A= ustin Branch Newsletter

October 2009

Volume 13, Number 10

= In This Issue̷= 0;

Spring 2010 Meeting =

Membership Re= newal

YMF Update

UT-ASCE Update

History In Heritage<= o:p>

Continuing Education Webinars

October Speaker: Victoria = J. Li, P.E., Director, Watershed Protection Department, City of Austin

Topic: Capital Improvement Projects with the Watershed Protection Department

Victoria J. Li is the Director of the C= ity of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department and has been since April 2006. Her duties include directing the department to control Austin= and the surrounding ETJ’s water quality, natural state of creeks, a= nd drainage issues. She has al= so served as the Assistant Director of the City’s Public Works Departm= ent, was a board member on the Travis County Hospital District Board of Manage= rs, and was the Executive Director of the Texas Board of Professional Enginee= rs for four years. Ms. Li has a Master of Science in Engineering with a specialization in Environmental Health Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences from the National Taiwan University. Ms. Li will be discussing Capital Improvement Projects with the Watershed Protection Department.=

President’s Message

by Robert W. Scholz, P.E.

Welcome to a brand new year for the Aus= tin Branch of ASCE! I am excite= d to be your president this year and I am confident that our membership and our board of directors will make this year a huge success. This year will be a year of “Firsts” and I am excited about each and every one our opportunities to shine as the outstanding branch in Texas!

For the first time in history, our bran= ch is shaking up the norm on the Texas Section meetings and changing the Spr= ing meeting to have a Sunday-Tuesday format in lieu of the traditional Thursday-Saturday format. T= he meeting will be April 12^th and 13^th at the newly constructed AT&T Conference Center<= /st1:PlaceType> on the University of Texas campus.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Stay tuned for more exciti= ng Spring Texas Section Meeting “firsts” from our planning team,= led by Amy Spicer Smith and David Matocha.&n= bsp;

This year will be the first solid year = of our newly established Regulatory Stakeholders Committee. This committee will review local, regional, state, and federal rules and regulation changes affecting the c= ivil engineering practice and provide comments to the various entities regardi= ng these rule changes when appropriate.&nbs= p; Julia Harrod, our Past President, has done an outstanding job with this committee to date and will continue to work with me to address upcom= ing changes in policy. Thanks to Julia for all of her terrific work!

This year, we have several new first-ti= mers serving on Committees. Sally Bittick joins Linda Barlow this year as co-chair of the Public Relations Committee. Dave Lubitz join= s our branch from the North Carolina Section as the Membership Chair. Erin Gundersen will lead our Com= munity Service Committee. And last= but certainly not least, Suzanne Dean will head up the Corporate Sponsorships Committee. Thanks to all of= these “newbies” for volunteering.&= nbsp; Our future looks bright!

We still have one committee chair remai= ning open and I challenge you to get involved in it. It is the E-Week Steering and Mentoring Committee. This y= ear, the board would like to begin a mentoring program for students in element= ary, middle, or high school. Thi= s is an excellent way to get the word out to growing minds about the opportuni= ties available in civil engineering. If you are interested in volunteering for this committee or leadin= g it or volunteering for participation on other committees, please contact me = at rscholz@members.asce.org.

On a final note, I would like to challe= nge each and every member to renew his or her membership with ASCE before December 1, 2009. The Secti= on renewing the most memberships prior to this date will be rewarded with a = cash prize of $1,250 from the ASCE headquarters. We could sure use this money tow= ards making the Texas Section an even better service to you and your companies. So Love yo= ur State and keep TEXAS ASCE proud of its members!

October Meeting Sponsor:

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is one of the world’s largest and most diverse providers of professional technical services. With annual revenues exceeding $11 billion, we offer full-spect= rum support to industrial, commercial and government clients across multiple markets. Services include scientific and specialty consulting as well as = all aspects of engineering and construction and operations & maintenance. Our fundamental business strategy is building long-term client relationships. With more than 60 years in the industry, we have attracted and retained clients by providing superior customer value—= ;in fact, over 90 percent of our work is repeat business from loyal clients. = Our global network includes more than 160 offices in more than 20 countries. We have operations in North America, the United Kingdom, mainland Europe, India, A= ustralia and Asia. Our headquarters are in= Pasadena, California.

ASCE Sponsorships

The time is here to renew or become an ASCE Austin Branch sponsor for the 2010 year. We are currently offering an early bird special for submission by December 1^st, 2009.

