A= ustin Branch Newsletter

January 2012

Volume 16, Number 4

= In This Issue:

Speaker Info

Meeting Sponsor

President's Message<= span style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:white'>

Open Committee Chair Position

Engineer’s Week Banquet and E-Week Activities

Future Scientists Jamboree and Engineers Day at the Children’s Museum

Government Employee Grant Program

UT ASCE Update

Opportunities to Serve as Mento= rs to Civil Engineering Students

Big Brothers Big Sisters – Bowl for Kids Sake 2012 “Las Vegas”

YMF Announcements and Updates

ASCE Sponsorships

January Speaker: Dr. Robert Gilbert

Topic: How to Turn a Minor Slope Failure into a Major Loss

Dr. Gilbert = is the Brunswick-Abernathy Professor in Civil, Architectural and Environment= al Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. His expertise is the assessment, evaluation and management of risk. Recent activities include analyzi= ng the performance of offshore platforms and pipelines in hurricanes, managing earthquake and flooding risks for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California, and performing a forensic analysis of the New Orleans levee failures.

Luncheon Presentation:

A seemingly benign sequence of events during construct= ion of a landfill led to a slope failure. A focus on responsibility rather = than resolution then turned this relatively minor failure into a major loss for all parties involved. This = case history highlights important lessons in design, construction and manageme= nt

Meeting Sponsor

Fugro collects and interprets data related to the earth’s surface and the soil and rock beneath, and provides engineering services to the oil and g= as industry and the construction industry. Our firm’s history dates ba= ck to 1946 with our predecessor McClelland Engineers, which was formed in Houst= on, Texas, and soon became an international leader and technological innovato= r in geotechnical consulting. At= the same time, Fugro N.V., a geotechnical consulting firm based in The Netherlands, was quickly becoming a leader in specialized geotechnical investigations and laboratory testing.&n= bsp; In 1985, the two companies merged to form Fugro-McClelland, Inc. This combined company, which lat= er became known as Fugro, is a recognized authority in geotechnical engineer= ing, pavement management engineering and related sciences.

Desp= ite our international growth, Fugro Consultants has kept our roots, remaining a geotechnical, geological, pavement and materials engineering and testing = firm focused on data acquisition, engineering and reporting. Fugro has over 32 offices in the= U.S. with over 680 employees providing the following services:

<= span style=3D'font-family:Wingdings;mso-fareast-font-family:Wingdings;mso-bi= di-font-family: Wingdings;color:#325A74;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>§ Geotechnical and Materials Engineering	§Analysis of Complex Soil Properties
<= span style=3D'font-family:Wingdings;mso-fareast-font-family:Wingdings;mso-bi= di-font-family: Wingdings;color:#325A74;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>§ Pavement Management and Engineering	§Site Characterization
<= span style=3D'font-family:Wingdings;mso-fareast-font-family:Wingdings;mso-bi= di-font-family: Wingdings;color:#325A74;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>§ Geologic Hazard and Risk Assessments	§Deep Foundation Testing
<= span style=3D'font-family:Wingdings;mso-fareast-font-family:Wingdings;mso-bi= di-font-family: Wingdings;color:#325A74;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>§ Earthquake Engineering<= /o:p>	§Nearshore<= b> Exploration and Engineering Assessment

The = local office of Fugro maintains the following to service the local community:

§ 2 Truck-Mounted Drill Rigs, Cr= ews and Support Vehicles

§ Fully Equipped and Staffed Construction Materials Testing Facility

§ Accredited Geotechnical Labora= tory

§ 2 Falling Weight Deflectometers (one heavyweight and one lightweight)

§ High Speed Laser Profiler=

§ Automated Pavement Distress Ve= hicle

§ Pavement Friction Tester<= /o:p>

§ Local Staff of 12 Licensed Professional Engineers (Geotechnical, Pavement and Materials)<= /span>

Fugro operates under multiple Quality Management Systems (AMRL R-18, ISO 9001),= a Safety Management System (OSHAS 18001) and will acquire the certification= for ISO 14001, Environmental Management Systems in 2012.

President’s Message

by= Tony Buonodono, P.E.

Another year= has passed, and it is time to look to the New Year for exciting opportunities= and activities. Hopefully every= one was able to take at least a little quiet time this holiday season to relax and reflect on the past year. If you decided that this is the year you will get involved with ASCE, we have numerous activities to pique your interest. Engineer’s Week kicks off = in February with many events including the Austin Children’s Museum Day and school visits. The even= ts culminate with the Engineer’s Week Banquet on February 24^{th. If you are interesting in getting
involved, please ask any of our board members to help you find an activity
that is right for you.}

I am proud to announce that the Branch is in great shape. We have a dedicated = board supported by enthusiastic committee chairs. We are financially secure and lo= oking forward to presenting multiple scholarships to deserving college students. I would like to t= hank all of the volunteers who make the branch and our activities possible; we could not do it without your efforts.&nb= sp; I look forward to another year of collective volunteerism to benef= it our community.

