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Austin Branch Newsletter |
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September 2008 |
Volume 12, Number 11 |
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In
This Issue… President's Message |
September Branch Meeting – September 16, 2008
for the Coming Year Speaker President, Texas Section ASCE When Where Cost RSVP \Meeting Sponsor
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Quick Links… |
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September Speaker: Ricky
Bourque, President, Texas Section of ASCE Looking
Ahead: Goals and Vision for the Coming Year
Mr. Bourque began his involvement with ASCE
as a student member at Texas A&M University where he received a Bachelor
of Science Degree in Civil Engineering in 1977. He has served the
Southeast Branch Texas Section ASCE at all positions including Branch
Director for over 12 years and has served twice as Chair of the Section
Meeting Host Committee. He previously served the Section as a
Director-at-Large, Vice President of Educational Affairs and Chair of Student
Activities and Section Meeting Planning. He is currently a Vice President with
Schaumburg & Polk, Inc., a mid-sized private consulting firm. He
has been involved with a wide variety of technical projects including water
and wastewater treatment and distribution/collection systems, land
development, airports, ports, urban roads and landfills. His past employments
have ranged from small to large civil consulting firms and a materials
testing/geotechnical consulting firm. His experience has provided
exposure to various management structures including changes in ownership from
private to public as well as transition of ownership in private firms. He has been married to his wife Jolean for
30 years and has two daughters, Brianne and Jobeth (both Aggies). He is
a member of the First United Methodist Church of Nederland,
Texas. |
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President’s Message
·
The
Austin Branch had great speakers at our luncheons representing Endeavor Real
Estate Group, Austin City Council, Texas Board of Professional Engineers,
Altura Solutions, Texas Department of Transportation, Central Texas Regional
Mobility Authority, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas
State Energy Conservation Office. ·
We
had 31 volunteers at the Maker’s Faire Event held at the Travis County Expo
Center in October. ·
The
Younger Member Forum (YMF) put on successful golf tournament at Avery Ranch
in November. ·
The
Austin Branch held a membership drawing at each monthly luncheon as well as a
grand prize drawing for $500 cash at the June luncheon for guests and members
that brought guests. ·
We
raised $19,000 and had 99 volunteers that participated in the annual Bowl for
Kids Sake to raise money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. ·
We
exhibited at the ACEA Symposium in April as well as the Sustainable Land
Development Institute Conference in May. ·
Dale
Murphy won the 2008 Texas Section Professional Service Award presented at the
Spring Texas Section meeting in Corpus Christi in April. ·
The
YMF provided Fall and Spring PE Review Courses. ·
The
Austin Branch held a full day continuing education seminar. ·
We
awarded $6,000 in scholarships to the University of Texas students. ·
The
YMF held and organized the Multi-Regional (Regions 3, 6 and 7) Younger Members
Conference in Austin in January. ·
We
had 70 volunteers at the annual Austin Children’s Museum event held in
February. ·
We
had over 30 volunteers go in to school classrooms around Central Texas to
“discover engineering” with students and share in the joy of math and
science. ·
The
Austin Branch raised $554 for the Capital Area Food Bank and held a Volunteer
Day in January. ·
Rose
Marie Klee won the 2008 Texas Section Service to People Award presented at
the Spring Texas Section meeting in Corpus Christi in April. ·
We
donated $3,500 to the University of Texas student chapter for annual
activities including the steel bridge and concrete canoe. ·
We
had 10 participants in the Habitat for Humanity Construction day in May. ·
We
had volunteers that helped out with the Design Squad day at the Austin
Children’s Museum. ·
We
co-hosted the 2008 Engineer’s Week Banquet with TSPE. ·
Shelby
Eckols, P.E. was awarded the Civil Engineer of the Year award at the banquet. ·
We
co-hosted the Engineer’s Summer Party that was held at Keller Landing in
August. I am sure that there is much more that I am
forgetting to mention. Bottom line is the Austin Branch of ASCE is one
remarkable group of people that I am proud to be a part of!! Come join us
at the next luncheon on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 where I will recognize
all of the people that made these events possible! |
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Are
you taking the PE Exam this Fall (or know someone who is)?
