, diplomate
•  American Water Works Association, 2006 lifetime member
•  C Club, vice president

Other volunteer activities, charitable
•  Tallowood Baptist Church, deacon, teacher
•  Gulf Coast Epilepsy Association, board member
•  Healthy Houston Foundation, vice president

Other information
He married Karen Wilson in July 1974 and they have four children and one grandchild.

Vision statement: Imagine leading an organization with the history and impact of ASCE. Add the element of change. Throw in a mix of domestic, international, technical, professional, educational, and diversity initiatives. The role of leadership of this organization is both daunting and invigorating.

Each of us has the choice of where to invest our time. Civil engineers have a myriad of alphabet organizations available. For 35 years, I have invested my time in asce. I made that choice because asce is the pulse of civil engineering—the only organization solely dedicated to the profession of civil engineering.

I have served ASCE at every level. I identify with leaders at the branch and section level because I’ve been in your chair. I served on national committees as we grappled with complicated issues. I served on the Board of Direction when decisions were made that literally changed the direction of our organization. All of these positions have prepared me for the ultimate privilege of leading ASCE in 2008–09.

My presidential priorities will be as simple as ABC.

Advocate: We live in the information age. We must do a better job of communicating the importance of our profession. Our knowledge is needed by elected officials in the development of infrastructure policy and funding. Our voice is essential in supporting the need for funding of higher education and research. asce should strongly support reasonable pay for experienced engineers who work in government so we will continue to have experienced leadership in critical jobs.

Benefit: Engineers choose asce because they benefit from our various activities. Every activity should benefit the members. Our members continually tell us what is important to them, and I believe that we should order our priorities accordingly.

Change: Civil engineering is changing, and so is ASCE. Our “Raising the Bar” initiative now moves to the p.e. boards. Final adoption of this initiative will change how we educate and license engineers. Our workforce is changing. Our outreach and education efforts must change to attract a new generation of civil engineers. Our leadership is changing. We can modify the time commitment for national leaders to allow more people to serve. Change is good.

I am proud to be a civil engineer and a member of ASCE. I am committed to addressing the issues that will allow those who follow to enjoy our profession and organization.

Region Directors

REGION 2:

Reza Darvishian, P.E., F.ASCE

Education
•  M.S., engineering management, George Washington University, 1995
•  B.S., civil engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, 1979

Work experience
•  U.S. Department of State, civil engineering group leader
•  CH2M Hill, vice president
•  Delon Hampton Associates, Inc., regional vice president
•  PBSJ, Inc., associate
•  Prior to employment with the above firms I served as chief operation officer, principal, department head, and project manager at other engineering firms.

ASCE involvement
•  District 5 director, 2003–06
•  Chair, Region 2 Formation Group, 2005–06
•  President, National Capital Section, 1998–99
•  Vice president, National Capital Section, 1997–98
•  International Activities Committee
•  Policy Review Committee
•  Committee on Diversity and Women in Civil Engineering
•  Hoover Medal Committee
•  National Transportation Policy Committee
•  Professional Activities Committee
•  Committee on Conferences and Conventions
•  Continuing Education Committee
•  Engineering Management Committee
•  Committee on Emerging Issues
•  Engineering Management Activities Committee
•  Career Activities Committee
•  District 5 representative to asce 2000 Strategic Planning Process
•  District 5 representative to asce 1995 Strategic Planning Process

Other volunteer activities
•  Board of direction, Committee for Dulles
•  Vice president, save International, Washington, D.C., section

Vision statement: My vision of ASCE is that of a premier volunteer-driven professional civil engineering society to enhance the science of civil engineering and promote the importance of civil engineers in building a better quality of life.

I had the honor of serving as District 5 director on asce’s Board of Direction from 2003 to 2006. I witnessed the advancement of asce Policy 465 from inception to adoption by National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying member states, raising the bar for professional level entry into civil engineering. I also saw the formation of seven institutes and a change in asce governance, the Society being restructured into regional groups to tighten the link between local sections and the national Society through regional governors. The governance changes also consolidated and strengthened the Board of Direction.

As Region 2 director I will work to ensure that ASCE stays on course as an honest broker to promote and advocate the core competency of its members to influence public policy and enhance public safety, health, and welfare. I will work with the Society’s leadership and staff to develop programs and policies that address the needs of members. I will work closely with regional governors and section leaders to continue developing the regional structure so that it aligns with ASCE’s national goals.

REGION 6:

David M. Schnurbusch, P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S.C.E., University of Vermont, 1978
•  Continuing professional development courses

Work experience
•  USA Professional Services Group, Inc., 1983–2007, president and chief executive officer
•  Raymond L. Goodson Engineers, Inc., 1978–83, project manager

ASCE involvement
•  Student member and officer, University of Vermont
•  Various committees as member or chair, Dallas Branch of Texas Section
•  All offices of Dallas Branch, including president (1990–91)
•  Membership chair, two terms
•  Director at large, Texas Section (two-year term)
•  Vice president–professional, Texas Section
•  President-elect, president, and past president, Texas Section (1996–98)
•  Officer, District 15 Council
•  Chair, Texas Section Nominating Committee
•  National Executive Planning Committee
•  Chair, ASCE Hawley Trust Fellowship
•  President, Texas Civil Engineering Foundation
•  Young Engineer of the Year, 1990
•  ASCE International Outstanding Membership Chair Award, 1992
•  ASCE Civil Engineer of the Year, 1998
•  Texas Section Professional Service Award, 1997
•  Texas Section asce Award of Honor, 2003

Other volunteer activities
•  Planning and Zoning Commission chair
•  Big Brother/Sister Program
•  Civil engineering

Vision statement: Implementation of the national board transition plan will begin in 2007–08. Geographic Region 6 (Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico sections) will have its first elected director, and that person will chair the Region 6 Board of Governors and become a voting member on the Board of Direction.

As your Region 6 director, my vision statement will be “Connecting the mbsn Bridge through Region 6.” Members, branches, and sections (MBS) must be connected to the national body (n) for growth and unity of the Society to be achieved. The region’s Board of Governors is the mechanism to do just that. The three states in Region 6 each have very qualified representative governors, and their single region director will act as a direct bridge to national, and vice versa. This Region 6 bridge will allow better policy discussion, efficient governance, educational opportunities, leadership development, technology advancement, professionalism, and ethics to directly reach the members, branches, sections, region, and national body. With this Region 6 bridge in service to its ultimate potential, the leadership, trust, growth, and unity of the overall Society will reach new territory only dreamed of in the past.

REGION 7:

Robert W. Stokes, Ph.D., M.ASCE 

Education
•  Bachelor’s degree, general engineering, Antioch College, 1976
•  M.S.C.E., Ohio State University, 1977
•  Master’s degree, city and regional planning, Ohio State University, 1978
•  Ph.D., urban and regional science, Texas a&m University, 1984
Work experience
•  Adjunct professor, regional and community planning, Kansas State University, 2004–present
•  Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Kansas State University, 1999–present
•  Associate professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Kansas State University, 1991–99
•  Program manager, Urban Mobility Program, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University, 1987–91
•  Adjunct professor of transportation, Texas Southern University, 1985–90
•  Associate research planner, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas a&m University, 1983–87

ASCE involvement
•  Faculty adviser, Kansas State University asce student chapter, 1993–present
•  Committee on Student Activities, 1999–2003 (chair, 2001–02)
•  President, Kansas Section, 1999–2000
•  District 16 Council, 2000–06 (chair, 2004–05)
•  Region 7 governor, 2006–present
• Transportation and Development Institute, charter member

Other volunteer activities
•  U.S. Army, 1969–72 (Vietnam veteran, 1970–71)
•  Volunteers in Service to America (vista), 1973–74
•  Manhattan (Kansas) Urban Area Planning Board, 1992-99

Vision statement: My vision for the Society is to promote rapid and full implementation of the new regional governance structure with particular emphasis on increased and improved communications and interaction between the entities (sections, branches, and student chapters) within the region. I will strive to keep the region’s sections, branches, and student chapters abreast of national asce policy initiatives and actions through frequent personal visits, Web postings, and e-mail messages. I will place a strong emphasis on regional activities that promote face-to-face interaction between the Region 7 Board of Governors and its constituents and between the sections, branches, and student chapters within the region. As Region 7 director I will actively promote implementation of Policy 465 within the region and at the national level. I will strive to increase and improve the informed involvement of younger members and student chapters in regional and national activities. I am committed to furthering the Society’s vision of “engineers as global leaders building a better quality of life” and would sincerely appreciate your support.

REGION 10:

Potenciano A. Leoncio, Jr., P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S., civil engineering, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines
•  MCM, Polytechnic University
•  Registered civil engineer, Professional Regulation Commission
•  Accredited construction arbitrator, Construction Industry Arbitration Commission

Work experience
•  Principal associate, P.A. Leoncio, Jr. & Associates
•  Senior manager, Pennoni International (Philippines)
•  Vice president, Philippine Orion Properties
•  Executive director, Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board
•  Construction division assistant manager, Philippine Infrastructure
•  Systems and control officer, Isabela Wood Construction
•  Vice president, Complex Concrete
•  Office and resident works engineer, Amalgamated Project Management
•  Office and control engineer, Erectors Company

ASCE involvement
•  Cosignatory of first agreement of cooperation between asce and the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE)
•  First Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region: program committee chair and steering committee member
•  Philippines International Group: cofounder, past president, and executive director
•  Membership Committee: member, 2003–04, corresponding member, 2004–07
•  International Activities Committee: corresponding member, 2004–07
•  Region 10: vice-chair, 2006–07, governor, 2006–10
•  Construction Institute, member

Volunteer activities
•  PICE: member (1972–present); life member; chair, Electoral College; national board director; national secretary; chapter affairs chair; international affairs chair
•  PICE Quezon City chapter: president
•  Road Engineering Association of the Philippines: member
•  National Confederation of Constructors Association of the Philippines: cofounder, incorporator, and secretary-general

Vision statement: The Board of Direction declared in 2000 that ASCE’s vision is seeing “engineers as global leaders building a better quality of life.” Hence, asce has adopted a twin policy of informing members of globalization’s impact on the profession and serving members all over the world. While the World Trade Organization and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade have made the world an open market, advances in information technology and the Internet have virtually made the world everyone’s office.

The intent to pursue partnerships through agreements of cooperation and the institutes’ initiative to sponsor more conferences worldwide are welcome moves. I see that, more than ever, technology will influence the traditional flow of knowledge. The usual two-way flow of engineering information from one economy to another will take the form of a roundabout of multilateral exchanges with several entry and exit points. This situation will also increase the use of alternative forms of global engineering outsourcing, and here international sections and groups can play an important role.