Open Committee Chair Position

The Branch currently has one open Commi= ttee Chair position that needs to be filled ASAP:

2013 You= nger Member Centennial Champion

Please contact Tony Buonodono (tbuonodono@apaienv.com= ) for more information. Thank you!

Engin= eer’s Week Banquet and E-Week Activities

SAVE THE DATE! The 2012 Engi= neer’s Week Banquet will be held on Friday, February 24^th at the Radi= sson Hotel on Town Lake. This event represents engineers throughout the central Texas area and recognizes outstanding members within the engineer= ing community. TSPE is joining up with ASCE along with ASME and ASABE to bring you this great event!

E-Week Activities:

Contact Brandon Klenzendorf for more information: bklenzendorf@= geosyntec.com

UT Engineering Event: Encounter with Engineering (EWE)=

Saturday, February 11, 2012<= /span>

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

10^th and 11^th gra= ders

Guaranteed Acceptance Deadline: Friday, January 6, 2012

First Come, First Serve Deadline: Frida= y, January 13, 2012

Female high school sophomores and junio= rs are invited to attend Encounter with Engineering (EWE) a special program hosted by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) at The University of Texas= at Austin.

EWE is a day-long program, designed to introduce female high school students to different engineering fields. The event is free and lunch is provided. Spaces are limited. Additional information and application is available at http://studentorgs.engr.utexas.edu/swe/ewe.html.<= /span>

UT Engineering Event: Careers in Engineering for Women (CEW)<= span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>

Event Date: Monday, June 11 - Friday, June 15, 2012

Time: 8:00 a.= m. - 5:00 p.m.

Grades: Curre= nt 6th & 7th

Deadline: Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Hosted by the Society of Women Engineer= s, Careers in Engineering for Women (CEW) is a weeklong summer camp for midd= le school girls in the 6th & 7th grades. This non-residential day camp allows girls to explore different engineering careers, meet industry professionals, and learn about enginee= ring through hands-on experiences. The camp costs $250 and the application deadline is February 15, 2012.

For additional details and to download an application, please visit: http://studentorgs.engr.utexas.edu/swe/cew.html or cont= act the CEW Coordinators at cew@engr.utexas.edu.<= /span>

Futu= re Scientists Jamboree and Engineers Day at the Children’s Museum

Future Scientists Jamboree

13317 Fitzhugh Road, Austin, TX 78736

Event Date: January 22, 2012, 3 p.m. – 8 p.m.

$15 advance tickets, $25 the day of the show, kids und= er 16 get in and eat for free.

http://www.explorationnation.com/jamboree/

Join 1000 friends and family for the most exciting sci= ence education event of the year. You’ll experience hands on science of = the movies and witness amazing stunt demonstrations by renowned movie stunt expert Steve Wolf and his team of professional stuntmen, zip line rides, = The Austin Planetarium, Dr. Cold, rope obstacle course, food and the first hu= man android keynote in the history of man – “Zeno” develope= d by Hanson Robotics, this kid-friendly event will ignite the love of science = in adults and children and raise money to provide supplemental curriculum to elementary and middle school teachers!

Engineers Day at the Children’s Museum

On February 18^th, ASCE and ACEA will host t= he annual Engineer’s Day at the Austin Children’s Museum from 10= AM – 2 PM. The event helps youngsters learn about engineering through constructive play. We need all the help we can get, monetar= ily and voluntary assistance on the day of the event. You and/or your company can sponsor the event at four different levels ($150, $250, $500,= and $1,000), each of which comes with a great package of benefits. Sponsorship funding is used to pay for the kids’ admission fees, materials, and giveaways. We also need a helping hand on the day of= the event. Volunteers are needed to help with the preparation on the da= y of the event, help the kids’ with the various activities during the ev= ent, and assist with the clean-up. There are three shifts you can volunt= eer for: AM (9-12), PM (11:30-2:30), or ALL DAY. Free food and beverages will be available to all volunteers throughout the event. In additi= on, volunteers will receive a free t-shirt, and a certificate which can be us= ed for credit towards professional development hours. Your participati= on is encouraged and we look forward to seeing you (and your kids) on Februa= ry 18^th! Please contact Hammann at brandonh@mwmdesigngroup.com = for more information regarding sponsorship and/or if you would like to volunteer for the event. Thank you!