The Austin ASCE YMF is now accepting
students for the Fall 2008 PE Review Course. The course consists of four
instructional Saturdays covering eight- 3 hour civil breadth exam subject
sessions, and an optional student-run review day. Please contact Jackee
Grote at jlgrote@terracon.com or
512-442-1122 more information. Cost: $350 for ASCE members, $375 for
non-members ($50 late registration fee if after September 5) Location: UT Campus Dates: September 13th to October 11th, 2008 Times: 8:30 AM to 4 PM on Saturdays Registration Deadline: ASAP! |
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Golf Tournament 2008
The Austin ASCE
Branch and YMF are co-hosting its Annual Golf Tournament on November 6th
at the Avery Ranch Golf Course under the leadership of Alex Reyna, P.E.,
chairperson and event organizer. Please check the website (www.austinasce.org) for registration and sponsorship information or
feel free to contact Alex Reyna at (512) 328-0011 or by email at areyna@burypartners.com. |
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Fall Training Opportunity!
by
Kristen Kasper, P.E. – Engineers Without Borders-Central Texas Training
Coordinator In hopes of bringing cooler
weather to Austin, Engineers Without Borders –
Central Texas (EWB-CT) is excited to announce a fall training
opportunity. EWB-CT is offering Conversational
Spanish - Level 1 and Level 2 to EWB members and
nonmembers. The Level 1 course is an introduction
to Spanish basics such as greetings, asking for directions,
ordering food, and will introduce technical terms needed by
engineers to assess and implement projects in developing
countries. The Level 2 course is an extension of Level
1. The Level 2 course focuses on expanding vocabulary and
verb usage (imperfect/command forms) for social and work situations and
will have field trips in order to build
confidence in "real world" situations. Course details are
listed below. Description: Conversational
Spanish - Level 1 (Entry Level) Dates: September 15th
- October 22nd, Monday and Wednesday Time: 6PM - 7:30PM Number of Classes: 12 Location: 12357-A Riata Trace
Pkwy, Suite 210, Austin, TX 78727 (CDM
office) Cost: $75/person LIMITED TO 15 STUDENTS Description: Conversational
Spanish - Level 2 Dates: September 15th
- October 22nd, Monday and Wednesday Time: 6PM - 7:30PM Number of Classes: 12 Location: One Texas
Center, 505 Barton Springs Rd, 11th
floor, Austin, TX 78704 Cost: $75/person LIMITED TO 15 STUDENTS This is a great opportunity
meet others in the engineering community with the common goal of learning a
new language. Please contact Kristin Kasper at kristin_kasper@yahoo.com
to reserve a seat. |
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September Meeting Sponsor – Durable Coating
Systems/VersaFlex
Durable Coating
Systems is a Central Texas company that
specializes in on-site polyurea spray coating services. They have been
successfully installing polyurea water containment systems and protective
coatings for commercial, institutional, and residential customers for
over five years. Polyurea is a
thick-film, fast-setting elastomeric technology that can be used for a wide
variety of applications. Polyurea membranes can be unlimited in size and may
be used to contain or exclude water as well as many hazardous liquids. High
abrasion resistance makes it an ideal protective surface for many
applications. Polyureas are tolerant of substrate movement, which can lead to
failures in epoxies, fiberglass, and other rigid coating systems. Polyurea coatings
come in a variety of colors, including reflective high albedo whites, which
can be used to minimize cooling costs when applied to exterior surfaces. In
addition, aggregates can be embedded during application to create
non-slip surfaces. Durable Coating
Systems works closely with their vendor, VersaFlex Incorporated, one of the
oldest global producers of polyurea based products. Providing product and
technical solutions to the customer are shared objectives for Durable Coating
Systems and VersaFlex, so customers can benefit from many years of experience
and performance in a wide range of application types. Eric Marsh, owner of
Durable Coating Systems, is available to advise on the benefits and
applications of polyurea spray coating systems. Eric can answer questions and
provide consulting services as well as implement complete spray coating
solutions. For more information about VersaFlex products or to consult
with a VersaFlex factory representative on your next project, contact Jeff
Downing. Please take a moment to participate in a
survey being conducted by Durable Coating Systems, regarding the use of
polyurea coatings by visiting: http://durablecoatingsystems.com/limesurvey/index.php?sid=89517&lang=en Eric Marsh can be
reached at 8-SPRAYPOLY (877-729-7659) or at eric@durablecoatingsystems.com
(http://www.durablecoatingsystems.com) Jeff Downing can be
reached at 918-691-9996 or at jeff@versaflex.com
(http://www.versaflex.com) |
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Who/What
do You Want to Hear?