As more and more engineers graduate from institutions outside the United States, the opportunity to increase international membership is bright. And with the first set of Region 10 governors installed, ASCE’s declaration of global concern will be well on its way to realization.

At-Large Director

Henry J. Hatch, P.E., Hon.M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S., United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, 1957
•  M.S., geodetic science, Ohio State University, 1962
 
Work experience
•  U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, 1957–92 (second lieutenant–lieutenant general)
•  The Law Companies, Atlanta, 1992–95, chairman
•  Fluor Daniel Hanford, Richland, Washington, 1995–98, president and chief executive officer
•  ASCE, Reston, Virginia, 1998–2000, chief operating officer
ASCE involvement
•  Technical Activities Committee’s Committee on Sustainability, 1998–present
•  International Activities Committee, 1998–present (chair, 2003–06)
•  Member, Building Security Council Board of Directors, 2005–06
•  Plenary speaker, 1989 (keynote), 1996; plenary moderator, 2001–05

Other volunteer activities
•  American Association of Engineering Societies: chair, International Activities Committee, 2003–present
•  National Academies of Engineering and Science, National Research Council:
  – Member, National Academy of Engineering, 1992 present
  – Member, Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment, 2001–present (chair, 2005–present)
  – Chair, Federal Facilities Council, 2002–06
  – Member, Board on Army Science and Technology, 2000–06 (vice-chair, 2005–06)
  – Vice-chair, Committee on Operational Science and Technology Options for Defeating Improvised Explosive Devices, 2006–present
•  UNESCO: chair, Natural Sciences and Engineering Committee, U.S. National Commission for UNESCO

Region Governors

REGION 1:

Leonard Cilli, A.M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S.C.E., New Jersey Institute of Technology

Work experience
•  President, Cilli Environmental Group, LLC, 1999–present
•  Technical director, Brinkerhoff Environmental Services, Inc., 1993–99
•  Project manager, Cotilla Associates, 1992–93
•  Project manager, Earth Technology Corporation, 1986–92
•  Staff engineer, Atlantic Technology, Inc., 1985–86
 
ASCE involvement
•  Vice-chair, Committee on Geographic Units
•  Region 1 governor
•  Region 1 treasurer
•  Past president, New Jersey Section
•  Past president, Central Jersey Branch
•  Past chair, District 1 Council

Other volunteer activities
•  Past secretary, New York–Philadelphia section, Association of Engineering Geologists

Anthony M. Puntin, P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S., civil engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1992

Work experience
•  The Louis Berger Group, Inc., 1998–2007
•  Earth Tech, 1998
•  Holden Engineering and Surveying, 1995–98
•  MassHighway, 1992–95

ASCE involvement
•  Region 1 governor, 2006–07
•  New Hampshire Section president-elect and president, 2003–05
•  New Hampshire Section board of directors, 2003–07
•  Member, Infrastructure and Research Policy Committee, 2006–07
•  Corresponding member, Committee on Government Affairs, 2006–07

REGION 2:

Kim Parker Brown, P.E., M.ASCE 

Education
•  M.S., management, University of Maryland, College Park
•  B.S.C.E., civil engineering, Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Work experience
•  2001–present: Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) HQ, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. Environmental program manager responsible for development of technical policy and guidance in the execution of environmental work for naval installations nationally.
•  Prior to NAVFAC assignment, served as environmental project manager at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, construction manager at the Fairfax County Department of Public Works, design engineer at the consulting firm Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, LLP, and highway engineer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

ASCE involvement
•  Committee on Diversity and Women in Engineering (2000–03, 2005–present)
•  Committee on Governmental Affairs (2005–present)
•  Publications Committee (2002)
•  Committee on Sustainability (2004–present)
•  Committee on Career Development (corresponding member)
•  National Capital Section (past president)

Other volunteer activities
•  Trustee of Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church
•  National Society of Black Engineers
•  National Association of Women in Construction
•  Society of American Military Engineers
•  National Society of Professional Engineers

Christopher J. Menna, P.E., M.ASCE 

Education
•  M.S.C.E., Villanova University, 1999
•  B.S.C.E., Temple University, 1994
•  ASCET, Spring Garden College, 1991
•  P.E. registration: Pennsylvania and New Jersey
 
Work experience
•  City of Philadelphia, Streets Department, July 1997 to 2007
•  Gannett Fleming, January–July 1997
•  Kaufman Construction Company, July 1995–July 1997
•  Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, January–July 1995

ASCE involvement
•  Past president, Philadelphia Section, 2006–07
•  Chair, Philadelphia History and Heritage Committee
•  Chair, Philadelphia Nominating Committee
•  Chair, Philadelphia Legislative Committee
•  R2FT member

Other volunteer activities
•  BSA scoutmaster 2003–07; assistant 1989–2003
•  Director, Engineers Club of Philadelphia
•  Director, Friends of the Wissahickon
•  Member, Sons of Italy
•  Member, Knights of Columbus

REGION 3:

David F. Pritchard, P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S.C.E., Ohio State University, 1967
•  M.S.C.E., Ohio State University, 1974

Work experience
•  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1967
•  Peace Corps, 1967–70
•  pw Genovese Associates, Hamden, Connecticut, 1970–71
•  Burgess & Niple, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, 1971–2007
•  Numerous technical articles
•  Numerous conference presentations dealing with energy, the environment, and management

ASCE involvement
•  All offices, Central Ohio Section, 1977–80
•  Ohio Council of Local Sections, 1980–2007 (chair, 1985)
•  State Legislative Action Committee, chair and coordinator, 1985–2007
•  Coordinated asce legislative interests with Ohio Society of Professional Engineers and other engineering, technical, and scientific groups
•  District 7 Council, 1980–2007 (chair, 1988)
•  Member, Energy Committee and Minority Affairs Committee
•  Member, State Government Relations Committee
•  Corresponding member, committee to evaluate cooperation with Engineers Without Borders
•  Member, committee to establish governance for Region 3

Other volunteer activities
•  Board member, Chamber of Commerce (chair of its Economic Development Committee)
•  Board member, Kiwanis Club, Columbus, Ohio
•  Work with ASCE student chapters involved with Engineers Without Borders–USA and similar local programs to assist developing nations by meeting engineering needs to improve the standard of living

Donald G. Wittmer, P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S.C.E., University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1990

Work experience
•  HNTB Corporation, Chicago, municipal transportation department manager

ASCE involvement
•  Active in the University of Iowa asce student chapter
•  Illinois Section treasurer and vice-chair and chair of Younger Member Forum
•  Illinois Section director, secretary, president-elect, president, and past president (2000–05)
•  Illinois Section 150th Anniversary Committee
•  Illinois Section newsletter editor
•  Illinois Section Engineers Week representative and committee chair, 2002
•  Attended asce national conference in 1996 and in 2003–06
•  Zone III Younger Member Council chair
•  Committee on Younger Members corresponding member
•  Member of Key Contact program
•  District 8 Council member
•  District 8 Council chair, 2004–05
•  State Government Relations Committee member, 2004–present
•  Steering Committee member, 2006 asce national conference

Other volunteer activities
•  Western Society of Engineers trustee, vice president, and president
•  National Engineers Week Future City Competition Chicago regional coordinator (1997–present)
•  DuPage Engineers Week Open House volunteer

REGION 4:

Charles W. Black, Jr., P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S.C.E., Clemson University, 1990
 
Work experience
• S&ME, Inc., 1992–present

ASCE involvement
•  Continuous since student member in 1988
•  South Carolina Section’s Eastern Branch: program chair, secretary/treasurer, vice president, president, and director
•  South Carolina Section: secretary, vice president, president-elect, president, and past president

Other volunteer activities
•  Charleston Civil Engineers Club: past president
•  National Brownfield Association: South Carolina Executive Board member

David D. Dee, Jr., P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S., civil engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1987
•  M.Eng, civil and environmental engineering, University of Maryland at College Park, 1998

Work experience
•  PB, assistant vice president and business manager, Fairmont, West Virginia, office
  – Certified project manager and client relations manager on transportation-related projects
  – Senior professional associate, water resources
  – More than 20 years of experience, including 18 with current employer

ASCE involvement
•  Region 4 transitional governor, 2005–07
•  Committee on Critical Infrastructure, current member
•  West Virginia Section: current past president and former president, vice president, and secretary
•  Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Technical Activities Executive Committee, current member
•  EWRI Management Practice for Control of Erosion and Sediment Standards Committee, current vice-chair
•  EWRI Stormwater Infrastructure Committee, past chair
•  2003 West Virginia Section Civil Engineer of the Year Award winner
•  1997 ASCE Edmund Friedman Young Engineer Award for Professional Achievement winner

Other volunteer activities
•  ACEC–WV, Transportation Division, director
•  ACEC–WV, Drainage Manual Review Committee, chair

Theresa E. Harrison, P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  M.S.C.E., University of Michigan, 1979
•  B.S.C.E., University of Michigan, 1978

Work experience
•  November 1997–present: Lawson-Fisher Associates P.C., South Bend, Indiana, senior civil engineer. Responsible for design, environmental documentation, and permitting (IDEM, IDNR, ACOE) contract documents for transportation and traffic projects.
•  January 2005–present: Adjunct assistant professor. Teach Introduction to Transportation Engineering in the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences.
•  January 1986–December 1987: City of Mishawaka, Indiana, assistant city engineer. Reviewed and coordinated site plans, worked with consultants and construction contractors on municipal projects, and responded to citizens’ questions.
•  May 1978–January 1985: Cole Associates, Inc., South Bend, Indiana, project engineer, highway department. Responsible for complete design process: environmental documentation, surveying, cost and time estimates, and preparation of contract documents.

