May 2009
Volume 34, Number 5

The Groundwater Replenishment (GWR) System of California’s Orange County Water District and Orange County Sanitation District—the largest water purification reuse project of its kind in the world—was named the winner of the 2009 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award (OCEA award) at this year’s Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) gala, which was held on April 23 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, in Arlington, Virginia. Established in 1960, the OCEA award annually recognizes the project deemed to embody the best in civil engineering and to make a significant contribution both to the civil engineering profession and to society as a whole. The OCEA award is chosen by a jury, and the jury for the 2009 award met in December 2008.

The GWR system has 86 mgd (325,510 m³/d) of microfiltration capacity preceding 70 mgd (264,950 m³/d) of reverse-osmosis treatment. The new system increases Orange County’s water independence by providing a locally controlled, drought-proof supply of safe, high-quality water. The GWR system can generate enough pure water to meet the needs of 500,000 people. Moreover, its purified water is of a higher quality than required by all state and federal drinking water standards and is similar to distilled water. The GWR system uses the latest water treatment technologies, and its structures have been designed to accommodate solar power. A commitment to energy conservation is also reflected in the mechanical design, as variable-frequency drives, which control the frequency of the electric power supplied to the motors and enable the pumps to operate more efficiently, were used on all the major pumping facilities.

Construction innovations included techniques that helped reduce costs and deleterious effects on local residences. The members of the design and construction team went out of their way to minimize harm to the environment during construction. To reduce vibration and sound, cast-in-place drilled concrete piles were used on approximately 3,500 piles throughout the GWR system plant site. This technique made it unnecessary to pound precast-concrete piles, which not only reduced vibration and noise but also lowered overall costs.

The GWR system takes a valuable resource through an advanced purification process that creates a new source of water for an arid region. The GWR system not only provides a reliable, drought-proof source of pure water for Orange County but also reduces saltwater intrusion into the groundwater basin and lowers the amount of wastewater discharged to the ocean. In fact, its creation will delay—possibly indefinitely—the need for the Orange County Sanitation District to build another ocean outfall pipe. Additionally, the project uses about half the energy needed to bring water from northern California and the Colorado River to Southern California. What is more, the GWR system water supply can be consistently produced in both wet and dry years, and it will provide water supply security to Orange County during future droughts, enabling the Orange County Water District to better manage its groundwater basin. The basin’s overall water quality will thus improve, lowering costs to residents within the service area. The system will produce high-quality water for approximately $550 per acre-foot (44.6 cents per cubic meter). The state-of-the-art purification process used in the system can be replicated in arid coastal regions of the world to address the looming global water crisis.

The new concrete bridge that carries Interstate 35W over the Mississippi in Minneapolis was named the 2009 OCEA Merit Award finalist. Designed by figg, based in Tallahassee, Florida, the structure replaces the bridge that catastrophically collapsed on August 1, 2007, during the evening rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring 145 more. To view a video of the project, visit www.infrastructurereportcard.org\sites\default\files\reportcardvideos.swf.

ASCE established the OPAL awards in 1999 to celebrate the achievements and recognize the contributions of civil engineers worldwide. Candidates may be nominated by any ASCE member but need not be members of ASCE. Five individuals are chosen each year to receive OPAL awards by the Society Awards Committee, which is composed of five presidents emeriti of ASCE. The committee nominates one recipient in each of five categories and then forwards the nominations to the Board of Direction’s Executive Committee for approval. This year’s OPAL winners are John F. Donohoe, M.ASCE, who is honored for lifetime achievement in construction; J. Michael Duncan, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, honored for lifetime achievement in education; Thomas D. Furman, Jr., P.E., BCEE, M.ASCE, honored for lifetime achievement in management; Jeremy Isenberg, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, honored for lifetime achievement in design; and David J. Nash, P.E., F.ASCE, honored for lifetime achievement in government.

The winner of the 2009 Pankow Award for Innovation is the Claremont Tunnel Seismic Upgrade Project, which pioneered innovative design features in upgrading a major water supply tunnel in the San Francisco Bay Area that serves more than 800,000 residents and crosses the Hayward Fault Zone. (See “Winners of Pankow and Michel Awards Announced,” ASCE News, February 2009, page 6.) The project was developed by a team made up of the East Bay Municipal Utility District, of Oakland, California; Jacobs Associates, a consulting engineering firm headquartered in San Francisco; Geomatrix Consultants, a geotechnical engineering firm headquartered in Oakland; Gregg Korbin, Ph.D., M.ASCE, an independent consultant from Lafayette, California; Alfred M. “Pete” Petrofsky, P.E., F.ASCE, an independent tunnel construction consultant from San Rafael, California; D. Scott Kieffer, Ph.D., M.ASCE, a professor and the chair of the engineering geology department at the Technische Universität Graz, in Austria; and Tor L. Brekke, Ph.D., M.ASCE, a professor emeritus of geotechnical engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. The Pankow Award for Innovation was established by the now defunct Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERF) to recognize organizations working in concert to aid the design and construction industry by bringing innovative ideas into practice. It is named for Charles J. Pankow, the founder of cerf and an innovator in civil engineering for five decades.

This year’s winner of the Henry L. Michel Award for Industry Advancement of Research is Vice Admiral Michael K. Loose, P.E., M.ASCE, who led a comprehensive effort to overhaul the way the U.S. Navy invests in construction projects. As the commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Loose carried out a systematic and comprehensive assessment of the conditions of naval facilities. His efforts led to the development of an investment strategy that continually ensures that facilities are properly sized, configured, and maintained and that they meet the requirements of the navy’s strategic plan. The Michel award recognizes and acknowledges leaders of the design and construction industry whose dedication and vision have provided the cornerstones for improving the quality of people’s lives worldwide through research in the design and construction industry.

Late last month hundreds of college students from around the country gathered in eager anticipation in the auditorium of the newly completed Capitol Visitor Center, in Washington, D.C. They would soon learn which university teams would receive awards in the People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) competition, which is organized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The award ceremony came at the end of this year’s National Sustainable Design Expo, which was held on the National Mall April 18–20. Winning teams also have the opportunity to obtain an additional $75,000 in funding to move their designs to the marketplace or implement them in the field. Supplementing the P3 honors, ASCE and Engineers Without Borders–USA (EWB–USA) presented an award in this year’s competition.