by
Rose Marie Klee, P.E. – 2008-2009 VP Programs As incoming Vice President of Programs, I
would like to encourage you to send me your ideas for meeting speakers.
Throughout this year I will strive to ensure that we have engaging speakers
on topics that matter to you, ranging from current projects in various
technical realms, professional practice, policy, and the state of the art. We
only have ten meetings per year, and I will do my utmost to ensure that every
single one of them provides a rewarding and worth-while experience for all of
our members! If you would like to make a suggestion,
please contact me at rmklee@crespoinc.com |
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Interested in Volunteering
with ACM for Maker Faire?
by
Linda Barlow, P.E. – Public Relations Chair
We
need energetic volunteers who can help kids with creative hands-on
activities. All the activities that are a part of MakerKids will challenge visitors to use creative problems
solving and play with inventive ideas. Volunteer shifts on both days include
the following time slots: 10am to 1pm; 1pm to 4pm; and 4pm to 7pm. One of the
biggest plusses for volunteering (other than having engineering fun with
kids) is the free pass to get into the event on the day you volunteer. Please
email Linda Barlow, PR Committee Chair, at lbarlow@hvj.com if you are
interested in volunteering for the event. |
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YMF
Update
by
Kimberly Patak, P.E. – Younger Member Forum President Boy howdy – there goes another year and
what a great time it has been! This year has been filled with all kinds of
learning lessons and momentous occasions that I hope y’all have enjoyed. I
want to thank all of my officers and chairs that have given it their all this
past year and hope that they have enjoyed the experience. We have had some great social events over
this last year including everything from a hike on the greenbelt to some
hilarious happy hours. Who knew that a group of engineers could be so fun?
Our Regional Leadership Conference was a roaring success where people were
writing me for weeks about what a great time they had in Austin. And thanks
for making the Conference such a success has to be directed to all who turned-out
for the annual golf tournament, as we put a lot of the profits from the
tournament towards the Conference. The semi-annual PE Review Course has
really turned out to be a successful event, with the next course starting up
right around the corner (see article in this month’s newsletter). Our involvement with UT has really stepped
up this year with our donation to the ASCE student chapter of $1,500 to
assist them in their competitions. We also decided to try something new this
year by sponsoring an individual to attend the Careers in Engineering for
Women summer program. With our donation a young woman was able to attend a
weeklong event at UT where she was introduced to engineering career options
and encouraged to develop an interest in the sciences and math. As you can
see we are really making strides for an organization that has only been
around for three years. So what’s next? Another fun-filled year of
good times! Brandon Hammann is the incoming president this year and he has
all kinds of grand plans for the YMF, so stay tuned to see what all we’ll be
up to! (FYI – The annual golf tournament is slated for Nov. 6 at Avery Ranch)
As for me, I plan on working on ways to increase membership in the YMF and
will serve as the Younger Member Director on the Austin Branch board. I will
also be heading up a new venture of quarterly technical sessions. Through
these sessions, I hope to provide an avenue for young engineers to learn how
to accurately make design calculations on a chosen topic. So get your thinking
cap on to develop some ideas for these sessions…you know there’s something
out there that you have a question about! Please email your ideas to kkp@freese.com
. Well to wrap things up, I just want to say
thanks! I have definitely met some great new people over this past year and
have strengthened lots of existing relationships. Thanks to everyone for
making it such a great experience! Here’s to the future of YMF! |
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UT Student Chapter Update
by
Michelle Wilkinson – Corporate Relations Officer This year’s ASCE promises to be an exciting
one! With most of last year’s officers graduating, this year’s officers
face the challenge of losing some valuable talent. But we are making up
for that with hard work and dedication. The year has started off
somewhat slowly due to the cancellation of the New Orleans trip.