ASCE involvement
•  Past president, Indiana Section
•  Past president, North Central Branch of Indiana Section
•  150th Anniversary “champion” for North Central Branch

Other volunteer activities
•  Church events, children’s school
•  “Girls + Math + Science = Choices” seminar for girls in junior high

REGION 5:

E. Bruce Lawson, P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S., civil engineering, University of Florida, 1987

Work experience
•  David Weekley Homes: May 2005–present. Area land manager with responsibilities for land acquisition, entitlement, and the development of new home communities in northern Florida, including Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Panama City.
•  Lennar Homes: December 1993–May 2005. Executive vice president with responsibility for land acquisition, entitlement, and the development of new home communities in the Orlando market.
•  Wilson Miller: 1987–93. Project engineer responsible for design of infrastructure for residential communities in southwestern Florida.
ASCE involvement
•  Transportation and Development Institute Land Use Committee, 2005–present
•  Florida Section Bylaws Committee chair, 2006–07
•  Florida Section president, 2003–04
•  Florida Section officer, 1999–2003
•  South Florida Section officer, 1997–99
•  District 10 Council, 1998–2001 and 2005–06
•  Florida Section Southwest Branch officer, 1994–98

Other volunteer activities
•  mathcounts: Board of directors (1996–present), chair (2006–present), state coordinator (1993–97), and Calusa chapter chair (1989–93)

Norma Jean Mattei, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S., Tulane University, 1982
•  Ph.D., Tulane University, 1994

Work experience
•  Associate professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New Orleans
•  Previously worked for more than 10 years for various New Orleans area consulting firms as a project engineer. The firms included Guillot-Vogt Associates, Inc., Linder & Associates, and Modjeski & Masters Bridge Engineers.

ASCE involvement
•  Transition governor, 2006: Region 5
•  Louisiana Section: past president, 2005; president, 2004; president-elect, 2003; secretary and treasurer, 2002; director, 2001
•  Delegate, 2004: District 14 Council
•  Chair, Louisiana Civil Engineering Conference and Show, 2000, New Orleans
•  New Orleans Branch: president, 2000; president-elect, 1999; vice president, 1998; treasurer, 1997; director, 1995–96
•  New Orleans Branch Structural Engineering Institute/Structures Committee: chair, 1999–2000; member, 1996–present
•  New Orleans Branch Outreach Committee: chair for past seven years

Other volunteer activities
•  Member, Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board
•  Vice-chair, Society for Experimental Mechanics Residual Stress Technical Committee
•  Member, American Concrete Institute Conference Planning Committee
•  Advisory board, Tau Beta Pi Epsilon chapter
•  Leader, Junior Girl Scout Troop 906

Lisa S. Woods, P.E., M.ASCE  

Education
•  M.S., civil engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006
•  B.S., civil engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1998

Work experience
•  Jordan, Jones & Goulding, Norcross, Georgia, December 1999–present (bridge engineer, 1999–2004; bridge discipline director, 2004–present)
•  Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta, February 1999–November 1999
ASCE involvement
•  1997–present: member, Structural Engineering Institute
•  Georgia Section: treasurer, 2006–08; director, external affairs, 2005–06; led effort to form two additional branches in southern Georgia (Macon and Valdosta); chair, Structural Technical Group, 2004–06; chair, Younger Member Committee, 2001–03
•  2006–07: chair, Local Activities Division, Structural Engineering Institute
•  2004–05: mentored high school students in the West Point Bridge Design Contest
•  1997–98: treasurer, asce Georgia Tech student chapter
•  2003: Georgia Section President’s Award
•  2002: Georgia Younger Civil Engineer of the Year

Other volunteer activities
•  Relay for Life Committee to fight cancer
•  Planning and participating in volunteer programs for coworkers   
•  First Baptist Church, Atlanta

REGION 7:

Thomas A. Chapel, CPG, P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  B.S., geology, Mesa State College, Grand Junction, Colorado, 1978
•  M.S., geotechnical engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 1998

Work experience
•  Senior geotechnical engineer, Tetra Tech, Inc., Fort Collins, Colorado, 2005–present
•  Associate and division manager, project manager, project engineer, CTL | Thompson, Inc., Fort Collins, Colorado, 1998–2005
•  Project manager, project engineer, construction inspector, City of Fort Collins, Colorado, 1990–98
•  Materials manager, Best Way Paving Company, Greeley, Colorado, 1987–90
•  Laboratory manager, geologist, field and laboratory technician, Western Colorado Testing, Grand Junction, Colorado, 1984–87
•  Geologist, geologic consultant, owner, tc Exploration, Grand Junction, Colorado, 1982–84
•  Geologist, Pioneer Nuclear, Inc., Grand Junction, Colorado, 1979–82
•  Professional engineer: Colorado, Texas, Utah, Wyoming
•  Professional geoscientist: Texas
•  Certified professional geologist

ASCE involvement
•  Founding member, Northern Colorado Branch, 1998
•  Education Committee member, 1998–2001
•  Northern Colorado Branch secretary (2001), vice president (2002), president (2003), and past president
•  Region 7 governor, 2006–present

Other volunteer activities
•  QBS Colorado Board of Directors, 2005–06
•  Larimer County Search and Rescue, 2003–present

Michael A. Vander Wert, P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  Bachelor of science, civil engineering, Iowa State University at Ames, 1985
•  Diploma, architectural drafting, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa, 1981

Work experience
•  Calhoun-Burns and Associates, Inc., Consulting Engineers, West Des Moines, Iowa, 1992–present (appointed president in June 2006)
•  Butler Manufacturing Company, Kansas City, Missouri, 1990–92, project engineer designing custom steel buildings
•  HNTB Corporation, Kansas City, Missouri 1986–90, engineer in training performing bridge design and inspection
•  Licensed professional engineer in Kansas and Iowa

ASCE involvement
•  Iowa Section Structural Technical Conference Planning Committee, 2005–present
•  Iowa Section board, 1993–2004
•  Iowa Section District 16 delegate, 2002–04
•  Iowa Section president, 1999

Other volunteer activities
•  Board of Adjustment, Planning and Zoning Commission, City of Pella, Iowa, 2007–present
•  Board of Directors, American Council of Engineering Companies of Iowa, 2005–present
•  Professional Advisory Board, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iowa, 2000–04
•  Youth coach for football, basketball, and soccer
•  Active member of Third Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa

REGION 8:

Dale A. Nelson, P.E., F.ASCE

Education
•  B.S., civil engineering, Washington State University

Work experience
•  A registered professional civil engineer in the states of Alaska and Washington with 40 years of experience in civil and environmental engineering, construction, contract and program management, and facility operations on a variety of projects. The past five years with the Alaska district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been at the Bassett resident office as chief of construction of the $200-million, 260,000 sq ft hospital at Fort Wainwright and at the Greely resident office as assistant resident engineer and chief of contract administration during the construction of the $400-million operation facilities for the Missile Defense Agency in the interior of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. These projects made it possible to apply experience acquired from previous years of practice.

ASCE involvement
•  Alaska Section, government affairs representative
•  Past officer, Pacific Northwest Council, Alaska Section, and Anchorage Branch
•  National and asce board committees

Other volunteer activities
•  Chair, Legislative Committee, Alaska Professional Design Council
•  Chair, Advisory Board, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Washington State University
•  Community Council, Municipality of Anchorage

Dennis L. Richards, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE

Education
•  B.S., civil engineering, South Dakota State University, 1969
•  M.S., civil engineering, South Dakota State University, 1971

Work experience
•  Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C., 1970–87, hydraulic engineer
•  Simons, Li & Associates, Tempe, Arizona, 1987–99, vice president
•  West Consultants, Tempe, Arizona, 1999–2006, vice president
•  CMX, Phoenix, 2006–07, water resources group program manager
•  Pacific Advanced Civil Engineering, Phoenix, 2007–present, vice president, storm-water division

ASCE involvement
•  Member since 1969
•  President, Arizona Society of Civil Engineers Section, 2005–06
•  President, Phoenix Branch, 1996–97
•  ASCE Task Committee on Institute Affiliation with Local Groups, 2003
•  ASCE Committee on Continuing Education, current corresponding member
•  Environmental and Water Resources Institute (ewri) Section and Branch Activities Council, chair, 2001–present
•  EWRI Operations Executive Committee, 2004–present
•  EWRI Member Services Executive Committee, 2001–04
•  EWRI Standards Development Council, 2004–present
•  EWRI Management Practice for Control of Erosion and Sediment Standards Committee, 2004–present
•  ASCE Local Arrangements Committee chair for 26th Water Resources Planning and Management Conference, Tempe, Arizona, 1999
•  Member of various water resources technical committees
•  Recipient of ASCE Arizona Civil Engineer Distinguished Service Award, 1999

Other volunteer activities
•  Licensed foster parent since 1992 (more than 30 children)
•  Church activities, including membership on board of direction and endowment committee and service as chair of stewardship committee
•  Various community groups

REGION 9:

Anthony A. Akel, P.E., M.ASCE

Education
•  M.S., civil engineering, California State University, Fresno, 1985
•  B.S., civil engineering, California State University, Fresno, 1983

Work experience
•  20 years of national professional experience in preparing water distribution and wastewater collection plans, storm drainage master plans, and urban water management plans
•  Project manager, engineer, or technical adviser on more than 220 master plans
•  Founder and president, Akel Engineering Group, Inc., a water resources engineering firm specializing in infrastructure modeling and master planning
•  Manager, infrastructure master planning group, Carollo Engineers, 1997–2006
•  Senior engineer, Montgomery Watson, 1992–97
•  Senior engineer, Boyle Engineering Corporation, 1987–92
•  Assistant engineer, Dimmick Corporation, 1985–87

ASCE involvement
•  San Francisco Section, president, 2004
•  Fresno Branch, president, 2000, 2001
•  San Francisco Section Environmental Committee, chair, 2002–03
•  ASCE 150th anniversary champion

Other volunteer activities
•  Governor, Toastmasters International, district 33, area F4, 2001
•  President, Toastmasters International, TLC, 2000

Joan Al-Kazily, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE

Education
• B.Engr. (civil), University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, 1959
• M.Engr. (civil), University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, 1964
• Ph.D. (civil-transportation), University of California, Berkeley, 1979

Work experience
• Seven years professional experience in the United Kingdom, Iraq, and California. Worked on design of sewage disposal systems, irrigation and drainage facilities, and rapid transit facilities.
• 17-plus years teaching at the University of Rhode Island and California State University at Sacramento. Taught the full range of transportation courses and engineering economics. Developed a graduate program in transportation engineering. Engaged in research projects with the state Department of Transportation and other public agencies.
• Six years as civil engineering department chair, California State University at Sacramento. Managed and directed day-to-day activities and budgets and led the department in long-range planning. Successfully maintained accreditation status for the civil engineering program.
• Retired August 2002.