Each year the EPA partners with nonprofit and industry organizations to showcase technologies that hold promise for promoting sustainability and improving the standard of living in developing countries. At the beginning of the 2008–09 academic year, 43 of the teams of university students sending proposals to the epa qualified for a $10,000 grant to fund their projects. The students then drew on their expertise, their creativity, and their ability to apply what they had learned in the classroom to develop their projects, and last month the fruits of those efforts were on display at the fifth National Sustainable Design Expo.

“The president has set us on an aggressive path to double our clean energy use in the next three years,” stated Lisa P. Jackson, the epa administrator, in a prerecorded video shown at the awards ceremony. “We have set an ambitious goal of cutting more than eighty percent of greenhouse gas emissions from the air by the year 2050. We have to reach those goals in a way that creates new jobs and new opportunities. That is what the P3 program is all about,” she stated.

The ASCE-EWB Sustainable Development Award was presented to a team from the Johns Hopkins University EWB–USA chapter for its “demonstration of a community-driven sustainable engineering solution that effectively addresses a pressing need in the developing world,” according to the award certificate. The award was presented by John Casana, P.E., M.ASCE, an associate with Booz Allen Hamilton, headquartered in McLean, Virginia; Craig S. Farkos, P.E., M.ASCE, the president of the Washington, D.C., chapter of ewb–usa and a project manager for Michael Baker, Jr., Inc., of Moon Township, Pennsylvania; and Michael R. Sanio, M.ASCE, ASCE’s director of international alliances and the staff contact for the Task Committee on Sustainable Design.

The Johns Hopkins team’s project promises to improve irrigation in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. The team devised a ram pump that uses the hydraulic energy of flowing water to distribute irrigation water to storage facilities for later use. Invented by David F. Alcock—an agriculturalist, independent contractor, and teacher of the Zulu language—the device makes it possible to pump water uphill into storage tanks rather than carry it each day by hand. The ram pump is constructed using recycled materials, among them a natural gas pipeline cap, a car battery, and pieces of car tires.

The ram pumps are to be distributed to community gardens throughout KwaZulu-Natal. According to Michael Wheeler, a sophomore studying biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins, some of the farms are run by elderly women who care for those who have been affected in one way or another by the AIDS virus. The pumps will make it unnecessary for the women to haul water uphill for several hours each day for irrigation. By enabling the community to produce more crops, the devices will improve health and raise community income.

In addition to the ASCE-EWB Sustainable Development Award, the Johns Hopkins team received honorable mention in the P3 competition. The students involved in the project include Wheeler; Djuna Gulliver, who will be receiving a master’s degree this month in environmental engineering; Devin McDermott, a senior studying environmental engineering; Illana Green, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering; Laura Woo, a sophomore studying biomedical engineering; Sophie Su, a junior majoring in neuroscience; and Graham Belton, S.M.ASCE, a junior studying civil engineering. The faculty members and other investigators involved in the project include William Ball, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, a professor of environmental engineering; Charles Meneveau, the Louis M. Sardella Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Thomas Pank, the president and chief executive officer of Bay Savers Technologies, Inc., of Mount Airy, Maryland; Alcock; and Richard Dladla, the director of the Zakhe Agricultural College, a boarding school in KwaZulu-Natal for future farmers.

Four criteria were used in determining the winner of the ASCE–EWB award: the use of local raw materials, the simplicity of the design, the plan for involving various stakeholders, and the effect of the innovation on the standard of living. The judges were Miriam Heller, m.asce, a visiting senior fellow at EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute’s Center for Sustainable Transport; Robert C. Field, P.E., M.ASCE, the vice-chairman of the Sustainability Committee within ASCE’s Structural Engineering Institute; and Tim Garland, a member of the Washington, D.C., professional chapter of EWB–USA.

The six teams receiving P3 awards were from Columbia University, Drexel University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of South Florida, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and the University of Arizona. Columbia University is researching the implementation of a platform capable of performing a variety of functions, including electricity generation, for agriculture. The platform will first be used in Uganda. Drexel University is developing an infrared reflective coating for residences that by better reflecting solar radiation will reduce solar heat gain. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is developing a generating system that can be tailored to draw on solar and organic resources and thus can be used in a variety of geographic regions. In a collaborative effort involving a middle school and a municipality, the University of South Florida raised public awareness of the environmental benefits conferred by storm-water ponds. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville developed a design for a sustainable home and addressed the community and legal impediments to constructing such homes in the city of Norris, Tennessee. The University of Arizona focused on methods for ensuring a stable food supply through sustainable aquaculture.

For more information about the exposition, the P3 awards, and the projects, visit www.epa.gov/ncer/p3/project_websites/2009/2009awardwinners.html.

—Brett Hansen

You’ve heard it said before, I am the abc (advocacy, benefits, change) president, and as you know, B stands for the benefits conferred by membership in ASCE. I am often asked how our programs and activities benefit civil engineers, especially now, when many firms in this country are struggling.

I do not have an inside track on the future direction of the international economy. But I know that we must step up efforts to advance our profession globally, and we must strengthen and expand our connections across borders.

American engineers are uniquely positioned to play an important role in advancing the profession within the global environment. The purpose of ASCE’s international activities is to align our interests to the fullest extent possible with those of civil engineers in other countries. With the worldwide economy in turmoil, ASCE is placing a higher priority on this alignment.

The Board of Governors of Region 10, which represents our international sections, has just launched the Sister Section Program, its goal being to establish one-on-one relationships between ASCE’s international sections and groups and our domestic sections. Through these links, we will seek to benefit U.S. and international members, as well as the profession as a whole, by bringing international members into the mainstream of ASCE. Networking—be it in relation to association initiatives, engineering practice, or even engineering business opportunities—is no longer restricted by geographic borders. Region 10 is now inviting our domestic sections to pair with an ASCE international section. You can learn more about the program by contacting Meggan Maughan-Brown, ASCE’s director of international relations and strategic planning, at mmaughan-brown@asce.org, or Potenciano A. Leoncio, Jr., P.E., M.ASCE, the director of Region 10, at paleoncio@pldtdsl.net. These connections will make it possible to improve and expand continuing education programs and share information on practices that have proved to be not only effective but also efficient (“best practices”). Through the exchange and application of technical information, such networking may even create business opportunities.

ASCE is also expanding its products and services into the global marketplace. We are focusing on continuing education products and how best to position them in the most promising markets. We are also working with professional societies around the world with which we have agreements of cooperation to develop training models that can accommodate a variety of needs.

ASCE’s international sections and groups help their members develop technically and professionally through meetings, seminars, and other forms of communication. They also encourage their members to prepare papers reflecting local engineering practices. To become an organized body within ASCE, members outside the United States first apply to the Region 10 Board of Governors to be recognized as a group. After a year of successful operation, the group can be upgraded to a section.