Go= vernment Employee Grant Program

The Austin Branch encourages local Civil Engineers starting out in their careers who are employed by government agencies to be active members of ASCE. The grant program will award up to= two recipients reimbursement for a full year’s National and Local ASCE dues. Applicants must be: (1) a full-time employee of a government agency= and (2) not be eligible for ASCE membership= dues reimbursement from that agency. Applications are due on January 23^rd=, 2012 and can be downloaded directly from the ASCE Austin Branch website.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> For questions concerning the gra= nt program, please contact Travis Michel (michelt@rpsgroup.com or 512.326.5659).

<= /a>= <= /a>= <= /a>UT A= SCE Update

by Stephen Wendorf

December was a fairly uneventful month for UT ASCE. Our members were busily studying for finals and working hard to finish the semester strong before the winter break.

Our last event to end the year was UT-ASCE’s ann= ual holiday party the Friday before finals started. We were able to get toget= her and spread some holiday cheer together by socializing and building gingerbread houses together. Most of them turned out great and others not= so much…

We are all looking forward to the spring semester and = the concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions, speakers, and volunteer eve= nts we have this upcoming semester.

In addition, there are several meetings where we are a= ctively looking for speakers from industry to present.

To get involved with UT ASCE please contact Stephen Wendorf at Stephen.wendorf@gmail.com<= /a> or 210-269-7995.

Volunteer Events:

For any information on UT-ASCE Volunteer events, or to become involved with UT ASCE’s please contact = asceVolunteer@gmail.com.

Giving to UT ASCE:

<= /o:p>

The Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge teams last year could not have been a huge of a success without generous donations from corporations and private individu= als. The competition chairs are actively seeking support. UT ASCE promises to = give competition supporters many perks for the upcoming year including their company name on the poster at the competition, on our team’s shirts= , on the website, and on a PowerPoint sponsorship slide presented at all UT AS= CE meetings for the upcoming year.

Also we look forward to excelling in all our technical= and athletic competitions this upcoming year and continuing our success from = last year. Please help us by becoming a financial supporter of Concrete Canoe = or Steel Bridge.

Our website can be found at www.ut-asce.org. It contains information for Tech= nical Competitions, Outreach, IM Sports, and Social Events, as well as contact information for all of our officers.

The UT ASCE Student Chapter looks forward to hearing f= rom you soon!

Opportunities to Serve as Men= tors to Civil Engineering Students at the University of Texas

by Dr. Sharon Wood

The Department of Civil, Architectural and Environment= al Engineering is recruiting volunteers from the Austin Branch to serve as mentors for seniors in the civil engineering program. Approximately 40 students have registered for CE 171P, Engineeri= ng Professionalism, this spring. The objective = of the course is to introduce the students to some of the challenges that they w= ill face as practicing engineers.

During the spring semester, the students will be worki= ng in teams on preliminary planning for bicycle trail and sidewalk projects = for the Neighborhood Connectivity Division in the Public Works Department for= the City of Austin. One or two mentors will be assigned to each team to help the students prepare an oral presentation for a stakeholder meeting and a written report to the City of Austin. Although mentors are often asked to provide technical advice as the project develops, the most important role is to help the students understand the nontechnical aspect= s of civil engineering.

Working with the mentors has been an extremely valuable experience for our students, and several are currently employed by their former mentors. Mentors wil= l be asked to attend approximately four classes during the semester (3:00 on Wednesday afternoon). If you are interesting in volunteer= ing, please contact Rose Marie Klee at rosemarie.klee@jacobs.com. If you would like to learn more = about the class, please contact Sharon Wood at swood@mail.utexas.edu.=

Thank you very much for your support of our students, = and special thanks to all of our Fall 2011 mentors!

Alex Reyna

Bury+Partners

Kirk Lowe

Halff

Andy Carter

Halff

= Laton Carr

City of Round Rock

Antonio Mireles

Martin Rumbaugh

AECOM

= Bobak Tehrany

Bury+Partners

Marty Christman

Geosyntec

Brandon Klenzendorf

Geosyntec

Nicole Findelson

Axiom

Chris Coons

RWA

Rose Marie Klee

Jacobs

Felipe Tudtud

Tom Ashcraft

CP&Y

Garry Chang

AECOM

Tony Smith

Espey

Jose Guerrerro

City of Austin

= Valeri Kaiser

Bury+Partners

Joseph Goessling

K Friese

Wes Young

CP&Y

Kelly Morrelli

CY&Y

= Big Brothers Big Sisters – Bow= l for Kids Sake 2012 “Las Vegas”

by Dale P. Murphy, PE=

For the 7^th year, the Austin Branch will be participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas’ annual Bowl for Kids Sake fundraiser, with our bowling event scheduled for Friday, March 2^nd at 8:30 PM at Highland Lanes.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The theme this year is “Las Vegas” so come dressed in your sparkly Vegas inspired attire.

Over the last 6 years, Austin ASCE has raised over $100,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters through this event! Last year the Austin Branch had = 20 teams, and over 100 participants. Participants are asked to solicit donations from their friends, fa= mily and co-workers through a simple web based system with each bowler committ= ing to raise at least $125, which is extremely easy.

We are looking for people who are willi= ng to be Team Captains who would recruit co-workers or friends to form a tea= m of 4 to 6 people. If you’= ;d like to participate but don’t have a team, we can put teams together for you or you can just donate to one of our ASCE teams or bowlers as well. Absolutely no bowling skill is required for this event, it’s just for fun! For more information on how you = can have fun bowling with your colleagues while raising money for a good caus= e, contact Dale Murphy (dmurphy@kfrie= se.com).=

There are also several company sponsors= hip opportunities. Please let D= ale Murphy know if your company would be interested in sponsoring the event.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

YMF Announcements and Updates

The purpose of Younger Member Forums (YMF) within ASCE is to direct ASCE's mission for engineers age 35 and younger. YMF offers opportunities to netw= ork with peers, learn more about the profession, provide leadership experience and encourage the full professional development of Younger Members. We invite you to join us for the following upcoming events and activities:

<= o:p>

U= T vs. A&M Basketball Game

Wednesday January 11^th 8:00 PM - $15<= /p>

COME JOIN US FOR THIS FIERCE RIVALRY! <= o:p>

As of publishing there are only 9 tickets available

Interested parties should contact Joe Goessling at jgoessling@kfriese.com = to reserve tickets. Tickets will be sold on a first come first serve basis. =

Prior to the game the YMF Group will be hosting a happy hour= Scholz Garten– come join= us at 6:00pm for app= etizers!

<= /o:p>

Follow us on Facebook!

<= /o:p>

YMF has a new Facebook page. Friend us to interact with other young engineers, be kept up to date on current civil engineering issues and be notified of future YMF events.

https= ://www.facebook.com/groups/ASCE.YMF.ATX/

<= /o:p>

YMF 2011-2012 Chair Positions

&nbs= p; <= o:p>

YMF appointed a new board in this past November and are still looking to fill the following Chair Positions.

C= HAIRS<= o:p>

Golf Tournament Chair &= nbsp; (Open)

West Point Bridge Chair (Open)

Interested in joining ASCE YMF?

I= nterested in learning more about ASCE YMF and how to get involved? ASCE YMF welcomes and encourages young engineers to become actively involved in their local branch chapter. For more information contact Joe Goessling at jgoessling@kfriese.com =

<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

What’s going on with ASCE YMF? <= /p>

<= o:p>

I= nterested in receiving YMF newsletters and updates about our social events, communi= ty services, etc.? You can req= uest to be added to the YMF listserve by emailing = Cesar Alvarado at calvarado@fugro.com =

ASCE Sponsorships

The time is here to renew or become an = ASCE Austin Branch sponsor for the 2012 year.

1. Austin Branch Sponsor – $300

Sponsorship Includes:

= - &= nbsp; Business card ad in the monthly newsletter for the = year

= - &= nbsp; Listing on the ASCE Austin Branch Website Sponsor P= age with a link to your website for the year

= - &= nbsp; Advertise job postings for FREE on the branch websi= te for the year

2. Austin Branch Meeting Sponsor – $300 for one meeting (10 meetings per year)

Sponsorship Includes:

= - &= nbsp; Introduction at the meeting and approximately three= minutes to speak about your company, services, and community activities

= - &= nbsp; Recognition and introduction of your company in the monthly newsletter for that month

= - &= nbsp; Mention on the branch website home page for that mo= nth with a link to your website

= - &= nbsp; Two free admissions to the sponsored meeting

Notes:

"Year" refers to January thru December of= the current calendar year

There= are 10 meetings and 10 newsletters per year, no meetings/newsletters in July = or August

We encourage everyone to get involved. = A sponsorship will allow your com= pany 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://austinasce.org/sponsors for more det= ails or you can contact Glenn Goldstein at glenn.goldstein@atkinsglobal.com= .<= /span>

We appreciate everyone’s involvem= ent with the ASCE Austin Branch and hope to see even more in the future.=

Thank you!

2012 Sponsors

&nbs= p;

Want to be an Austin Branch Sponsor? Give= s your company advertising and free postings on our online job board. Click here for more information.=

The Austin Br= anch Newsletter gives you the latest information on ASCE events and activities. To inquire abou= t this newsletter or to publish articles contact the Communications Director at = dave.lubitz@aguirre-fields.com. Contact information for our Boar= d of Directors can be found at www.austinasc= e.org.<= /span>

National ASCE – www.asce.org Texas Se= ction – www.texasce.org