ASCE involvement
• Faculty adviser, asce student chapter at California State University at Sacramento (eight years)
• Vice president, president-elect, and president of the Sacramento Section’s Capital Branch (1997–2000)
• Served on and chaired committees, including the Education Committee and the 150th Anniversary Committee, for the Sacramento Section

Other volunteer activities
• Fund-raising with local organizations for aids orphans in India

May 8 Lawrence H. Roth, P.E., G.E., F.ASCE, the Society’s deputy executive director, testified before two subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Roth is a licensed professional and geotechnical engineer and has more than 30 years of experience in water resources engineering, principally in the areas of dams, levees, and canals. In his testimony before the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management and the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, he called on Congress to enact the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2007 (H.R. 1098) and the National Levee Safety Program Act of 2007 (H.R. 1587)—legislation aimed at bolstering the quality of the nation’s dams and levees. “As someone who has worked in this field for many years, I can say that there are few infrastructure issues of greater importance to more Americans today than dam and levee safety,” he stated.

Sponsored by Representative John T. Salazar (D-Colorado) and Representative Randy Kuhl (R–New York), the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2007 would provide $200 million over five years for the repair, rehabilitation, or removal of nonfederal publicly owned dams whose failure would cause considerable damage or loss of life. “Like all man-made structures, dams deteriorate,” Roth pointed out. “Deferred maintenance accelerates deterioration and causes dams to be more susceptible to failure. As with other critical infrastructure, a significant investment is essential to maintain benefits and assure safety.”

ASCE assigned dams an overall grade of D in its 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, and since then there have been modest gains in improving the quality of the dams that have been deemed unsafe. “There are now more than three thousand three hundred unsafe dams nationwide—an alarming number,” Roth said. “The nation’s dam safety officials estimate that it would cost more than ten billion dollars over the next twelve years to upgrade the physical condition of all critical nonfederal dams.”

According to the National Performance of Dams Program, which collects information on performance from dam owners and state and federal regulatory agencies, more than 30 dam failures have occurred in the past four years. The failure of the dam at Mississippi’s Big Bay Lake in 2004 destroyed 100 homes, and the breach of the dam at Michigan’s Silver Lake Reservoir in 2003 resulted in more than $100 million in damages. The recent dam failures in Hawaii, Missouri, and New York also are compelling examples of the potential consequences of unsafe dams. In June 2006, after a 10-hour storm, a leak in the dam at Maryland’s Lake Needwood forced 2,200 people from their homes as workers labored for days to lower the water level.

“The problem of hazardous dams is enormous,” Roth went on to say. “Although catastrophic failures are rare, there were over one thousand dam safety incidents—including one hundred twenty-nine failures—between 1999 and 2006. The number of high-hazard dams—dams whose failure would cause loss of human life—is increasing dramatically, largely because of downstream development. By 2005, the number of high-hazard-potential dams totaled more than eleven thousand nationally.”

Last year asce’s Board of Direction adopted Policy 280, which “supports the enactment of state and federal regulations and legislation to protect the health and welfare of citizens from the catastrophic impact of dam failure.” The policy also urges the U.S. government to take “responsibility for the safety of all federal dams and federally regulated dams . . . [including] funding [for] the Dam Safety and Security Act of 2002,” and asks that “federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Interior . . . be adequately funded to operate and maintain their dams as well as to provide sufficient security improvements.”

The National Levee Safety Program Act of 2007, introduced in March by Representative Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio), would establish a levee safety program modeled on the National Dam Safety Program, which is led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “ASCE strongly supports the enactment of federal and state legislation to protect the health and welfare of citizens from the catastrophic effects of levee failures,” Roth said. “The act should require the federal and state governments to conduct mandatory safety inspections for all levees and establish a national inventory of levees. The inventory database should include the levee’s location, date of construction, local sponsor, and current physical condition based on the most recent inspection. Every levee that has been wholly or partly constructed with federal funds should be inspected at least once every five years.”

One of the main recommendations of asce’s External Review Panel (ERP) was to establish a national levee safety program. asce convened the ERP in 2005 at the behest of Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock, P.E., M.ASCE, then the commander and chief of engineers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to peer-review the work of the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force—the body assembled by the Corps to review the performance of the hurricane protection system in New Orleans and southeastern Louisiana. In February 2006 asce’s Sacramento Section released an infrastructure assessment (“report card”) that conferred an overall grade of D on the system of levees in Sacramento. The assessment looked at the levees extending for more than 2,400 mi (3,862 km) along the Sacramento, American, and San Joaquin rivers and also providing protection in the delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The ASCE California Infrastructure Report Card 2006 conferred an overall grade of F on the system of levees. Experts estimate that repairing the valley’s levees would cost $12 billion. “We are literally today one storm or one big earthquake away from a major disaster,” Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, told the Associated Press on February 23, 2006, at a news conference held atop a levee separating the Sacramento River from a neighborhood just yards away. “Now we have seen what happened with Katrina,” he said. “I think that woke everyone up.”

Large portions of the levees there were built by farmers or settlers more than 100 years ago and haven’t been modernized or adequately maintained to protect the urban population that sprawls through the valley today. “As was the case in New Orleans, the possibility of catastrophic floods in either the Central Valley or the delta is not a new concern: major floods occur every decade or so,” wrote Robert L. Reid in the article “Is California Next?” which appeared in the November 2005 issue of Civil Engineering. “In the Central Valley, three people died during the last major flood, in January 1997, when a levee failed on the left bank of the Feather River, a floodwater bypass called the Sutter Bypass failed without warning, and more than 30 levees failed on the San Joaquin River. More than 120,000 people were forced out of their homes, and 55,000 of them were sent to temporary shelters,” Reid wrote.

The Sacramento Section, as well as the Society as a whole, hopes that the 2006 report will draw attention to the dire condition of the levees and encourage politicians to allocate more funds to infrastructure. (The section is cosponsoring a levee conference July 24–26 in Sacramento at the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza. For more information, visit www.samesacramento.org/calendar/2007leveeconference.html.) While Schwarzenegger has proposed a public works bond plan that would spend $2.5 billion in state money over 10 years for levee enhancements and flood control in the Sacramento area, this figure pales in comparison with the $12 billion experts say would be needed to ensure that the region’s residents who are now at risk—more than 400,000 people—are adequately protected.

In closing, Roth said that National Levee Safety Program Act of 2007 “should authorize federal financial assistance for the rehabilitation of substandard levees wholly or partially funded by the federal government and should also fund state levee safety programs where there is a threat to human life, property, or public safety.” He then went on to say that “a bill introduced by Representative Jean Schmidt . . . would satisfy virtually all of these important requirements. The National Levee Safety Program Act of 2007 contains the necessary elements of a sound, well-balanced levee safety program for the nation.”

   —Mark Fitzgerald

SITUATION: A major shareholder of an engineering firm is elected to a high-ranking public office. Although the shareholder has no direct involvement in the day-to-day operations of the engineering firm, much of the firm’s business involves government contracts, and an officer of the firm—an engineer and asce member—is concerned over the ethical implications of the firm’s connection to the public official. He contacts the asce ethics hotline for help in determining his obligations under ASCE’s Code of Ethics.

QUESTION: What ethical concerns might an engineer face when a major shareholder of his or her place of employment is elected to public office?

DECISION: The most important factor in determining the engineer’s ethical obligations is the extent to which the firm’s shareholder takes part in actions that have a direct effect on the firm. If, for example, the shareholder sits on a committee that awards contracts for which the firm is bidding, the shareholder’s financial interest in the firm may be in direct conflict with his duty to award contracts in a manner that best serves the public interest. Of course, if the shareholder does not play an official role in decisions affecting the firm but nevertheless uses his position to put pressure on or otherwise influence the decision makers, this too would represent a conflict of interest on the shareholder’s part.

Nearly every federal, state, or local government official is subject to statutory regulations banning participation in official actions when the official has a financial or other personal interest in the outcome. For example, section 208 of title 18 of the United States Code prohibits officers and employees of the federal government from involvement “through decision, approval, disapproval, recommendation, the rendering of advice, investigation, or otherwise” in any matter wherein the officer or any person or entity related to the officer has any financial interest.

ASCE’s Code of Ethics contains a similar restriction on members engaged in public service. Canon 4 reads as follows: “Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.” Category (a) of the guidelines to practice for this canon adds the following:

“Engineers . . . shall promptly inform their employers or clients of any business association, interests, or circumstances which could influence their judgment or the quality of their services.” Category (d) goes on to say that engineers “in public service as members, advisors, or employees of a governmental body or department shall not participate in considerations or actions with respect to services solicited or provided by them or their organization in private or public engineering practice.”

While all of these ethical obligations relate to the individual public official, the Code of Ethics contains two provisions that might tie an engineer in the shareholder’s firm to actions taken by the shareholder. Category (a) of the guidelines to practice for canon 6 reads as follows: “Engineers shall not knowingly engage in business or professional practices of a fraudulent, dishonest, or unethical nature.” Further, canon 5 has this to say: “Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others.”

If an engineer solicits action from a government entity—knowing that an official has failed to disclose a disqualifying conflict of interest or is otherwise exerting undue influence on the decision—this engineer is knowingly participating in an unethical practice, in violation of canon 6. Also, if this action involves awarding benefits to the firm over other firms that are competing for the same benefits, the engineer has engaged in unfair competition, in violation of canon 5.

As an additional consideration, it is important for the engineer to review state and local laws and the rules of professional conduct enacted by his or her licensing board as these may impose more stringent restrictions than ASCE’s Code of Ethics. For example, section 240.15(B)(7) of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying’s rules of professional conduct reads as follows:

Licensees shall not solicit or accept a professional contract from a governmental body on which a principal or officer of their organization serves as a member.” If the engineer’s state has enacted a similar regulation, it may be an ethical violation for the engineer to accept work from the government body even if the official in question has taken steps to remove himself or herself from the decision-making process.

The asce ethics hotline advised the member in this case to exercise caution with respect to any government action involving the shareholder in his public capacity. If an engineer believes that a public official involved in government action has a direct conflict of interest, the engineer must ensure that that official recuses himself or herself from the decision, and in such cases an engineer may even be barred completely from soliciting or accepting work from the government body. Furthermore, if an engineer is aware of a potential conflict of interest on the part of a public official—even if he or she does not believe it to require disqualification—it is prudent for the engineer to make full disclosure of the potential conflict to the government body.

Members who have an ethics question or would like to file a complaint with the Committee on Professional Conduct may call asce’s hotline at (703) 295-6061 or (800) 548-ASCE (2723), extension 6061. The attorneys staffing this line can provide advice on how to handle an ethics issue or file a complaint. Please note that individual facts and circumstances vary from case to case and that the general summary information contained in these case studies is not to be construed as a precedent binding upon the Society.

When I meet new people outside of the civil engineering community and they ask what I do, I proudly say, “I am a civil engineer.” Indeed, this is our profession; however, each of us may answer with a slight variation, perhaps replying, “I am a structural engineer” or “I am a geotechnical engineer,” because we practice within our own unique technical specialties. In fact, plenty of members join asce for technical reasons and participate in at least one of our seven institutes, which focus on developing, publishing, and disseminating technical and practice-oriented information within our various civil engineering subdisciplines.