Students look forward to the possibility of the trip being rescheduled later
this year because of what a great trip it promises to be. Once again,
we participated in the Fall Gathering, and it was a huge success. We
introduced a lot of incoming freshmen and transfer students to what UT ASCE
is all about and look forward to seeing them become a part of our
organization. We have also been preparing for our first
meeting of the year, which we hope will be more informative to new members
than first meetings in the past. Our resolution for this new academic
year is to concentrate on exposing new students to many civil engineering
opportunities early on. The high rate of drop-outs by freshmen in the
past alerted us to focus on encouraging them to stay on path to become great
engineers. Two of many opportunities include Steel Bridge and Concrete
Canoe. These competitions will provide them with hands-on experience in
the area of structures, materials, and, most importantly, working in group
settings. This year we are excited to have TCB and
CH2M Hill come to our September meetings. We also have an upcoming
Friday in the Park scheduled in September that Pate Engineering is
sponsoring. Intramural football has kicked off early with practices
already taking place in the hopes that we will make it to the playoffs this
year. We look forward to excelling in all our technical and athletic competitions.
We hope to make this year even more successful than in the past and are
confident that we have all the tools to do so. Hook ’Em! Contact Michelle Wilkinson at mwilkinson@mail.utexas.edu if you would like to get
involved with UT ASCE. Our website can be found at www.ut-asce.org.
It contains information for Technical Competitions, Outreach, IM Sports, and Social
Events, as well as contact information for all of our officers. |
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The
First Roads in Williamson County
by
Melinda Luna, P.E. – History and Heritage Chair The first roads of Williamson County were
trails made by the American bison that roamed the area. The area roads,
little more than trails, were much like the first Spanish explorer Cabaza de
Vaca had recorded in 1535 when the first settlers came to Williamson County
in the 1840’s and 1850’s. The settlers found that the Indians in the
area used the trails to travel and settlers learned to do the same. The Indians commonly used Double File Trail
to travel across Williamson County. This trail traveled across Brushy
Creek at Kinney’s Fort (western Round Rock) and the San Gabriel River toward
East Texas. The name was given to the trail because the Indians road in two
lines. It was the most important highway in the early days of
Williamson County. A Historical Marker was placed on US 79 across from
the Palm Valley Lutheran Church to mark part of the trail. Other early roads included the Camino De
Arriba which was a dryer alternative to the more southerly route of the
Camino Real. In 1716 Spanish explorers used this route crossing Brushy
Creek and the San Gabriel River to travel from San Antonio to the missions in
East Texas. William J. Hunt was an engineer who laid
out the Military Road from City of Austin to the Red River, under Colonel
William G. Cooke, in 1840 for the Republic of Texas. There were no
villages along the road in the county and Preston was the only village at the
end of the trail near the Red River When Fort Croghan (now Burnet) was
established in 1851, the Austin-Bagdad-Liberty Hill was established along the
railroad. Most of the traffic traveling between the Fort and Austin consisted
of military personnel and the road was commonly referred to as “the Military
Road”. This was cause for some confusion for other travelers in Williamson
County, since the road was also referred to as the Central National
Road. Probably the best know military traveler was another civil
engineer, Robert E Lee. Lee used the Military Road to get to Fort Mason where
he was stationed. Lee also liked to take various routes to explore Texas. As these areas became increasingly
populated, the county commissioners started to hold meetings to oversee road
progress. They gathered and looked to see which roads were heavily
traveled and selected five routes to improve. Residents were assigned road
maintenance and improvements for the roads near their homes. One of the first
improvements was the addition of signs to help travelers on their
journey. Signs were made on flat stones using abbreviations such as
“G.T.8m” to mean “Georgetown 8 miles.” Road maintenance consisted
mostly of clearing fallen trees or to repairing the road where muddy areas
made it difficult to travel. The usual method of fixing a muddy are was
to lay timber logs side by side. Some roads were lined with short
stone walls to help define the path. Some of these stone walls can be
seen today—Pond Springs Cemetery is one area you can see them. At this time,
road improvements were still progressing slowly. After the Civil War, in 1872, Williamson
County hired an Overseer of Roads. The Overseer was given a yoke of
oxen, a wagon, and some tools. Sometimes county roads were realigned to
shorten the road or to avoid a farmer that was not happy about a road going
through his farm. In 1890 bicycles started to be popular and introduced
Williamson county residents to traveling without the use of horses. The
first cars came to Williamson County in 1906 and as the number of cars grew
there was an increasing emphasis on road improvement, especially starting in
1912. Roads began to be paved either in brick or asphalt. Another
improvement to roads in the area would come from the creation of the Texas
Highway Department in 1917. Roadway improvements in Williamson County
would almost started anew after the flood of 1921, when most of the
Williamson County east of IH 35 was inundated. All low water crossings,
there was recurring damage to bridges and roads. Not until after World
War II, would road improvements take modern form for what is now the growing
area of Williamson County with its projected population of 1 million people. These early roads, even though just trails
and dirt paths, played an important role in the settling of the county.