All ASCE members, both domestic and international, benefit from ASCE’s worldwide reach. We now have a total of 71 agreements of cooperation with professional groups around the world. Recently ASCE signed an agreement with the Pakistan Engineering Council and renewed its agreements with the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, the Ghana Institution of Engineers, and the Vietnam Federation of Civil Engineering Associations.

The international program held in conjunction with our annual conference each fall provides another opportunity to better understand the needs and interests of members in other countries and to share expertise across borders. At last year’s conference, the discussions focused on sustainable development and the engineering aspects of climate change. This year’s conference—the 139th Annual Civil Engineering Conference, which will be held October 29–31 in Kansas City, Missouri—will include sessions on the engineer’s role in furthering economic growth in a way that conforms to the principles of sustainable development.

ASCE continues to extend its international outreach to engineering societies in other nations. Blaine D. Leonard, P.E., F.ASCE, our president-elect, met in Portugal with members of the Ordem dos Engenheiros, the regulatory and licensing body for the engineering profession in that country, in late March. In addition to delivering a presentation on our strategy for attaining the goals set forth in The Vision for Civil Engineering in 2025 (http://content.asce.org/vision2025/index.html), he discussed with his hosts ways of fostering closer collaboration with ASCE.

We are also working with ASCE’s Puerto Rico Section, the Unión Panamericana de Asociaciones de Ingenieros (UPADI), and the Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico to devise ways of sharing training programs and exploiting opportunities for joint endeavors. A delegation from our Construction Institute will be attending the Third International Conference on Construction Engineering and Management, in Jeju, South Korea, at the end of this month. The members of the delegation will also be meeting with representatives of the Korean Society of Civil Engineers, the Korean Institute of Construction Technology, and the Korea Institute of Construction Engineering and Management to discuss potential partnerships.

Last December ASCE members formed part of the largest U.S. delegation ever to attend the World Engineers’ Convention, which was held in Brazil under the sponsorship of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO). The delegation of 35, which also included members of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers, attended upadi’s general assembly and a meeting of the wfeo’s executive council. Such international gatherings give civil engineers a rare opportunity to discuss issues of common interest and move the profession forward.

With assistance from the ASCE Foundation, the Global Anti-Corruption Education and Training Initiative has produced a video and a training program exploring the ethical issues encountered in engineering and construction around the world. (See “Anticorruption Initiative Premieres Ethicana,” ASCE News, December 2008, page 12.) The video depicts several firms that do business in a country named Ethicana. By showing how corruption and bribery can undermine the good intentions of project planners, the video will, it is hoped, help to eradicate these scourges. Ethicana will be subtitled in 28 languages. The video and accompanying training program will be distributed by ASCE this year to sister societies, universities, and government bodies around the world. They were made possible by an ambitious fund-raising campaign that exceeded its $670,000 target.

Globalization is producing far-reaching changes in the engineering profession. Be prepared. Take part in ASCE’s international activities and encourage your ASCE section to participate in our new Sister Section Program. By corresponding with international members and sharing information about practices and solutions, ASCE’s domestic members will grow not only professionally but also personally as they gain an insight into the practices and traditions of other countries and cultures.

Broadening our members’ outlook and their understanding of issues that affect civil engineering advances our profession both in the United States and throughout the world. Moving the profession forward is one of our most important goals, for it benefits not only our members but also people around the world who rely on civil engineers for their quality of life.

—D. Wayne Klotz,
P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE

SITUATION: An ASCE officer forwards to the Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC) a newspaper clipping concerning the federal grand jury indictment of a Society member on charges of bribery and misconduct in office. The newspaper account states that while employed as a local public official the member had awarded a number of significant design contracts to a particular engineering firm. That firm, the article states, had made a number of payments to the ASCE member over the course of his term in public office. The newspaper report further explains that the payments were recorded in the engineering firm’s business records as payments for “consulting services” but that no documentation existed to show that any work had been performed by the ASCE member.
The CPC opens an investigation of the member’s activities and contacts the federal prosecutors for copies of the grand jury transcript.

QUESTION: Did the ASCE member’s actions as a public official in accepting cash payments from the engineering firm in exchange for favorable treatment in awarding design contracts violate ASCE’s Code of Ethics?

DECISION: At the time of this investigation, canon 1 of the code read as follows: “It shall be considered unprofessional and inconsistent with honorable and dignified conduct and contrary to the public interest for any member of the American Society of Civil Engineers to act for his client or for his employer otherwise than as a faithful agent or trustee.”
This same principle is reflected in canon 4 of the current Code of Ethics. Canon 4 states that “engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees and shall avoid conflicts of interest,” and category (c) in the guidelines to practice for this canon adds that “engineers shall not solicit or accept gratuities, directly or indirectly, from contractors, their agents, or other parties dealing with their clients or employers in connection with work for which they are responsible.”

The CPC interviewed the member in question and reviewed transcripts of the investigation and of the subsequent trial. Throughout the process, the member emphatically asserted his innocence. He contended that he had a close and long-standing professional relationship with the engineering firm in question, that his obligations as a public employee had never been compromised by his occasional work as a private consultant, and that he had certainly never been influenced to unduly favor the engineering firm as a result of his financial connections.

Neither the federal court nor the CPC was persuaded by the member’s contention that the funds he had received from the firm were wholly unconnected with the design contracts he had channeled to it. The federal court found the former official guilty on several counts of bribery, and the CPC held that the member had indeed violated canon 1 of the Code of Ethics. The CPC forwarded its findings to ASCE’s Board of Direction, recommending that the member be expelled from the Society and that an account of the disciplinary action appear in a Society publication.

The member reaffirmed his innocence in a written statement to the Board of Direction, but the board upheld the CPC’s findings and recommendations. An account of the action was published without the member’s name.

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.

History and Heritage Committee Visits Library of Congress, Views Engineering Society Library Collection

Members of ASCE’s History and Heritage Committee exuded excitement as they visited the Library of Congress on April 24 to view the Engineering Society Library (ESL) collection. Originally compiled by ASCE, the collection includes a variety of historically significant images, maps, documents, plans, and other artifacts related to the history of engineering.