I believe some of our greatest and most important work as engineers is done right in our own backyards at the local level. When we asce members think of using our memberships to get involved at home, we usually think of participating in our sections, branches, or younger member groups. But did you know that asce offers opportunities for you to gain knowledge and skill in your particular area of expertise through local technical groups?

In 2003, 45 percent of ASCE sections had no local technical groups. Recognizing that the sections and branches could enhance the value of membership by addressing various specialty areas, asce set up a task committee to develop materials that could foster effective and relevant relationships whereby ASCE’s sections, branches, and local technical groups could draw on the expertise of the institutes.

In addition to increasing the value of your membership, technical groups can help you hone your specialty skills by promoting and coordinating technical and professional activities that foster new civil engineering principles, advance new concepts, and make information available.

Last year, the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) worked with the Illinois Section’s water resources technical group to have an ASCE author speak at a workshop on what are called best management practices. The EWRI maintains a list of local technical chairs and encourages those individuals to share activities, speakers, and workshops so that the largest possible number of members can benefit from presentations by renowned speakers and from the fruitful discussions that follow.

In similar fashion, in the fall of 2002 the Local Activities Division of our Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) held its annual regional meeting in Atlanta. Since then this gathering has become a premier event for local technical group leaders, enabling them to meet and exchange notes on what activities they have found beneficial and to gather new ideas. Upon hearing that John Burland, a professor emeritus at London’s Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine, planned to visit the United States in May 2003 to discuss his work on the commission to adjust the famed leaning tower in Pisa, Italy, structure technical group chairs from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and New York City worked with Burland to schedule presentations in their cities.

Such local activities as EWRI’s workshop and Burland’s presentations only scratch the surface of what can be accomplished and offered through collaboration on the part of local leaders. Indeed, truly exceptional programs can be delivered to members at home. Other local groups offer such activities as tours of new projects and projects involving historic preservation. These local activities are important because they provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and help to advance engineering practice.

Local technical groups may also tap into a speakers’ bureau—a listing of individuals who have authored important works or led groundbreaking projects. Local technical groups can access this list, along with the topics available for local seminars and meetings. The Geo-Institute (G-I) offers a growing selection of more than 150 speakers, and local groups can avail themselves of this resource to boost attendance at dinner meetings and guarantee successful evenings. Moreover, our institutes offer cost-sharing options for obtaining high-profile speakers and programs.

The advantages offered to local units, however, extend far beyond speaker programs. The ewri’s Section and Branch Activities Council sponsors an annual award that is presented to an outstanding technical group or institute chapter. The Kansas City EWRI chapter captured the 2007 award for its efforts to keep the engineering community abreast of current projects and advances in environmental and water resources engineering through bimonthly luncheon meetings held across the Kansas City area.

Several asce institutes offer low-cost continuing education programs to local groups—a valuable professional service in view of the fact that most states require civil engineers to earn a certain number of continuing education units or professional development hours each year. The SEI prepares seminars that can be conducted on the local level and has experts available to deliver presentations. The G-I has set up task forces charged with aiding the development of local groups and disseminating material for continuing education. Broader educational seminars are in development, including sessions on standards and manuals of practice.

The creation of local technical groups creates new possibilities for developing our specialty skills and broadening our expertise. If a technical group does not exist in your area, I encourage you to start one by following these steps:

1. Assemble a group of members interested and practicing in a technical subdiscipline represented by an institute. asce staff can provide you with a list of institute members in your area.
2. Meet with your section or branch board of directors to request approval and assistance and to determine whether interaction with the institute should be through that board.
3. Contact the staff of the institute under which you wish to form a chapter to request initial approval and assistance in planning the affiliation.
4. Prepare a detailed proposal and provide a copy to the institute.
5. Once approved by the section or branch and by the institute, provide your chapter’s bylaws to Society headquarters.

I hope each of you will take active steps to increase the depth of your specialty knowledge. Getting involved at the grassroots level in your technical area will expand your expertise and ensure that you maximize the value of your ASCE membership.

For additional information on any of ASCE’s local institute technical committees or to obtain guidance materials, visit www.asce.org/instfound.

 —W.F. Marcuson III, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE

Mongan Named At-Large Director Of AAES

The American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES)—a multidisciplinary organization of engineering groups committed to advancing engineering theory and practice—has elected David G. Mongan, P.E., F.ASCE, the Society’s president-elect, to its executive committee as an at-large director. Mongan, of Reisterstown, Maryland, is the president of the architecture and engineering firm Whitney, Bailey, Cox & Magnani, of Baltimore. The firm provides services in highway and bridge engineering, architecture, and waterfront and marine engineering. Mongan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Maryland and a master’s in business administration from Loyola College. He has served as asce treasurer, Zone I vice president, and District 5 director and has lent his services to task committees dealing with institute operating procedures, the academic prerequisites for professional practice, and ASCE's 150th anniversary. He has also chaired committees dealing with government relations, infrastructure policy, technical activities, annual conferences, and federal procurement of architecture and engineering services. A chair of the steering committee for the Summit on the Future of Civil Engineering, a conference held last year in Lansdowne, Virginia, Mongan has been working with leaders in the civil engineering community to establish a collective vision for the future of the profession. The Maryland Section named him its 1998 civil engineer of the year, and the following year the Engineering Society of Baltimore designated him its engineer of the year. In 2003 he was honored with asce’s William H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award. Active in the business community, Mongan chairs the American Council of Engineering Companies’ legislative committee for Maryland and is a member of the board of directors of Maryland’s Chamber of Commerce.

Amadei Wins Hoover Medal

Bernard Amadei, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, has been named the 63rd recipient of the Hoover Medal. This prestigious award was instituted to commemorate the civic and humanitarian achievements of Herbert Hoover, a U.S. president, an honorary member of asce, and the first recipient of the medal. The inscription on the medal reads as follows: “Awarded by Engineers to a Fellow Engineer for Distinguished Public Service.” Amadei is the founder of Engineers Without Borders–USA, a nonprofit humanitarian organization established to work with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves the implementation of projects that embody the principles of sustainable development and the training of engineers and engineering students throughout the world. Two years ago Amadei received the Norm Augustine Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Communications from the American Association of Engineering Societies. A professor in the civil, environmental, and architectural engineering department at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Amadei focuses on geomaterials, rock mechanics, and engineering geology. He has authored approximately 150 technical articles and two books: Rock Anisotropy and the Theory of Stress Measurements and Rock Stress and Its Measurement. He earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Toronto and a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. From 1990 to 1994 he served as chairman of ASCE's Rock Mechanics Committee. The Hoover Medal is administered by a board composed of representatives of asce, the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

McCarty Receives Stockholm Water Prize

Perry L. McCarty, Ph.D., M.ASCE, was recently awarded the 2007 Stockholm Water Prize for groundbreaking work in the design and operation of water and wastewater systems. Presented each year by the Stockholm International Water Institute, the award seeks to encourage research and development efforts in the world’s water environment by recognizing “outstanding water-related activities” in such fields as education, research, and water management. McCarty, a professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, is widely recognized for developing relatively economical wastewater treatment processes, in particular, anaerobic treatment systems that rely on complex chemical reactions carried out by naturally occurring, beneficial microbes. “Professor McCarty has made landmark contributions towards understanding the microbiology and chemistry of anaerobic wastewater treatment systems,” states the nominating committee’s citation. “He has discovered the fundamental bases for the complex processes that now can be used in the design and operation of treatment systems. He has also tackled the important problem of organic compounds and pollutants in wastewater and underground aquifer systems. His pioneering research has allowed the development of more effective treatment practices.” McCarty is the author of more than 300 papers that have appeared in water science, environmental engineering, and microbiology science journals, and his two textbooks on the chemistry, biology, and design of treatment systems for municipal and industrial wastewater continue to be widely read. From 1989 to 2003 he directed the Western Regional Hazardous Substances Research Center, which is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. McCarty is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an honorary member of the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation.

AISC Honors Nair with Lectureship Award

The American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., (AISC) has honored R. Shankar Nair, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, with its 2007 T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award for his paper “Stability and Analysis Provisions of the 2005 aisc Specification for Steel Buildings.” The award is presented annually to an author or lecturer for outstanding engineering contributions relating to fabricated structural steel. Nair accepted the award on April 20 in New Orleans at the North American Steel Construction Conference and also presented a paper there entitled “A New Approach to Design for Stability.” In that paper Nair argues that “too many engineers are doing stability design by rote—where they go through the motions prescribed in the specification or manual without really understanding the actual physical meaning of each step. And that’s just wrong; that’s not engineering.” Nair challenges engineers to base each step of design on the fundamental concepts of engineering, and he shows in the paper how structures can be designed for stability by a “transparent” process in which each step has a clear physical significance. A principal and senior vice president of Teng & Associates, Inc., a design and construction firm headquartered in Chicago, Nair has designed many major bridges, including structures for interstate highways crossing the Mississippi. His accomplishments also include designing a steel stringer bridge that at the time of its completion had the longest span in the United States and a tied arch that at the time of its completion was the longest in the world. He has also developed the structural designs of many of Chicago’s tall buildings. For the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center, he conceived a structural design that cantilevers two 40-story office towers over a column-free trading hall by means of a unique shear diaphragm transfer system. Nair served as chairman of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat from 1997 to 2001. He holds a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is licensed as a professional engineer in 43 states.

McGuire Elected to National Academy of Engineering

Robin K. McGuire, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, the president of Risk Engineering, Inc., a hazards analysis firm in Boulder, Colorado, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. McGuire founded Risk Engineering in 1984 and through his practice has contributed significantly to the development of risk- and hazard-based technology and its application to structures and facilities exposed to natural or man-made hazards. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of more than 100 technical papers dealing with the application of probabilistic techniques to analyze and design engineering facilities, and his monograph Seismic Hazard and Risk Analysis, which was published in 2004 by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, has been a valuable resource for engineers concerned with earthquake hazard and risk analysis. Election to the National Academy of Engineering is one of the highest professional distinctions conferred on an engineer. Membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature.” It also signalizes individuals for “pioneering . . . new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”

Three ASCE Members Elected To ACI Board of Direction

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) has elected David Darwin, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, Ramon L. Carrasquillo, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, and Charles Hanskat, P.E., F.ASCE, directors and as such they will serve on its governing board.

