Greetings ASCE North Carolina,

I wanted to provide an update on what ASCE NC is doing for Helene relief efforts. First off, I appreciate all of those who have reached out and asked how they can help. You have asked how can provide your engineering expertise to help the victims of Helene. Some have offered to help with more immediate relief and recovery efforts. Some have asked where they can donate funds. How ever you have offered to help, please know that it is appreciated.

The ASCE NC Section has committed $2,000 to the Manna Foodbank in Asheville. They are a local foodbank that needs help. The ASCE NC Eastern Branch also has committed $1,000. Also, the Eastern Branch held a golf tournament last Friday where we received a number of supplies to be donated. Also the Southern Branch has set up opportunities to donate. We appreciate all who donated.

That said, our efforts will not stop here. We know that in disaster relief efforts that continued support is needed. ASCE NC leaders will continue to monitor how we can help.

If you are looking to help, please reach out me at charles.webb@raleighnc.gov. Or you can call me at 423-215-4455.

Thank you for your support,

Chas Webb,
ASCE Region 4 NC Governor

2024-03-22 Update: The due date has been extended from March 1, 2024 to March 22, 2024.

The Region 4 Assembly, which includes members of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in the states of Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, sponsors an annual competition and award for a Younger Member who resides within Region 4. A Younger Member is defined as a member, associate member, or affiliate of ASCE (not including student members), not over 35 years of age on February 1, 2024.

The award is named after Daniel V. Terrell of the Kentucky Section. Terrell was Dean of the University of Kentucky College of Engineering and President of ASCE on the Society level in 1954. This award is presented annually for the outstanding paper submitted on a topic established by the Region 4 Assembly. The winner of the D.V. Terrell award receives Society and peer acclaim as well as an impressive bronze plaque and cash prize in recognition of the time and effort put into this competition.

If one chooses to enter the Daniel V. Terrell competition, the paper must be submitted to the Terrell Committee, by the entrant’s Section President, by March 22, 2024. Two (2) papers per Section may be entered in the Daniel V. Terrell Paper Competition. The entrant must then present their paper during the Spring 2024 Meeting of the Region 4 Assembly tentatively scheduled for April 26 & 27, 2024 in Arkansas. Financial assistance to travel and attend this meeting (i.e. travel stipend) may be available from the entrant’s Section and/or Branch, and should be requested by the entrant to their respective Section/Branch (entrant’s registration and award dinner is covered by Region 4). Travel arrangements to the meeting should be coordinated with the entrant’s respective Branch and/or Section.

The Daniel V. Terrell competition topic (same as the topic for the society’s Daniel W. Mead Contest) must address professional ethics with respect to the following question or statement:

Per ASCE’s Code of Ethics, engineers govern their professional careers on fundamental principles that, above all else, protect and advance the health, safety, and welfare of the public through the practice of Civil Engineering.

Civil engineers are responsible for planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting and advancing the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Technology, particularly the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), has the potential to change engineering in the future and design the built environment for generations. Ethical responsibilities of an engineer may or may not align with the use of AI on engineering projects.

Discuss how engineers need to evaluate their ethical responsibilities as they determine whether or how to use AI to aid in their work.

The first place award is a bronze plaque and $500.  The second place prize is $250.

Competition scoring:

• Presentation of Paper - 35% (Delivery and Effectiveness - 20%, Choice of Words, Literary Style Pronunciation and Enunciation - 10%, Timing - 5%)

• Content of Paper - 65% (Material - 40%, Acquaintance with subject - Scope - 10%, Originality - Independence - 10%, Arrangement - 5%)

The following rules apply to the Daniel V. Terrell Paper Competition:

• No individual may submit more than one paper in a given year.

• Please include your ASCE member ID number, your name, and Section/Branch on the paper.

• The paper shall be of such length that it can be presented orally in not more than fifteen minutes and contain no more than 2000 words.

• Submit one electronic copy of the paper, preferably a PDF, with a cover letter to your Section President so that he/she can meet the submittal deadline. Entrants should coordinate with their respective Section well in advance of the submittal deadline, as the official submittal to the competition must come from the Section. Late submittals will not be accepted. Each Section is limited to two entries.

• The paper must be presented orally, by the author, during the Region 4 Assembly at the Spring 2024 meeting, tentatively scheduled for April 26 & 27, 2024 in Arkansas.

• Reference citations of the papers should conform to official ASCE Journal Submission Guidelines, which can be found on the ASCE Publications website. Plagiarism is not acceptable and reference citations will be considered under scoring for Originality.

For complete rules and information on the Terrell Paper Competition, visit the Region 4 website.

For additional information on the Daniel V. Terrell competition, please contact Jon Keeling or Monica Sartain.

Travel arrangements to the meeting should be coordinated with the entrant's respective Branch and/or Section.  Financial assistance may be available.

Download a PDF with the paper's topic and details.

ASCE North Carolina celebrated its 100th year with a special event on Friday, October 6, 2023. The Section also received a proclamation from Governor Roy Cooper.

ASCE National will be holding two virtual forums where members will have the opportunity to meet the President-elect candidates.

When: April 24, 2023, 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register: https://asce-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JVbdcIOdRk6HwMW_bNigOQ

When: April 25, 2023, 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register: https://asce-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2mkrljRiQnCaqTkoJuAPZw

Unfortunately, ASCE North Carolina will not be holding a Fall Conference this year. In unrelated news, according to our history, our Section will turn 100 years old next year.

NC Future Cities is looking for Industry Professionals to be Virtual Mentors and Judges.

Future Cities is a national competition for students in grades 6, 7, and 8, in which they are challenged to think like an engineer and come up with ideas that solve a problem impacting the sustainability of the Earth. This is an opportunity for you to share your passion for your career with students who are just beginning to learn what it means to be an engineer.

Visit the Future City Competition website to learn more.

Click here to be a volunteer: Register - Future City® Competition

We are presently seeking:

Mentors: Mentors work alongside the team educator and act as a coach/role model. They provide guidance, connections between academic concepts and real-life, and technical assistance to the middle school team members. Mentors work with the team regularly throughout the competition season, but do not need to be present at every team meeting.

As a mentor, you will be matched with a specific team that has requested a mentor. Your time commitment would begin asap and continue until the Final Competition at the end of January. Mentoring can be done virtually or in person, so you don't need to be near the school to participate.

Judges: Judges score team deliverables, provide feedback, and help determine the overall winners. Their interactions with our young participants, whether written, virtual, or live, leave a lasting impact. We provide scoring rubrics and training to guide judging decisions.

You may sign up to judge any, or all, of the following deliverables. You will be sent the items to judge, along with a rubric, so this can be done at a time that fits with your schedule. The Live Q/A sessions will require you to participate in a virtual meeting with the student teams. 

·         Essays – Submitted on Nov 24. and judging between Dec 4 and Dec 22

·         City Model (slideshows) – Submitted on Dec 22 and judging between Dec 24 and Jan 7

·         Video Presentation – Submitted on Jan 8 and judging to be completed by Jan 12-13th

·         Live Q and A – This will be on January 15th from 9 am to 11 am and will be done virtually.

·         Specialty Judging – We will have several categories for these awards; these will be judged in early Jan. 

The next step if you are interested is to sign up as a judge or a mentor on the website. We will then provide you with additional details and some brief training for judges.

Thank you so much for your interest in this very worthwhile program! Please contact Mary Beth Liles, Outreach Coordinator, with any questions you might have at fc.nc.outreach@gmail.com.

Click here to be a volunteer: Register - Future City® Competition

Are you interested in giving back to your community? Are you interested in advancing your professional career? If you answered yes to either question, then consider running for an ASCE NC Section officer position! Being an officer is a great way to give back to the engineering community, get involved with shaping the civil engineering industry government initiatives, while also expanding your network and professional career.

The following positions are available for officer candidates:

• President-Elect

• Vice President

• Treasurer

The only way to progress is to act! Act now and help us make meaningful changes to our society! If you are interested, please reach out to Stephanie Pluta.

We’re excited that the 2021 Fall Conference is back in person. As is tradition with the Fall Conference, the annual awards will be conducted as well. We are seeking nominations for four categories:

1. Project of the Year

2. Engineer of the Year

3. Young Engineer of the Year

4. Student Chapter Member of the Year

Each nomination comes with a different set of criteria, however they all share the same goal of advancing civil engineering within the state of North Carolina. Nominations are due by August 20th.

This nomination form contains a summary of the awards and a separate sheet for each award.

Please submit nominations or questions to Chas Webb at Charles.webb@raleighnc.gov.