Branch Sponsorship is $250.00 if submitted by December 1^st, 2009 and $300.00 anytime thereafter. Meeting Sponsors will remain at $300.00 for t= he 2010 year. Below is a detailed description of each type of sponsorship.

1. Austin Branch Sponsor

$250.00 &= #8211; Early Bird: Registration by December 1^st, 2009

$300.00 &= #8211; Registration after December 1^st, 2009

Sponsorship Includes:

Business = card ad in the monthly newsletter for the term of your sponsorship.<= /o:p>

Listing o= n the ASCE Austin Branch Website Sponsor Page with a link to your website = for the term of your sponsorship.

Advertise= job postings for FREE on the Branch Website for the term of your sponsorship.

2. Austin Branch Meeting Sponsor (10 Meetings per year) - $300.00

Sponsorship Includes:

Introduct= ion at the meeting and approximately three (3)minutes to speak about your company, services, and community activities.

Recogniti= on and introduction of your company in the monthly newsletter for that mont= h.

Mention o= n the website home page for that month with a link to your website.

Includes = two (2) free admissions to the sponsored meeting.

Notes:

"Year" refers to Januar= y to December of the current Calendar Year=

There are 10 meetings and10 newsl= etters per year, no meetings/newsletters in July or August

We encourage everyone to get involved. A sponsorship will allow your company to give back to the Austin community= as well as market your Company’s name.

For Branch and Meeting sponsorship applications please refer to http://www.austinasce.org/sponsors.htm<= /span> for more details or you can contact Suzanne Dean at suzanne.dean@jacobs.com.

We appreciate everyone’s involvement with the ASCE Austin Branch and h= ope to see even more in the future.

Thank You!

Austin = Branch Hosts Texas Section Spring 2010 Meeting – Save the Date!

The Austin Bra= nch will be hosting the Texas Section Spring 2010 Meeting. This meeting will be unique in b= oth its revised format and location. This will be a Texas Section meeting that will be talked about for years to come.&= nbsp; There is no better opportunity to get involved in creating the fut= ure Texas Section meeting formats.

Preparations for this meeting have begun with the selection of a fabulous venue – the newly constructed AT&a= mp;T Executive Education and Conference Center, located on the University of Tex= as Campus.&nb= sp; This facility combines advanced technology and sophisticated hospitality – just the setting to make the Texas Section meeting in= Austin the civil engineering event of the year!

The Host Committee invites all Austin Branch members to get involved in making this meeting a success. you may contact individual sub-committee chairman to find out about volunteering = for their committee.

General Co-Chair: Amy Spicer Smith &nbs= p; amy_smith@urscorp.com

General Co-Chair: David Mat= ocha = ; &nbs= p; david.matocha@hanson.com

Budget/Finance: Curtis Steger = ; &nbs= p; curtis@holfordgroup.com=

CPD Seminars: Craig Chesser = ; &nbs= p; cachesser@lan-inc.com

Awards Banquet: Kelly Barney = ; &nbs= p; barneyka@gmail.com

Exhibits: &nbs= p; Ron Reichert &nb= sp; &nbs= p; rreichert@ejiw.com

Hotel Arrangements: Steve Bontempo &nb= sp; steve@bontempo-eng.com<= /span>

Printing/Mailing: Dale Murphy &nbs= p; &nbs= p; dmurphy@kfriese.com

Publicity: = ; Vanessa Rosales-Herrera Vanessa_Rosales-Herrera@URSCorp.com

Registration: = ; Linda Bar= low = ; &nbs= p; lbarlow@hvj.com<= /p>

= ; &n= bsp; Don Willhouse = ; &nbs= p; dotdon32@msn.com<= /span>

Student Activities Rose Marie Klee &= nbsp; &nbs= p; rmklee@crespoinc.com

Order of the Engineer

Ceremony: = ; Cres Guzman = ; &nbs= p; crespin.guzman@klotz.com

Renew your Membership by December 1st

= Help the Texas Section be a 2009 Renewal Cash Prize Winner!

YOUR ASCE Section can Win $1,250 by having the highest percentage of renewed members by December 1, 2009.

One ASCE Section from each category (La= rge, Medium, Small) will each win a cash prize of $1,250. So get in the Section Renewal Race right now - and end 2009 with a strong financial finish for = your Section or Branch.

Spread the word - remind your fe= llow Section members to renew!