Darwin—the Deane E. Ackers Distinguished Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas and the director of the school’s Structural Engineering and Materials Laboratory—was installed as ACI’s president in April for a one-year term. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in structural engineering from Cornell University and a doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The coauthor of two textbooks, he has chaired several asce committees and is a former member of the Board of Governors of asce’s Structural Engineering Institute. At present he chairs the Executive Committee of the institute’s Codes and Standards Activities Division. Darwin also served for six years as the editor of ASCE’s Journal of Structural Engineering.

Carrasquillo, who in 1984 founded Rainbow Materials, Inc., a ready-mixed concrete company in Austin, Texas, is an expert on the repair and rehabilitation of concrete structures and is renowned for his expertise with regard to fiber-reinforced concrete, fly ash use, and durability. He has also developed new technology relating to concrete materials. He was a professor in the structural engineering and construction materials departments at the University of Texas at Austin for more than 20 years and also served as an associate director of the university’s International Center for Aggregates Research. Carrasquillo has 95 peer-reviewed publications to his credit and in 1999 the Texas Department of Transportation honored him with its Top Ten Research Findings and Innovations Award.

Hanskat, a principal at ctlGroup, an engineering firm in Skokie, Illinois, has contributed to the design, construction, and evaluation of environmental concrete structures for nearly 35 years. Licensed as a professional engineer in 17 states, Hanskat has been active in many professional and technical engineering societies, including asce, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the Florida Engineering Society (FES), for which he has held more than 50 committee and officer positions at the national, state, and local levels. His many honors include the Tau Beta Pi Distinguished Service Award and being named young engineer of the year by the FES and engineer of the year by ASCE’s Florida Section. Hanskat earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Florida.

Fellows Elected

The following members were elected fellows of the Society in recent months. ASCE fellows are legally registered professional engineers or land surveyors who have made significant technical or professional contributions and have demonstrated notable achievement in responsible charge of engineering activity for at least 10 years following election to the ASCE grade of member. Fellows occupy the Society’s second-highest membership grade, exceeded only by honorary members.

Issam Mustafa Ali, P.E., F.ASCE, is a team leader of the land development group PSOMAS, a leading engineering and information services firm that focuses on land development, water resources, and transportation markets in the western United States. Ali has more than 26 years of professional experience on various types of land development and public works projects. His expertise is in conducting sediment transport studies and modeling using HEC-2 and HEC-1 models (“HEC” denoting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hydrologic Engineering Center). He has prepared National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) reports for large construction projects and has developed a series of mitigation measures to address erosion, sedimentation, and turbidity. While working on projects with the City of Signal Hill, California, he developed specialized skills for improving streets, grading, sewer systems, and water systems. He also gained a deeper insight into storm drain plans, environmental engineering, and hydrology and hydraulic studies and acquired expertise in writing specifications for construction. Ali has received numerous awards from asce and from the Orange County Branch of its Los Angeles Section for his dedicated involvement, including the asce Presidents’ Award in 2004 and awards conferred in 2005 in recognition of his humanitarian efforts and professional service. He has also demonstrated a deep commitment to his native country by initiating a program to save the Mesopotamian marshes in southern Iraq.

David Bloomquist, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, holds four degrees from the University of Florida, where he has taught for 26 years and been honored with numerous teaching awards. An associate professor in the civil and coastal engineering department, he has completed more than 50 research projects and is currently the principal investigator or one of the principal investigators on projects with funding totaling more than $14 million. This vast research activity has led to the publication of more than 60 articles, reports, and book chapters, as well as a number of presentations. Bloomquist holds three patents and has three patents pending for his development of equipment relating to concrete permeability and erosion prediction. He also devotes a great deal of time to mentoring students and new engineers. He speaks at middle schools and teaches review courses for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam and the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam. Indeed, he served for three years as one of the writers of the latter exam. He is the founder of the Chi Epsilon chapter at the University of Florida and continues to be involved in its activities as an adviser.

Jorge Garcia, Reg. Eng., F.ASCE, has dedicated his professional career to integrating civil engineering practice with financial and project management. Garcia has developed a lean project management scheme that has been used in major building projects in Colombia, and he has incorporated the scheme into the graduate program at the Universidad de los Andes, in Bogotá. Garcia received a degree in civil engineering from that university and went on to obtain master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Between 1977 and 1983 he worked in the financial sector in banking and insurance to learn the nuances of the financial arena. He felt this knowledge to be essential for working in civil engineering. In order to put into practice his integral approach to engineering, management, and finance, Garcia founded a project management firm, lgr Ltda, which he continues to head today. Garcia and his firm have successfully completed a number of projects in Colombia involving residential and commercial mixed-use facilities. The work has included two hotels in Bogotá that were among the city’s largest at the time of their completion. In addition to teaching at the Universidad de los Andes, Garcia helped to develop a graduate civil engineering management program there. He has also lectured at Purdue University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Luis E. Garcia, Reg. Eng, F.ASCE, is the founder and president of Proyectos y Disenos Ltda and has been in charge of the design of more than 10 million m² of buildings, bridges, and industrial facilities throughout Latin America. He has been instrumental in developing standards governing earthquake resistance and code requirements for reinforced concrete in Colombia. In addition to chairing the committee that developed the first Colombian seismic code, he authored a work on structural dynamics applied to earthquake-resistant design that is used by engineers throughout Latin America. Garcia led a worldwide project on simplifying building codes that resulted in the American Concrete Institute document “Essential Requirements for Reinforced Concrete Buildings” (IPS-1). Garcia has taught at the Universidad de los Andes, in Bogotá, Colombia, since 1973, and he lectured at Purdue University as a visiting professor from 2001 to 2003. He has been a member of ASCE’s Republic of Colombia Section since 1973 and was invited to make a presentation on simplified standards for reinforced concrete at the Society’s 2002 national conference. Garcia earned a degree in civil engineering from the Universidad de los Andes and went on to obtain a master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Ronald N. Kirkpatrick, P.E., F.ASCE, has provided the management and oversight required for the implementation of hundreds of public projects in 22 years of public service in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. He currently serves as the director of the department’s planning and design division, overseeing more than 200 active projects with a combined value exceeding $800 million. He developed a value engineering policy for capital projects in Fairfax County, an achievement recognized with an award from the National Association of Counties in 1999. Fairfax County is one of the first municipalities in the United States to make a value engineering approach mandatory. Kirkpatrick has provided direction and oversight for many major projects, including the expansion and upgrade of the Norman M. Cole, Jr., Pollution Control Plant and the expansion of the county’s Adult Detention Center and a judicial center. Other projects have dealt with transportation, pedestrian safety, sewer extensions, and municipal construction. In 2004 Kirkpatrick created a technical committee within the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services to address the concerns of professional engineers and licensed architects. A graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a licensed professional engineer in the state of Virginia, Kirkpatrick has served as a member of his alma mater’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Board, which provides advice to the school’s civil and environmental engineering department.

Richard O. Mines, Jr., Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, is a professor at Mercer University and the director of the school’s environmental engineering program. His research focuses on the design, operation, and modeling of activated-sludge and bionutrient removal systems. Mines has served as the principal investigator on numerous funded projects and has 37 refereed papers to his credit. He is extremely dedicated to civil and environmental engineering education and to properly training future generations of engineers, and he has been honored on a number of occasions with awards recognizing his prowess as a teacher. Mines has been active in the American Society for Engineering Education since 1995 and served as president of its southeastern section in 2002 and 2003. He has worked to increase the number of faculty members at Mercer University and to expand its environmental engineering program, transforming its curriculum into one that is rigorous and broadly based. Mines holds degrees from the Virginia Military Institute, the University of Virginia, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and earlier worked with CH2M Hill and Black & Veatch on projects involving sanitary sewers, treatment plant designs, biological wastewater treatment plant expansions, and evaluations of alternative wastewater treatment processes.

Roxanne Pillar, P.E., F.ASCE, has more than 28 years of experience managing projects for municipal, federal, private, and industrial clients. She is currently vice president of Huitt-Zollars, Inc., in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to being a professional engineer in Texas and Louisiana, Pillar has obtained professional accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Pillar graduated from South Dakota State University in 1977 and entered the engineering profession at a time when few female colleagues or role models were to be found. She has achieved a number of “firsts” in her career, among them being the first woman chapter president and later state president of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, the first woman ever appointed to the Texas Board of Professional Engineers, and the first woman ever to chair that board. Pillar has participated in a number of high-profile projects, for example, the traffic control tower at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, in Austin, Texas; the rehabilitation of Texas’s Morris Sheppard Dam; the automated people mover (“Skylink”) at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; construction of the Richland Chambers Reservoir, near Corsicana, Texas; and the creation of “quiet zones” in the Trinity Bluffs area of Fort Worth after a revamping of the requirements by the Federal Railroad Administration. Pillar’s dedication to excellence in the profession is demonstrated by her active participation in professional associations and her service on committees and boards. Within asce she served as president of the Texas Section’s Fort Worth Branch and was a member of a Texas Section committee dealing with state conferences. She believes her greatest professional achievement has been helping women to see engineering as a viable profession.

Ali Touran, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, is an associate professor in the civil engineering department at Northeastern University and the coordinator of the graduate program there in construction management. He received his undergraduate training at the University of Tehran, in Iran, and obtained master’s and doctoral degrees from Stanford University. His research has covered a broad range of construction management issues, and he has made contributions in cost and schedule analysis, simulation modeling of construction operations, and probabilistic risk assessments. Touran is a specialty editor for asce’s Journal of Construction Engineering and Management and he chairs the editorial board of Civil Engineering Practice, the journal of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section. He has conducted sponsored research for, among other groups, the Federal Transit Administration, the Transportation Research Group of the United Kingdom’s University of Southampton, and the risk modeling and technology firm air. Touran has nearly 35 articles in peer-reviewed journals to his credit and is actively involved with the scientific and technical committees for the International Structural Engineering and Construction (ISEC) Conference, which is held at various venues around the world. Touran has been involved with asce committees and local activities since 1986. In his 25 years of professional teaching and practice, he has developed three university courses in construction management and has done consulting work for a number of agencies in the areas of construction management, data analysis, and risk analysis.