Many individuals do not even know that this collection exists, noted Bernard Dennis, Jr., M.ASCE, the vice-chair of ASCE’s History and Heritage Committee. ASCE began to acquire plans, books, and other materials for its own library in 1853. In 1916 that library was merged with libraries from other engineering disciplines to form the esl collection, which comprised more than 89,000 books and engineering artifacts. In 1995 portions of that extensive collection were transferred to the Linda Hall Library, in Kansas City, Missouri. Also, approximately 6,000 rare items in the esl collection pertaining to electricity and magnetism were acquired by the New York Public Library. Between 1995 and 1998 a number of large maps, photographs, drawings, and other materials in special formats were donated to the Library of Congress by the Linda Hall Library.

Since obtaining the materials, the Library of Congress has been slowly sorting through them, attempting to determine which artifacts are the most significant so that they can be made available to the public. The process is almost overwhelming, said Elizabeth Rose, a curatorial assistant at the library’s Center for Architecture, Design, and Engineering. Another formidable task in this process is identifying the most important acquisitions, according to C. Ford Peatross, the founding director of the center. Without an engineering background, he asserted, it is nearly impossible to tell which materials should first be submitted to the library’s Conservation Division for preservation and repair.

The library’s Geography and Map Division boasts more than 5 million maps, some dating from the 14th century, according to Edward Redmond, a reference librarian there. Redmond showed the ASCE visitors several rare maps from the ESL collection, including a 1927 aerial view of New York City and canal maps from France and Britain dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the maps in the collection have not yet been digitized, Redmond explained that they are available to the public and scans may be requested through the library’s Prints and Photographs Division.

Some of the more prominent artifacts in the collection are being restored and preserved in the library’s Conservation Division. Julie Biggs, the preservation specialist in that division who is overseeing the effort, explained the painstaking process of preserving and restoring materials. Brittle blueprints, for example, cannot be unfolded without first undergoing the time-consuming process of being rehumidified. Otherwise, they will tear or break. “Engineers more than anyone [else fold and] put things on shelves that were never meant to go on shelves,” explained Peatross. Among the artifacts that are currently undergoing preservation is a large album of panoramic photos of the legendary Klondike region bound by hand in caribou leather and featuring genuine flakes of gold from the region on the cover. Thus far more than 2,000 esl items, including papers, photographic prints, and bound volumes, have been treated or rehoused by the Conservation Division.
In the Prints and Photographs Division, Peatross carefully unfolded several original drawings of portions of the Croton Aqueduct and the Erie Canal. He also showed the visitors various bridge plans and photographs but explained that many of the structures depicted have not yet been identified. Peatross expressed the library’s desire to work with the Society’s history experts to identify and prioritize the artifacts.

According to Greg Marcangelo, a senior cataloging specialist in the Prints and Photographs Division, individuals who wish to obtain access to unprocessed collections, including the ESL materials, can apply for access and then make an appointment to visit the Library of Congress. For more information about this process, visit www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/022_unpr.html. For more information about the Library of Congress, visit www.loc.gov.

Privately Produced Podcast Raises Public Awareness Of Infrastructure

Marion Sours may not be an engineer, but she is helping to educate the general public about the shortcomings of the nation’s infrastructure. Sours is the producer of a monthly podcast that focuses on the recent failures of infrastructure as well as on proposed solutions. The podcasts are designed for engineers as well as nonengineers and are hosted by Joseph Schofer, Ph.D., M.ASCE, the associate dean of Northwestern University’s Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and the director of the university’s Infrastructure Technology Institute.

“Like most Americans, I was appalled at what happened in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit, and I wanted to help somehow,” states Sours in an e-mail to ASCE News. At the time the disaster occurred, she was the managing editor of Plant Services, a magazine about plant engineering.

At first Sours was interested in creating a television show. With the help of a local mechanical engineer, Meagan Flanigan, Sours developed a half-hour pilot for a news and discussion program about the nation’s infrastructure. Unfortunately, it was difficult to generate interest in the program because of the production expenses and the deteriorating economy, Sours recalls. “I guess I could have persevered, but I felt [as though] I was under a deadline.... I wanted something to be ready by the time ASCE issued its infrastructure report card in early 2009,” she states.
Sours decided to abandon the television program in favor of a monthly podcast. She states that because she wanted it to be hosted by an expert on the subject of infrastructure she contacted Schofer, who was enthusiastic about the idea. She then asked Tom Herman, the host and producer of a Web site and radio station that serves northwest Indiana and Chicago, to cohost the podcasts.

“The main goal of the show is to educate the general public: to present to listeners the reality of America’s infrastructure [including] its condition, why it is the way it is, and what can be done about it,” Sours states.

The first monthly podcast, which was recorded in March, featured Casey Dinges, Aff.M.ASCE, ASCE’s senior managing director of strategic and public affairs, who discussed the Society’s recently released 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. April’s podcast featured Linda Figg, m.ASCE, the president of Figg Bridge Engineers, Inc., of Tallahassee, Florida, who discussed the replacement of the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed on August 1, 2007, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100. Both podcasts are now available at www.theinfrastructureshow.com/podcasts.htm.

This month the podcast will feature Tom Taylor, a branch chief of surveys coordination and new technologies for the California Department of Transportation, who will discuss the advanced technologies used in the aftermath of the collapse of a ramp on April 29, 2007, along Interstate 580 in Oakland, California.

Those interested in suggesting an infrastructure topic or in being a guest on the program should access the Web site, www.theinfrastructureshow.com, or contact Sours at msours@theinfrastructureshow.com.

Tennessee, North Carolina Sections Release State Infrastructure Report Cards

ASCE’s 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure trains a harsh spotlight on the built environment at the national level but does not include details regarding the conditions in each state. To ensure that deficiencies at the local level receive proper attention, many ASCE sections release state “report cards” to complement the national assessment. In March the Tennessee Section released its first such report, and in April the North Carolina Section updated an assessment it had released in 2006. Both sections evaluated such categories as roads, railroads, water, schools, bridges, and aviation. Tennessee was given an overall grade of C, and North Carolina received a C–.

The 2009 ASCE Tennessee Infrastructure Report Card states that infrastructure there “is deteriorating and is in critical need of maintenance and improvement to meet current and future demands.” Tennessee’s roads, bridges, and aviation each received a grade of B–, significantly higher than the grades meted out in those categories at the national level. (See “ASCE Infrastructure Report Card Gives Nation a D, Estimates Cost at $2.2 Trillion,” ASCE News, February 2009, page 1.) Schools in Tennessee received a C+, a full grade higher than the national category. Nevertheless, the report estimates that $608 million would be needed to properly upgrade all of the state’s public schools.