Renew at: http://www.asce.org= /

<= /a>YMF= Update

by Yvonne L. Garcia, EIT

Austin Young= er Member Forum is excited about the upcoming year! Effective October 1, 2009 t= he new board has transitioned and we are eager to continue the successful gr= owth of the Austin branch chapter. Our announc= ements are as follows:

<= /span>

YMF Officers & Positions 2009-2010=

Effective October 1, 2009, = the following individuals will be serving as your YMF 2009-2010 board:

Brandon Hammann, E.I.T.	Director
Yvonne Garcia, E.I.T.	President/Social Chair/PE Review Chai= r
Ty Womble, E.I.T., LEED AP=	Vice President/UT Student Liaison Cha= ir
Zach Ryan, E.I.T.	Treasurer
Jennifer Higby, E.I.T., LEED AP<= /o:p>	Secretary
Alex Reyna, P.E.	Golf Tourney Chair<= /p>
Gabe Tobin, E.I.T.<= /p>	West Point Bridge Chair<= /o:p>
Vanessa Rosales-Herrera, P.E.	2010 Texas Section Meeting Liaison Chai= r

ASCE Golf Tournament - Save the Date November 19^th

The Austin ASCE Branch and YMF are co-hosting its Annual Golf Tournament on November 19^th at the Avery Ranch Golf Course under the leaders= hip of Alex Reyna, P.E., chairperson and event organizer. Please check the website (www.austinasce.o= rg) for registration and sponsorship informati= on or feel free to contact Alex Reyna at (512) 328-0011 or by email at areyna@burypartners.com.

PE Review Course

YMF would like to recognize= the following instructors for all their efforts in the success of the Fall 20= 09 PE Review Course:

Mr. Patrick Hays, P.E.<= /span>	AECOM<= /span>	Structures/ Retaining Walls
Dr. Zhanmin Zhang, P.E.<= /span>	UT Professor	Transportation
Mr. David Allen, P.E.<= /span>	AEG=	Environmental Engineering<= /span>
Mr. Tim Weston, P.E.<= /span>	MLA Labs	Geotechnical Engineering
Mr. John Landweremeyer, P= .E.<= /span>	Fugro<= /span>	Materials
Dr. Erick Loucks, P.E.<= /span>	AECOM<= /span>	Hydraulics/Hydrology

= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp;

We thank you for your time = and support! The review course would not have been a success without you. Future applicants interested in potentially hosting a review course in a specialty area can contact Yvonne Garcia @ ygarcia@rkci.com.

UT Mentoring Program

&nbs= p; =

This year YMF will be reach= ing out to UT students and serving as mentors to senior level engineering students offering direction and guidance in their area of expertise on three selected City = of Austin projects.= The goal of this experience is to provide students a practical working sense of the intricacies on working on a city project from start to finish, an opportunity that is not always given to civil engineering students. It also provides an opportunity for our profession to give back to our community. The projects are= as follows: Barton Creek Bridge Project, Upper Boggy Creek Trail Project, Northcross Connection Project. For more informati= on about the mentoring program and opportunities for volunteering contact Ty Womble, E.I.T., LEED AP at tWomble@Ha= lff.com.

<= o:p>

Y= MF Happy Hour

<= o:p>

Our next happy hour is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18. Location TBA.

I= nterested in joining ASCE YMF?

Interested in learning more about ASCE YMF and how to get involved? ASCE YMF welcomes and encourages young engineers to become acti= vely involved in their local branch chapter.&= nbsp; For more information contact Yvonne Garcia @ yg= arcia@rkci.com.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

<= o:p>

W= hat’s going on with ASCE YMF?

Interested in receiving YMF newsletters and updates about our social events, community services, etc.?= You can request to be added to the YMF listserve by emailing Jennifer Higb= y, E.I.T., LEED AP at higbyjl@cdm.com.

UT-ASCE = Update

The semester has definitely started with a bang! Although members are busy wi= th midterms, labs and problem sets, attendance and participation is strong.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> We have had a packed house for o= ur DRP Construction and Kiewit meetings – about a 20% increase from the meetings at this time last year. Although the last few moments were rained out, we had a successful Friday in the park. Students look forward to our next social activity, camping, which will take place later this month. Our Steel Bridge team has conducted some practice welding and is finishing up shop drawing= s. The team is very excited that al= l of their hard work is about to come to life. Also, the Concrete Canoe team had it’s first paddle practice. With practice, the Concrete Canoe team will be unstoppable, but for now it was a success to not capsize.&nbs= p; We hope to get students more excited about our competitions, especially the Steel Bridge and Concre= te Canoe, so that they become more involved early and stay involved througho= ut the year.

Outreach planned a successful Habitat for Humanity! We showed up, all ten spots fill= ed, and helped with drywall, blocking, painting, and roofing. “CanStruction”, a canned food drive, will begin soon.

We are excited to have our very own Dr. Gilbert and CoreSlab Structures for = our October meetings. Intramural football is doing extremely well in hopes th= at we will make it to the playoffs this year. We look forward to excelling in = all our technical and athletic competitions.= So far, hard work is making this year even more successful than in= the past and are confident that we have all the tools to do so. Hook ’Em!

Contact Kassey Wooldridge at kwooldridge@mail.utexas.edu if you would like to get involved with UT ASCE.

Our website can be found at www.ut-asce.org.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> It contains information for Tech= nical Competitions, Outreach, IM Sports, and Social Events, as well as contact information for all of our officers.

Cleo Lafoy “C.L. or Chief” Dowell

By Melinda Lun= a, P.E.

Cleo Lafoy Dowell or C.L. as he signed most of his work was born on May 14, 18= 97 in Volcano, West Virginia. (Volcano, West Virginia is a ghost tow= n in the area of Mount Wood Park<= /st1:City>, West Virginia in the nort= h part of the state.) In 191= 2, his family moved to Port Arthur<= /st1:City>, Texas. He attended Rice University where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He serv= ed in the United States Navy from 1918 to 1919 as an Aviation Cadet and Chief Aviation Master. He m= arried Bernie Caldwell. They had t= wo daughters Jane in March 19, 1927 and Mary Patricia on May 22, 1931 both b= orn in Bexar County, = Texas. He worked for Central Power and Light for 18 years in various capacities (construction engineer, hydraulic engineer, power plants and water works consultant), in San Antonio and Corpus Chri= sti, Texas.

Dowell started working with LCRA in 1939. He was hired as a Res= ults Engineer at the pay of $250 per month ($3,644, 2007 dollars using an inflation calculator). Like= his mentor and friend Abraham Streiff, he wrote and published several papers along with participating in several technical societies. While with LCRA he wrote his an article in early 1942 in American Public Power Association’s Public Power Magazine titled “The Lower Colorado River Authority. He told the story of LCRA’s creation, the significance of hydroelectric power to the war effort, a summary of Mansfield, The Austin development (Tom Miller dam), Buchanan a= nd Inks Dam.

Working along side G.E. Schmitt, he monitored the river and dams during the 1952, 1956, and 1957 floods. He worked on several projects including looking at flash flooding in the City of Austin with Carl Levander (one of the= first engineers that the City hired) in 1948. He coordinating meetings with IBW= C, USGS and the Corps of Engineers to talk about coverage of the rain gages thought the state. He also chaired the Texas Water Law Special subcommittee for the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE) and did various presentations to several organizations including ASCE.

With LCRA he looked at water supply, fl= ow cycles of the Colorado River, water supply for the City of Llano. He held several titles throughout his career with LCRA including Hydraulic & Steam Engineer and Head Hydraulic and Chief Engineer. He retired from LCRA on November= 15, 1962. His retirement announcement in the LCRA new read that: he was noted= for his forecasts (weather and lake levels), the enjoyment he got out of rain= fall reports, and that we has invaluable to LCRA. He often visited the LCRA staff = even after his retirement from LCRA.

After his retirement he published= a number of publications for the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) forme= rly Texas Water Commission. These publications included:

Ñ &nbs= p; 1964, Dams and Reservoirs in Texa= s: History and Descriptive Information

Ñ &nbs= p; 1968, Major Hydroelectric Power plants in Texas: Historical and Descriptive Information, TWDB report 81, with Seth Breeding & F.A. Godfrey

Ñ &nbs= p; 1971-1974, Engineering data on Dams and Reservoirs in Texas.

C.L. Dowell died May 8, 1990 in Austin, Texas after having a long career and a busy retirement that included several references that are still used today.

Don’= t Forget to Update Your Email Address

As a reminder, please update your email addresses thr= ough the National ASCE website. You may have moved or changed jobs and y= our email may have changed.

ASCE Continuing Education Webinars

October 2009

Mon Oct 12, 2009

Curve Number and Vegetative Techniques to Manage Stormwater Runoff Sustainability - New Webina= r