Wynn R. Walker, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, is a professor of biological and irrigation engineering and associate dean of the College of Engineering at Utah State University. Before becoming associate dean, Walker headed the irrigation engineering program for 17 years. His specializations include the design, simulation, and evaluation of surface irrigation systems, and he has made major contributions in the area of low-cost methods for incorporating simple automation hardware into canal structures locally and internationally. Walker has been awarded more than $10 million in external research funding from bodies that have included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Breaking new ground in many areas of his field, he developed one of the first models to quantify the relationship between irrigation efficiency and the quality of irrigation return flows, and he coauthored the first comprehensive text on surface irrigation design, evaluation, and simulation. He also developed a comprehensive software package for optimizing surface irrigation management that is being produced by the usda for its National Engineering Handbook. Walker has directed irrigation rehabilitation and modernization projects in Egypt, Thailand, Morocco, Ecuador, El Salvador, India, and the Dominican Republic. He has developed online and long-distance courses in irrigation engineering in French and Arabic using state-of-the-art teaching techniques. A world leader and expert in irrigation engineering, he has devoted his career to educating and preparing future civil and agricultural engineers around the world.

Hyoseop Woo, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, is the vice president of the Korea Institute of Construction Technology (KICT), the largest public research institution on infrastructure in South Korea. He joined the kict in the 1980s and since then has worked to adapt modern American practices for analyzing and measuring sediment transport to projects in South Korea involving rivers and reservoirs, work that has resulted in new standards. Woo received a civil engineering degree from Seoul National University and a doctorate from Colorado State University, where he also taught as a visiting professor. He is a licensed professional engineer in Ohio and South Korea. Woo has developed several computer models for what is called the modified Einstein procedure, along with guidelines for selecting sediment transport formulas, and his contributions have benefited engineering practice in South Korea and other parts of Asia. He introduced the concept of stream restoration in South Korea through a series of research and demonstration projects extending from the 1990s to 2003. Those projects included the restoration in Seoul of the stream Yangjaecheon, which influenced the larger endeavor in that city to restore the Cheonggyecheon—a landmark urban revitalization project recognized worldwide. Stream restoration has developed into a new academic discipline as a branch of environmental hydraulics. Stream restoration has resulted in a new business market in South Korea generating nearly U.S.$10 million per year. Woo has promoted stream restoration through his contributions at numerous international forums and exchanges.

Fellow applications may be obtained from ASCE’s world headquarters, in Reston, Virginia, by calling (800) 548-2723 or, from outside the country, (703) 295-6300 or by e-mailing memapp@asce.org. Applications for fellow status are also available in PDF format at www.asce.org/membership/fellowgrade.cfm. Applicants using the PDF format must request reference forms and return envelopes from ASCE through one of the contact points listed above. Completed applications are considered at the monthly meetings of the Society’s Membership Application Review Committee (MARC), which elects qualified candidates to the fellow grade. Questions regarding the fellow guidelines or application process (including waiver of guideline inquiries) should be directed to Curtis Nunley, the staff liaison to the MARC, at one of the contact points above.

The geographic services department has completed its 2007 spring series of biannual conference calls with section and branch presidents and region governors. More than 30 region, section, and branch leaders took advantage of this opportunity to learn about the current activities of asce, as well as to share their own activities and programs with peers from across the country. Topics of discussion included communication, government relations, member recruitment and retention, professional practice, and geographic services resources and programs. Summaries of all the calls have been placed on asce’s Web site for the benefit of all section and branch leaders.
 
I’d like to announce the official release of the printed version of the 2007 Engineering Income and Salary Survey and to thank all the members who provided compensation data. Thanks to you, the 2007 edition features salary data on more than 20,000 civil engineers nationwide. Participating members can now log in and obtain a free report detailing salary information in their region at their level. Moreover, members can purchase an online subscription to the survey to generate reports and compare salary trends on the basis of licensure, location, engineering grade, and other categories. Human resources professionals can use the tool to benchmark their company’s compensation strategy. To access the survey, visit www.asce.org/salaries.

Act now to influence the Society’s public policy priorities in the coming year. Complete the 2008 Issues Survey online at www.asce.org/govrel/survey.cfm. Please note that you will need your six-digit asce member identification number to complete the survey. If you need help determining your identification number, call (800) 548-ASCE (2723). Results from the survey will be used by the Committee on Government Affairs and the Board of Direction to determine the issues to which ASCE will accord priority in 2008. The survey closes Friday, June 29.

I am very pleased to report that at its April meeting the Board of Direction chose the Society’s honorary members for 2007: David B. Ashley, Ph.D., Hon.M.ASCE; Zdeneˇk P. Bažant, Ph.D., S.E., Hon.M.ASCE; Franklin Y. Cheng, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE; David E. Daniel, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE; Chris T. Hendrickson, Ph.D., Hon.M.ASCE; Robert D. Holtz II, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE; Jeremy Isenberg, Ph.D., P.E, Hon.M.ASCE; Bobby E. Price, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE; Clifford W. Randall, Ph.D., Hon.M.ASCE; and Marvin M. Specter, P.E., L.S., Hon.M.ASCE. The induction ceremony will be on November 3 in Orlando, Florida, during this year’s annual conference. I thank the members of the Society Awards Committee and those who submitted nominations and recommendations for their efforts to bring recognition to these outstanding engineers. I encourage you to participate in the process by nominating your mentor for this membership grade. To learn more about honorary membership and the nomination process, visit www.asce.org/awards.

Among the imposing challenges that civil engineers face today is finding liability insurance for which their practice area qualifies. In fact, many insurance companies do not offer coverage for any engineering practice areas. Let’s face it: no matter how good your design, you can still be sued. As a civil engineer, you risk being sued every time you work on a project. And regardless of how well you’ve done your job, you’ll have to spend valuable time and hard-earned money to defend yourself in a lawsuit. Marsh Affinity Group Services, working with the Society, has developed the asce Professional Liability Program to counter the risks you face and to protect you from negligent acts, errors, and omissions. The program offers flexibility in that the premium payments can be tailored to fit your budget and financial needs. It also covers you whether you are self-employed or part of a small firm, helping you safeguard your future. For information about eligibility and about the plan’s features, cost, renewability, limitations, and exclusions, visit http://www.personal-plans.com/product/asceinsurance/ and click on “Professional Liability.”

You can ensure the recruitment of the best young engineers to move your company forward by posting internships on ASCE’s Career Connections Web site and thereby tapping into the wealth of talent offered by more than 20,000 young professionals. Career Connections offers employers free postings for internships and co-ops, plus the opportunity to appear each month in ASCE’s electronic newsletter for student members as a featured employer. For more information, visit www.asce.org/careers/.

ASCE’s Member-Get-A-Member Web site has benefited from a number of recent changes. It now features numerous recruiting tools, among them up-to-date ads describing the value of membership that section and branch newsletters may download. Visitors to the site will also find a variety of recruiting tips and prizes. Each new recruit who joins earns his or her sponsor an entry into the June 30 drawing for one of 10 Visa gift cards, each worth $50. For more information, visit the new site, http://content.ascedrive.org/.

—Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE
Executive Director

• The video and editorial teams for ASCE’s Extraordinary Women Engineers Project are seeking young women engineers as potential subjects for video and text profiles on a Web site being developed with the National Academy of Engineering. Industrial and manufacturing engineers in the Boston area in particular are encouraged to join in this project. Because candidates will inspire high school girls, the preference is for those in the early stages of their careers—women younger than 35 years of age holding a bachelor of science working in industry or women younger than 35 years of age holding a doctorate. Asian, Hispanic, and African-American engineers also are encouraged to apply. To be considered, send a biography and photograph (or Web links to both) with an e-mail address or phone number to Borgna Brunner at borgna_brunner@wgbh.org or (617) 300-3850. The materials may also be mailed to her attention at Educational Outreach, WGBH, Boston, MA 02135. 
• The Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s Water Infrastructure Security Enhancements Standards Committee (WISE committee) will meet in the Pankow Room of ASCE’s headquarters, in Reston, Virginia, on July 30 from 9 am to 4 pm. The meeting will cover the following: (1) a review of the comments from the American National Standards Institute on both physical security documents; (2) discussion and approval of resolution reports on both documents; (3) the next publication process by ASCE, the American Water Works Association, or the Water Environment Federation; (4) other major items put forth by the wise committee’s five subcommittees; and (5) the selection of officers for the next process or assignment to subcommittees. There is a possibility that an additional meeting will be held the following day, also in Reston. That would be for the “phase 2 group” (the wise committee’s Training Subcommittee). 
• The Structural Engineering Institute’s Masonry Standards Joint Committee (MSJC) will be meeting in Pittsburgh November 11–13. The executive subcommittee will prepare responses to the comments from the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the Masonry Society’s Technical Activities Committee on the msjc’s response to public comments and will submit these to the ACI and Masonry Society staff for review. For additional information, please contact Richard Klingner, Ph.D., P.E., at klingner@mail.utexas.edu.
• The next meeting of the Structural Engineering Institute’s Structural Applications of Steel Cables for Buildings Standards Committee, which deals with ASCE 19, has been scheduled for August 29–30 in New York City. It will be held at the offices of Hardesty and Hanover, LLP, which is located in Manhattan at 1501 Broadway. 
• The Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s Managed Aquifer Recharge Standards Committee will be meeting on October 28 in Phoenix. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
• The Structural Engineering Institute’s Design Loads on Structures during Construction Standards Committee will be meeting in New York City on either September 7 or September 28. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
• The Transportation and Development Institute’s Automated People Mover Standards Committee will meet September 20–21 in Minneapolis. The meeting will include a review of public comments from parts 2 and 3 of the standard for automated people movers. For additional information, contact Jon Esslinger, P.E., the institute’s director, at jesslinger@asce.org.
• The Structural Engineering Institute’s Design of Steel Transmission Pole Structures Standards Committee will meet July 11–12 to identify and discuss issues that the committee feels need further attention in the next edition of the standard. Proposed issues include base plate and connection design, along with a number of change proposals. The meeting will be held at the following address: Power Line Systems, Inc., 610 North Whitney Way, Madison, Wisconsin. Please direct all questions concerning this meeting to Ronald Randle, the chair, at (970) 204-4001 or to Marlon Vogt, the secretary, at (319) 786-4399. Inquiries about committee membership should be forwarded to Phillip Mariscal, asce’s standards administrator, at pmariscal@asce.org or (703) 295-6338. The mailing address is asce, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400.

Los Angeles Section Honors Life Members

ASCE’s Los Angeles Section sponsored a brunch on March 3 to honor its newest life members for their professional accomplishments and dedication to the Society. (Life member status is conferred by ASCE when a member reaches the age of 65 and has paid membership dues for at least 20 years. Life members are exempt from further membership dues.)