Tennessee’s state parks were given a D+, which is worse than the national average; the grade for parks and recreation at the national level is C–. The low grade in Tennessee is a reflection of recent funding shortfalls, which are creating a $100-million backlog of maintenance and other projects for the state’s 53 parks.

The most notable decline in North Carolina, according to the update of the 2006 report, is in roads, which declined from a D to a D–. The update explains that the 2006 report saw a shortfall of approximately $29 billion over the next 25 years. “Shortly after the release, the then North Carolina secretary of transportation stated that ASCE’s estimate was woefully short, and the shortfall was probably closer to $60 billion,” states the update, which goes on to explain that the grade dropped because of a decrease in funding in the past few years and an increase in traffic congestion throughout the state.

North Carolina’s drinking water, which is ranked separately from wastewater, earned a B–, up from the C it received in 2006. The factors that contributed to the higher grade, according to the update, include funding improvements, projects to reduce lost or “unaccounted for” drinking water, and a “rate structure that penalizes wasteful users and encourages thoughtful use.”

To view Tennessee’s assessment or to download related brochures or press releases, visit http://tnasce.org/ and click on the “Infrastructure Report Card” tab. To view North Carolina’s update of its 2006 report along with overviews of each category, visit http://sections.asce.org/n_carolina/ReportCard2009.html.
 
For more information about this case, contact ASCE’s legal department at (703) 295-6061 or (703) 295-6151.

The latest installment in our podcast series Insights features Richard Kunnath, p.e., a.m.ASCE, the chief executive officer of Pankow Operating, Inc., of Pasadena, California. It is posted at http://insights.ASCE.org . In addition to stressing the need to foster creativity and innovation through economic incentives, Kunnath discusses the challenges presented by existing project delivery methods in the engineering industry. He also touches on both the opportunities and the threats that commoditization and globalization present and considers their effect on the future of the industry. Kunnath’s biography is included in the podcast episode description, located at the Web address given above.

The Academy of Geo-Professionals (AGP) kicked off its certification program by holding its inaugural induction ceremony in Orlando, Florida, on March 18 at the International Foundation Congress and Equipment Expo ’09. More than 30 individuals were accorded diplomate status—denoted by d.ge—at the ceremony; 25 others had met the requirements but were unable to attend. The AGP was founded in October 2008 by practicing geoprofessionals who are members of ASCE’s Geo-Institute. It was created primarily to offer professional engineers a way of improving their qualifications and thereby gaining additional recognition in the broad field of geotechnical engineering. To learn more about the AGP, visit www.geoprofessionals.org.

I am pleased to announce that ASCE is continuing to increase its distance learning offerings so that it can provide members with a variety of convenient and cost-effective continuing eduction options. Three new sets of cds that include audio and PowerPoint presentations are now available at discounted prices. The Wood Design cd set covers such topics as wood beams and joists, wood connections, wood diaphragms, shear walls, and engineered lumber; the Transportation set covers sight distances, railroad crossings, transportation liability issues, and the design of bicycle facilities; and the Project Management set covers the critical path method, scope creep, project work plans, and ways of monitoring project budgets and schedules. These continuing education programs on cd will help you stay current and earn continuing education units and professional development hours for license renewal. For additional information, visit http://store.asce.org/view/ and click on “Continuing Education.”

I wanted to personally thank all the sponsors for their support of the 2009 opal Awards Gala this year. It is always a special evening when we as an industry can recognize our leaders and some of the great accomplishments in civil engineering, and this year was no exception. We appreciate the support of sponsors more than ever in this challenging economic time and would like to recognize aecom Technology Corporation; CDM; CH2M Hill; the Charles Pankow Foundation; FIGG; HNTB; Kiewit Corporation; Parsons Brinkerhoff; Paul C. Rizzo Associates, Inc.; Moretrench American Corporation; Weidlinger Associates, Inc.; The Reinforced Earth Company; Pearl Insurance; Northrop Grumman is; Baker Concrete Construction; Clark Construction/Guy F. Atkinson Construction, LLC; McGraw Hill Construction/ENR; American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC); Flatiron Construction Corporation; The Lane Construction Corporation; Weeks Marine, Inc.; the Nebraska Section of ASCE; KBR; and the Illinois Section of ASCE.

I also want to thank the sponsorship committee of the 2009 opal Awards Gala without which none of this would have been possible: Bud Ahearn, Tom Dickmann, John Dionisio, Linda Figg, Ray Heider, David Nash, Ed Richardson, Julie Smith & Dan Turner.
 
During the summer of 2009, ASCE will host the 11th annual Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (EXCEED) Teaching Workshop for civil engineering educators. Faculty and students continue to benefit—nearly 500 educators have graduated since 1998—but there is more to do. Continuing to improve and enhance the skills of our educators will ensure that future civil engineers receive the best education and preparation possible. The EXCEED Program relies on support from donors to make a positive impact on our profession and our nation. The ASCE Foundation is calling on ASCE members to support the EXCEED program and support civil engineering. Please visit http://content.ASCE.org/foundation/exceed.html to learn more and make a secure online donation to the EXCEED program and support our future engineers.
 
Many ASCE activities funded by the ASCE Foundation are designed to develop and advance best practices, promote our profession, and prepare civil engineers for tomorrow. These include the Congressional Fellows Program, the Kids & Careers initiatives, the Concrete Canoe Competition, EXCEED and the Hoover Dam anniversary event, among others. Each is important to building a solid foundation from which to address the crisis of our failing infrastructure. Beginning this month, you may save a stamp and make your donations to the foundation online. We hope that all ASCE members will take advantage of this opportunity to support the future of civil engineering and help make our world a better place to live. To make a donation online, go to: www.ASCE.org/foundation and “click” on Donate Now. You may also call (703) 295-6342 to donate via credit card or mail your check made out to: ASCE Foundation to1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191.

ASCE was represented at the recent Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council (ACECC) meeting that was held in Hanoi, Vietnam. The council is planning the next Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region to be held in Australia in August 2010. Details of the call for papers encouraging ASCE members worldwide to participate in this conference will be posted on the ASCE Web site shortly. The ACECC Council, made up of civil engineering societies from 10 nations in the Far East, including ASCE, is also working on the Harmonization of Design Codes in Asia.

I’m pleased to announce that members who participate in the Engineering Income and Salary Survey will now receive an enhanced complimentary salary report. The new electronic salary report enables you to look up salary data for your engineering level in any region of the country. Additionally, you’ll have access to this information as it is updated for an entire year. You can update your salary data or participate for the first time to get access to this new report by visiting www.ASCE.org/salaries.

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

Obama Names Silva Assistant Administrator for Water Programs
President Obama has nominated Peter S. Silva, M.ASCE, to be the assistant administrator for water programs at the Environmental Protection Agency. Silva is currently a senior policy adviser to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Before that he was appointed by California’s governor to serve as the vice-chair of the State Water Resources Control Board. Silva has more than 30 years of experience in the water and wastewater fields and has served in various capacities in the public sector, specializing in water resources policy. He also has extensive experience in United States–Mexico border issues. Silva was appointed by President Clinton to serve for three years on the board of directors of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission. He also served as that commission’s deputy general manager for three years in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

AAES Recognizes Petroski, Liquid Assets Producers
The American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) has presented awards to Henry Petroski, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering at Duke University, and Stephanie Ayanian and Tom Keiter, the producers of the documentary Liquid Assets. Petroski, Ayanian, and Keiter were honored on April 20 in Washington, D.C., at the National Academy of Engineering. Petroski received the Norman Augustine Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Communications, and Ayanian and Keiter were honored with the AAES’s Engineering Journalism Award. Liquid Assets was produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting, and ASCE is serving as the primary outreach partner.

Borrowman Selected as President-Elect of ABET
At its spring meeting, held in Baltimore on March 28, the governing board of ABET, Inc., selected Phillip E. Borrowman, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE—a senior vice president of Hanson Professional Services, Inc., of Kansas City, Missouri—as its 2009–10 president-elect. Borrowman first became involved in ABET activities as a program evaluator for ASCE, assessing programs in civil engineering and architectural engineering. He subsequently served five years on the Engineering Accreditation Commission before becoming a member of ABET’s board. He was a representative director from ASCE for five years, during two of which he also served as an ABET board liaison to the Computing Accreditation Commission. He has also served on ABET’s International Activities Council, and he became ABET’s secretary in 2008. Named an ABET fellow in 2007, Borrowman holds a bachelor’s degree in architectural studies and a master’s degree in civil engineering, both from the University of Illinois. He will be installed as the president-elect during ABET’s annual meeting, which will be held in San Antonio in October.

Easterling Named Montague-Betts Professor of Structural Steel Design
W. Samuel Easterling, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, the assistant head of the civil and environmental engineering department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, has been named the Montague-Betts Professor of Structural Steel Design. Easterling is a leading researcher in composite floor systems, and his work is reflected in numerous national design codes. His many accolades include ASCE’s 1998 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize and its 2000 State-of-the-Art of Civil Engineering Award. Easterling teaches courses in structural engineering and steel design. He earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from West Virginia University and a doctorate from Iowa State University.

Griffis Honored with AISC Kimbrough Award
Lawrence G. “Larry” Griffis, P.E., M.ASCE, a senior principal of Walter P Moore, of Houston, and the president of the firm’s structures division, has been honored with the J. Lloyd Kimbrough Award by the American Institute of Steel Construction (aisc). Named for the aisc’s first president, the award is the highest individual honor bestowed by the organization and is conferred on engineers and architects who have made outstanding contributions to the structural steel industry through their design work. Griffis has contributed to the structural design of major buildings worldwide. He has also directed numerous structural investigations in connection with disputes and deficiencies. Serving on national technical committees, he has helped to develop and refine design criteria and processes as they relate to composite design, wind effects, and seismic aspects.

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 distinguished members.

Debra L. Brand, P.E., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1989 and a master’s degree from Polytechnic University (now the Polytechnic Institute of New York University) in 1996. Brand is currently the capital projects manager and facilities management engineer for the Jefferson Lab (Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility), in Newport News, Virginia. Her work on projects has included permit writing, report writing, cost estimating, and the preparation of design specifications. In 2008 she was given a five-month assignment as facilities maintenance and construction manager responsible for the design and construction of maintenance and improvement projects for the civil, structural, and architectural disciplines. Before joining the Jefferson Lab, Brand worked for urs Corporation as a project engineer. She has served ASCE in several capacities, and in 2001 and 2006 she chaired conferences organized by the Virginia Section. She has been the recipient of awards recognizing her leadership from the Virginia Section and that section’s Norfolk Branch. A licensed professional engineer in Virginia, Brand has more than 20 years of engineering experience.

Robert W. Kress, P.E., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1961 and a master’s degree, also in civil engineering, in 1963, both from Yale University. He is currently the facilities construction manager for the office of design and construction at Princeton University, where he oversees construction operations for the university’s $300-million annually funded capital projects program. Among the projects completed under his direction are the Princeton University Stadium, designed by the architect Rafael Viñoly, and the Shea Rowing Center. During his 32-year career at Princeton he also served as manager of facilities project engineering and construction at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and in that capacity was responsible for site development planning, capital projects programming, and facilities construction management. The work he helped carry out proved instrumental in the laboratory becoming an international leader in fusion energy research. Before joining Princeton Kress was the director of engineering and administration for the City of New London, Connecticut, where he managed the urban renewal program for more than 13 years. He is a licensed professional engineer in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

J. Marie Marston, P.E., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Oregon State University in 1980 and a master’s in business administration from the University of California at Irvine in 1988. Marston has more than 28 years of professional civil engineering experience and is currently the principal and president of Civil Works Engineers, Inc., in Costa Mesa, California. Her background includes general infrastructure and public works improvement projects, and her work has involved hydrology, storm drains, water distribution, streets, freeways, and site improvements for commercial and public facilities. The projects for which she has been responsible have had estimated costs of as much as $43 million. Marston has been active in ASCE throughout her years of membership. She has long been a member of the transportation technical group within the Los Angeles Section’s Orange County Branch, and she served as president and chair of the group in 1998. She has also been active in other professional associations, among them the Orange County chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar, serving as both treasurer and president. Her contributions were recognized with the chapter’s Woman of the Year Award in 2004 and Member of the Year Award in 2005. Marston is a licensed professional engineer in California.

Mark J. Schiffman, P.E., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cornell University in 1968 and a master’s degree in traffic and transportation engineering from the University of South Carolina in 1970. He also holds a law degree, which he earned from the University of North Carolina in 1973. Schiffman is currently the program manager for mta Capital Construction in New York City and in that capacity is responsible for managing the design and construction of support facilities adjacent to the main tunnels of a $2.1-billion subway project in the city. Prior to that appointment he was a senior vice president for Urbitran Group, a New York–based engineering, architecture, and planning consulting firm. He has prepared more than 75 environmental assessments and impact statements, including conceptual and preliminary designs of wastewater collection and treatment facilities, highways, and buildings. Schiffman has also been responsible for managing the construction of structures and infrastructure projects valued at more than $2 billion. Many of these endeavors have garnered project-of-the-year awards from professional organizations because of their contributions to the social, economic, or environmental welfare of society. Schiffman is a licensed professional engineer in New York and New Jersey.

Brian L. Smith, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1989, a master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Virginia in 1991, and a doctorate in civil engineering, also from the University of Virginia, in 1995. An associate professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at the University of Virginia, Smith has spent the majority of his career in academia and research, and his applied engineering program has contributed to the development of intelligent transportation system (its) technologies. A major national study sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration that he led focused on capturing data to support applications ranging from transportation engineering and planning to performance measurement. His efforts in education have been recognized by the University of Virginia, where he has been named a university teaching fellow and been the recipient of the Civil Engineering Teaching Award. The Council of University Transportation Centers recognized his contributions with its New Faculty Member Award, and in 2006 he was honored with ASCE’s Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize. Smith has more than 50 technical publications to his credit and is a licensed professional engineer in Virginia.

Ian Smith, Ph.D., P.Eng., F.ASCE, obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Sunderland, in the United Kingdom, in 1974 and a master’s degree in structural engineering from Durham University, also in the United Kingdom, in 1978. In 1983 he earned a doctorate in civil engineering from London South Bank University, and in 2006 he obtained a doctor of science degree there. Currently a professor of structural and timber engineering at Canada’s University of New Brunswick, Smith is widely recognized as an expert on the structural use of timber and other wood-based products. He was the first director of the University of New Brunswick’s Wood Science and Technology Centre, serving from 1988 to 1995, and in 2005 he became the acting dean of the university’s faculty of forestry and environmental management. He has also been a visiting professor of structural engineering at the Università degli Studi di Trento, in Italy. Smith has more than 200 technical papers and reports published in open professional literature on structural mechanics, structural analysis, reliability, building science, and materials. His book Fracture and Fatigue in Wood (Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2003) was the first ever on the subject. Smith is a licensed professional engineer in Canada.

Fellow applications may be obtained from ASCE’s world headquarters, in Reston, Virginia, by calling (800) 548-2723, extension 6289. From outside the country, the number is (703) 295-6289. The e-mail address is fellows@asce.org. The application may be found on the Web at www.asce.org/pdf/fellowmemapp.pdf. Completed applications may be submitted online at www.asce.org/membership/fellowgrade.cfm (click on “Online ASCE Fellow Application”). Questions concerning fellow guidelines (including guideline waiver inquiries) or the application process may be directed to Patrick Ballou, the applications coordinator, at (703) 295-6169 or pballou@asce.org. Completed applications are reviewed monthly by the Membership App lication Review Committee.

In January 2003 the Geo-Institute (G-I), the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG), and the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) formed the Joint Task Force on Areas of Practice. The group was charged with developing a document reflecting a consensus among the professions regarding the appropriate areas of practice of geologists and geotechnical engineers. These opinions would serve as a point of reference both for members of the professions and for those who are not experts in assessing appropriate areas of practice. The task force was to define the areas of practice related to geology and geotechnical engineering. The document, which would delineate areas unique to each discipline as well as areas of overlap, was intended to be offered to state geology and engineering boards to assist them, on the basis of the opinions of the professions themselves, in clarifying the areas of practice of geologists and civil engineers. The G-I, the AEG, and the AIPG understood at the outset that it might not be possible to obtain consensus. In February of this year the task force completed the document. After reviewing it, the G-I’s Board of Governors has decided to make it available to G-I and ASCE members for comment. The document may be accessed by ASCE and G-I members on the main page of the G-I’s Web site, www.geoinstitute.org. The G-I will be accepting comments until June 15, 2009. Please e-mail your comments to geo-institute@asce.org and confirm your membership in G-I or ASCE. Only comments submitted to this e-mail address will be considered. In indicating concurrence or opposition to portions of the document, be sure to give detailed reasons. Moreover, be sure that any recommendations you make are detailed. The G-I’s board will consider all comments submitted before the deadline, and in July it will provide recommendations to the task force regarding possible revisions to the document.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Technology Innovation Program (TIP) has announced its 2009 competition with solicitations for manufacturing and sensing technologies for civil infrastructure. This year’s competition will focus on two critical national needs: (1) manufacturing, including nanomaterials, superalloys, “smart” materials, and composites, and (2) civil infrastructure, including technologies related to inspection, monitoring, repair, and renovation. Approximately $15 million will go toward manufacturing and $10 million will be allocated to civil infrastructure. The total funds of $25 million are for the first year of funding only, and all proposals accepted by TIP receive multiyear funding. TIP expects to fund appropriately 25 new research and development projects this year. In last year’s competition, TIP conferred nine awards totaling approximately $9 million for the first year, and it has committed a total of $42.5 million over the next five years for sensing technologies for roads, highways, bridges, and water systems. To view the formal announcement of the 2009 competition, visit http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/20090326_TIP_2009_comp_announce.htm.

Nearly 2,800 participants from 33 countries attended the International Foundation Congress and Equipment Expo ’09, exceeding expectations. Held March 15–19 in Orlando, Florida, the jointly sponsored geoengineering and geoconstruction technical conference was the venue for the annual meetings of the Geo-Institute, the International Association of Foundation Drilling, and the Pile Driving Contractors Association. The indoor and outdoor exhibit halls were sold out and filled with an array of products and machines from around the world. The keynote speakers included Major General Don T. Riley, M.ASCE, the director of civil works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Dan Brown, Ph.D., an associate professor of civil engineering at Auburn University; and John Wolosick, P.E., M.ASCE, the director of engineering with the Alpharetta, Georgia, office of Hayward Baker. Among the highlights was a special tribute to the internationally renowned deep foundation engineer Clyde N. Baker, Jr., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, a senior principal engineer of sts Consultants, Ltd., of Vernon Hills, Illinois. Conference photos may be viewed and ordered at www.choicephoto.net/find_your_photos.

ASCE is accepting nominations for the 2010 Charles Pankow Award for Innovation. The award recognizes innovations in design and materials as well as research and development contributions that have found reflection in engineering practice. Previous winners of the award cite the value of widespread industry visibility attained through asce publicity. Nominations must include a cover letter signed by the nominator, an official award nomination form with the required attachments, and the entry fee of $75. For additional information, visit www.asce.org/awards.

Leo Roy Beard, P.E., D.WRE, Dist. M.ASCE, a retired hydrologic engineer, died on March 21 at the age of 91. Beard was known for his pioneering work in the application of statistics to hydrologic engineering. He was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, on April 6, 1917, and his family moved to San Gabriel, California, in 1922. He attended Pasadena Junior College (now Pasadena City College) and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1939. He then joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and remained with the Corps until his retirement, in 1972. His last position was director of the Hydrologic Engineering Center, in Davis, California. Beard was also a professor of civil engineering at the University of Texas and a member of the consulting firm Espey, Huston, and Associates, Inc., of Austin, Texas. He lectured at the University of California at Davis and was a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley and Utah State University. He served as chairman of ASCE’s Water Resources Planning and Management Division (now the Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s Planning and Management Council) and in 2007 was honored with the Society’s Ven Te Chow Award.

Wilbur J. Morin, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, a geological and civil engineer who before his retirement worked for Lyon Associates, now headquartered in Honolulu, died of prostate cancer on March 26 at the age of 80. Morin was well known for conducting soil tests for building projects worldwide. A native of Eliot, Maine, he graduated from Tufts University in 1950. In the 1960s he earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in geological and civil engineering from the University of Utah. Morin served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1953 to 1955. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, and by four children and seven grandchildren.

Constantine Papadakis, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, the president of Drexel University, died on April 5 at the age of 63 from complications resulting from lung cancer. Papadakis received a degree in civil engineering in Greece from the National Technical University of Athens. He later earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a doctorate from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He joined Bechtel Power Company (now Bechtel Power Corporation, headquartered in Frederick, Maryland) in 1974 and managed projects related to flood control, hydroelectric power, and cooling systems for nuclear reactors. He was then recruited by sts Consultants (now part of aecom, of Los Angeles) to serve as vice president of the firm’s water resources division. Tetra Tech, of Pasadena, California, hired him as a vice president and in that capacity he led Federal Emergency Management Agency and Superfund environmental projects. Papadakis became president of Drexel in 1995 and was well known for his achievements there, which included expanding the undergraduate enrollment from 4,500 in 1996 to more than 11,000 in 2009 and increasing research funding from $14 million to $105 million. Under his leadership the university added schools of medicine, nursing, and public health and established an extensive online degree program.

Robert Lee Porter IV, P.E., M.ASCE, the owner of Porter Engineering and Reconstruction, of St. Louis, died unexpectedly on March 26 at the age of 56. Porter attended Washington University in St. Louis, receiving a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1975 and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering the following year. He then became a construction engineer with the agricultural firm Monsanto and later worked in Louisville, Kentucky, as a structural engineering specialist for Bechtel Corporation. In 1982 he formed RLP & Associates, Inc., in Los Angeles and developed a specialty in seismic design while working on projects on the West Coast. In 1984 he was named the city engineer of Charlack, Missouri. Three years later he established Porter Engineering & Development Company, P.C., which later became Porter Engineering and Reconstruction. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sigma Chi Foundation, Tau Tau Chapter Endowment, 1714 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60204, or to the American Heart Association. Condolences may be expressed at www.baumannchapel.com.

W. Llewellyn Powell, P.E., F.ASCE, died in Dallas of natural causes at the age of 97. After attending Southern Methodist University, Powell earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1932. He then worked for his father’s engineering firm. In 1936, as a member of the Navy Reserve Civil Engineer Corps, he constructed a glider base in Texas north of Fort Worth. Powell is perhaps best known for designing the bridge that carries Hampton Road over Interstate 30 in Dallas, a structure that in 1958 was named one of the most beautiful of its kind in the country by the American Institute of Steel Construction. His other projects included the design of wastewater treatment plants and water system improvements. Powell is survived by 2 sons, 2 daughters, 12 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, TX 75204-2099.

John Logan Tanner III, P.E., M.ASCE, a founding partner of the structural engineering firm Ellisor & Tanner, Inc., which later became the Dallas office of the international firm Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., died on February 17 at the age of 79. A lifelong resident of Dallas, Tanner earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Southern Methodist University. He worked as a draftsman for three years before becoming a district engineer with an Alabama engineering firm. He then returned to Dallas and joined another structural engineering firm before establishing Ellisor & Tanner. Tanner designed structural systems for such structures as high-rise office buildings, health care facilities, hotels, urban centers, and retail facilities throughout the world during a career that spanned 50 years. His structural engineering projects in Dallas included the Renaissance Tower; the Crescent, a 25-story, 4 million sq ft (371,600 m²) mixed-use property designed by the architect Philip Johnson; and the Campbell Centre buildings, best known for their prominence in the television series Dallas. He also coauthored the text Reinforced Concrete Design (New York City: McGraw-Hill, 1966). He is survived by his wife, Marge, and by two sons and three grandchildren.

Frederick Yates Ward, P.E., M.ASCE, died on April 1 at the age of 81. Born in Boone, North Carolina, Ward moved with his family to Bel Air, Maryland, in 1930 and graduated from high school there. He then enlisted in the army, serving in the Pacific theater during World War II. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1954 and established the engineering, architecture, and design firm Sutcliffe & Ward, Inc., in Bel Air in 1957. The firm was involved in the development of several residential and commercial areas in Bel Air. Dedicated to the art of land surveying, Ward served on Maryland’s State Board for Professional Land Surveyors and also established the Fred and Joan Ward Scholarship, which is open to students at Towson University majoring in land surveying.

Thomas D. Wosser, P.E., S.E., M.ASCE, died on March 29 at the age of 83. Before his retirement, in 1990, Wosser was a senior principal and president of the engineering firm Degenkolb, of San Francisco. He was born in San Francisco on August 20, 1925, and lived in Mill Valley, California. After graduating from high school he enrolled in the navy’s air training program, receiving his wings in 1945. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1949 and then began his career at Degenkolb. He was with the firm for approximately 50 years, serving as president for the last 11. Wosser was responsible for the structural engineering of a variety of projects, including health care facilities, university buildings, and parking garages. He also applied his expertise to structures of historical importance and traveled to earthquake sites around the world. He was the project manager for two large projects in the San Francisco Bay Area: strengthening a historically important, unreinforced masonry building the size of a city block—an endeavor that garnered several awards—and strengthening a 1.4 million sq ft (130,060 m²) structure in Milpitas that had been a Ford assembly plant. Donations may be made in his name to Sutter VNA & Hospice, 1836 Sierra Gardens Drive, Suite 130, Roseville, CA 95661, or to the University of California at Berkeley Engineering Fund.