Williamson County is one of the fastest growing counties in the State of
Texas. Roads as well as the engineers who build these roads will
play a vital role in the growth and livability of today’s Williamson County. References: Land of Good Water, Williamson
County, Texas, History, Clara S.Scarbrough, Williamson County Sun
Publishers, 1973 Road, River and Ol’Boy Politics, A
Texas County’s Path from Farm to Supersuburb, Linda Scarbrough ,
Texas Historical Association, 2005 Texas Historical Marker database |
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Gustav Hits New Orleans!
Labor Day Trip Postponed.
by
Rose Marie Klee, P.E. – Trip Organizer It
was with much discussion and deliberation that we decided to cancel our Labor
Day trip to New Orleans, on the Thursday before the 3rd
Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. We had 2 full buses for a total of 112 volunteers
lined up and ready (in addition to a waiting list of hopeful candidates),
eager to participate in this remarkable opportunity to come together for the
three-day odyssey. We
are so relieved that New Orleans was spared the much-anticipated tempest,
which Mayor Ray Nagin conjectured may present as ‘the mother of all storms’.
And so begins a new conversation, after the City experienced a successful
evacuation and affirmation that the hard-learned lessons of Katrina have been
instilled—there was a plan and it could be executed! After the timely
preparations and evacuation with Gustav accelerating to a Category 5 storm,
the Category 1/2 Hurricane which made landfall did not breach or cause
significant overtopping of the levees. I am sure that there are mixed
emotions for all who were spared the devastation but incurred significant
inconvenience and expense by evacuating… Because
of the overwhelming interest in participating in this trip, we are planning
on rescheduling it to a later date—possibly the weekend of M.L.K. day
(January 16-19, 2009). The membership of ASCE and civil engineering students
of UT will be notified when plans for the trip begin to evolve. Many
thanks to the Austin Branch and the Ernest J. Cockrell School of Engineering
for their resolute support, and to all of the participants who make this trip
the incredible experience that it consistently proves to be. |
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Wanted:
Dog-Lover/Structural Engineer
The
Austin Parks Foundation is looking for an ‘Engineer-Volunteer’ who can
provide some advice on possible bridge solutions for a pedestrian crossing
for the Turkey Creek Trail at Emma Long Park. This is a popular off-leash
dog-walking area, and park users and neighbors have been trying to figure out
how to engage in this volunteer-driven project. You
can help! For
more information about this project contact Rose Marie Klee (rmklee@crespoinc.com)
or Rosie Weaver, Outreach Director of the Austin Parks Foundation (rweaver@austinparks.org) |
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ASCE Continuing Education
Webinars
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Thank You to All of Our 2008 Sponsors!
Want
to be an Austin Branch Sponsor? Gives your company advertising and free
postings on our online job board. Click here for more
information. |
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© 2008 Austin Branch
American Society of Civil Engineers The Austin Branch
Newsletter gives you the latest information on ASCE events and
activities. To inquire about this newsletter or to publish articles
contact the Communications Director. Contact information for our Board
of Directors can be found at www.austinasce.org.
National ASCE – www.asce.org
Texas Section – www.texasce.org |
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