David G. Mongan, P.E., F.ASCE, the Society’s president-elect, delivered an address that underscored the need for the civil engineering community to be actively engaged in enhancing the image and raising the stature of the profession. Through an increased commitment to leadership, innovation, and education, civil engineers can influence public policy as well as the future course of infrastructure, globalization, and the quest for sustainable development, Mongan pointed out. “We are committed to shaping and directing the future of civil engineering,” he said last year during the Summit on the Future of Civil Engineering—a conference he facilitated and helped to organize as part of an effort to define a collective vision for moving forward.

Carl L. Blum, P.E., F.ASCE, a former director of Region 9, and Robert W. Bein, P.E., F.ASCE, a past president of ASCE, were presented with special awards for their achievements. Blum, a former deputy director of public works for Los Angeles County, earned the section’s Annual Lifetime Achievement Award. Bein, who helped establish the section’s forum for life members, was honored with the Los Angeles Section Lifetime Achievement Award. Blum and Bein also received letters of commendation from California’s governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and from one of its U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein (D).

The section’s life members have been active on a variety of committees dealing with such civil engineering issues as technical outreach, public image, mentoring, community service, political involvement, disaster preparedness, and infrastructure. An annual event, the awards ceremony for life members has been an important way for the section to recognize many of its leaders over the years. According to John Morris, P.E., F.ASCE, the section’s president, attendance this year was the largest ever.

CI Seminar to Address Partnerships, Trends, and Site Conditions

ASCE’s Construction Institute (CI) will sponsor a seminar in Dallas on June 27 that will consider public-private partnerships, technology trends in construction, and differing site conditions.

The panel on public-private partnerships will be chaired by William Marino, M.ASCE, the chairman and chief executive officer of Allied Group Holdings, a brokerage firm headquartered in Jericho, New York. Among the topics it will discuss will be the opportunities these partnerships offer for new development and for creating infrastructure. Some of the challenges that contractors encounter—such as contractual obligations, cost of entry, surety requirements, legal aspects, and sources of capital—also will be discussed by the panel.

Christian Burger, M.ASCE, the president and cofounder of the Burger Consulting Group, a technology consulting firm based in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, will offer an overview of new developments in systems and technology within the construction industry. In addition to highlighting new products and technologies and recent developments in the vendor community, Burger will consider such topics as accounting and job cost systems, estimating and bidding, integrated project management, equipment management, and computer-aided design.

Issues relating to differing site condition claims will be addressed in a panel discussion to be moderated by Peter M. Kutil, A.M.ASCE, a counselor at King and King, a law firm in Long Island City, New York, that specializes in construction contact claims and disputes, and by Kenneth F. Haines, M.ASCE, a certified forensic claims consultant with Greyhawk, a construction management and consulting firm headquartered in Woodbury, New York. Kutil and Haines will discuss the various aspects of the now commonly used differing site condition clause—particularly how this clause is intended to work, how it is used in practice,
and how disputes can be avoided or minimized.

In addition to a variety of presentations and question-and-answer forums, the seminar will include informational sessions about CI technical committees and will offer opportunities for networking with individuals from all areas of the construction industry. For more information, visit www.asce.org/cidallas07.

History Channel Celebrates Inventors From Modern Marvels Contest

ASCE’s partnership with the History Channel and involvement in the latter’s Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge have given a fillip to American ingenuity and innovation and have highlighted the role of civil engineers as master integrators and experts who can incorporate innovative technology into complex infrastructure systems. Aimed at encouraging human, social, and economic progress, the competition recently advanced to the semifinal round, celebrating 25 inventions and inventors.

David W. Jensen, Ph.D., F.ASCE, a civil engineering professor at Brigham Young University, has devised an automated process for continuously manufacturing IsoTruss grid structures and other open-lattice structures of fiber-reinforced composites having highly consolidated members. The invention uses a continuous process that makes it possible to create complex patterns incorporating interwoven members with individually braided sleeves around each member. “One of the most significant potential impacts of this invention on society is the opportunity to reduce the contamination by toxic chemicals inherent in all wood utility pole installations,” Jensen told the History Channel recently. “Lightweight composite IsoTruss poles could cost-effectively replace wood poles while simultaneously saving energy in shipping, simplifying installation, and reducing failures caused by high winds.”

In 2005 ASCE became a program partner of this competition, which gives independent inventors a chance to be discovered and to showcase their ideas on a national television network. Chosen from thousands of individuals who submitted entries, the semifinalists come from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. “These semifinalists represent the dreamers in America who have the tenacity to pursue their ideas in order to make an impact on the way all of us live—just like their predecessors, Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison,” Judy Klein-Frimer, one of the creators of the competition, said in a recent press release. “Our signature series, Modern Marvels, showcases everyday inventors of our past whose contributions remain vital to us today, so we are proud to support everyday inventors of the present who will have a significant impact on advancing our quality of life in the future.”

David G. Mongan, P.E., F.ASCE, the Society’s president-elect, spoke last month at the New York Regional Independent Inventors Conference. He served on the panel of inventors and experts that selected the 25 semifinalists. For more information about the competition, visit www.History.com/invent.

Technical Session on Foundations for Equipment and Machinery and Baseplate Grouting, American Concrete Institute 2008 Convention
March 30–April 3, 2008, Los Angeles

Sponsor: Committee 351 (Foundations for Equipment and Machinery) of the American Concrete Institute.

Paper Topics: Topics will include the design, analysis, and construction of static equipment foundations, dynamic machinery foundations, equipment and machinery anchorages, and grouting applications for static equipment and dynamic machinery.

Deadline: August 30, 2007, for abstracts, which are to be e-mailed to Patricia Warren at pbwarren@southernco.com.

Contact: Patricia Warren, Southern Company Generation, 42 Inverness Center Parkway, Bin B253, Birmingham, AL 35242; telephone (205) 992-6347; fax (205) 992-6411; e-mail pbwarren@southernco.com.

On June 8 ASCE launched the first Web seminar (“webinar”) in a 13-part series entitled Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina and the Implications for the Civil Engineering Profession. Presented by Ed Link, Ph.D., who received the Award of Excellence from Engineering News-Record for his work as the leader of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET), this first webinar offered participants insights into what happened during Katrina and why.    

The remaining webinars in the series will expound the lessons and illustrate how they can be applied to other regions vulnerable to hurricanes or flooding. Drawing on the exhaustive research performed by the ipet and asce’s Hurricane Katrina External Review Panel (ERP), the series also sheds light on how organizational, managerial, and funding considerations can sometimes blur the focus on the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

The lessons learned from the analysis of these events have important professional and ethical implications for the civil engineering profession. They are even more significant for engineers involved in the design or construction of any critical life safety structure, especially in the following:

• Areas protected by levee systems, including those along the Mississippi, in Florida, and in the Sacramento area;
• Hurricane-prone coastal communities;
• Population centers in areas at high (and perhaps underestimated) risk from such natural disasters as flooding and earthquakes;
• Large-scale and complex engineering projects.

The erp was established in the aftermath of Katrina at the request of Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock, P.E., M.ASCE, then the commander and chief of engineers of the Corps of Engineers, to assess the ipet’s efforts. It comprised 14 engineers and a social scientist, and the expertise of its members encompassed several technical fields. Over the past year and a half, the erp worked with the ipet to ensure that the lessons learned from the tragedy in New Orleans are incorporated into the rebuilding and recovery efforts.

These webinars will examine the hurricane protection system components’ original design; surge and wave forces on levees and floodwalls; the performance of the levees, floodwalls, interior drainage systems, and pump stations; the capacities of these components after the hurricane; and the risk and reliability of the system before the hurricane and after repairs and improvements. The series will include presentations by members of the erp and the ipet, as well as by professionals in related fields.

For more information on the dates and times of these webinars, see the listings in the Calendar section of the ASCE News.

Eli W. Cohen, P.E., M.ASCE, died May 2 at his home in Evanston, Illinois, at the age of 80. A leading member of the Chicago engineering community, Cohen was known for his refinement of the composite steel high-rise with a reinforced-concrete core. His firm, Cohen-Barreto-Marchertas (which merged with Thornton Tomasetti in 1993) contributed to the success of more than 70 high-rise buildings and 350 projects. Cohen received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois in 1955 and later became a partner at Paul Rogers Associates, a structural engineering firm in Chicago. Registered as a professional engineer in more than 30 states, he served as the president of the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois and was a member of the Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildings. He was also active in engineering education, serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and as a guest lecturer at several regional colleges and for the American Institute of Architects. “Eli led by example,” Robert P. DeScenza, P.E., M.ASCE, Thornton Tomasetti’s executive vice president, said last month in a press release. “We will miss his leadership and ability to mentor staff. Eli truly enjoyed contributing to the profession as a structural engineer. His collaborations with the world’s greatest architects had a profound impact on Chicago’s skyline.”

Kolbjorn Saether, P.E., M.ASCE, an accomplished structural engineer, died last month at the age of 81. Saether was responsible for the invention of the Sky Fork, which has been used in high-rise building construction. He also created cost estimate tables for structural work and showed how baseline information concerning structural degradation could provide insight into building maintenance challenges in Chicago. The founding principal of the consulting firm Kolbjorn Saether & Associates, he was the recipient of numerous design awards, including the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois’s Best Structure Award for his design of a high-rise apartment building. Saether was an assistant lecturer at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was indefatigable in his efforts to improve engineering education.

Julian V. Sollohub, P.E., Hon.M.ASCE, died May 19 at the age of 91. He graduated from the United States Military Academy, at West Point, New York, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1937. He was involved in nation building in the Philippines and served in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, Sollohub was involved in the reconstruction efforts in Japan, France, and across Europe. His 30 years of military service included battalion command in the Pacific, the development of military construction capabilities during the cold war, and work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. After he retired from the military, he moved to Tallahassee, Florida. There he worked for Florida’s freshwater conservation program and was a research engineer in the state’s Department of Transportation. Sollohub was the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career, including the U.S. Army’s Silver Star, which is bestowed for gallantry in action.

Milton Alpern, P.E., F.ASCE, died April 8 at the age of 84. Alpern, who specialized in structural engineering, founded the consulting engineering practice Alpern & Soifer in 1960. The firm focused on a variety of engineering areas, including sanitary engineering structures, turbine test facilities, traffic engineering, specialized structural analyses, and forensic engineering. Alpern received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cooper Union in 1945 and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Columbia University in 1950. He was an assistant professor at Cooper Union from 1948 to 1960. A licensed engineer in nine states, Alpern was the president of the Nassau County and New York State chapters of the National Society of Professional Engineers and served as chair of the New York State licensing board for professional engineering and land surveying. He also chaired a forum for associate members within asce’s Metropolitan Section and served as president of the Long Island chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies.