The Region 4 Assembly, which includes all 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, has established a very meaningful and worthwhile competition and award for a Younger Member who resides within Region 4. A Younger Member is defined as a member, associate member or affiliate not over 35 years of age on February 1, 2018.

The award is named after Daniel V. Terrell of the Kentucky Section. Dean Terrell served as President of National ASCE in 1954. This award is presented annually for the outstanding paper submitted on a topic established by the Region 4 Assembly. Two (2) papers per Section may be entered in the Daniel V. Terrell Paper 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 (David Harris) by April 1, 2018. The entrant must then present their paper during the Spring 2018 meeting of the Region 4 Assembly to be held in July of 2018 in Charleston, South Carolina (specific date and exact location to be determined).

This year's topic is "How does the personal and professional use of social media relate to the ASCE Code of Ethics?" The first place award is a plaque and $500.  The second place prize is $250.

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, Monica Sartain, or David Harris.

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.

A priority list of 50 emergency and national security projects released last year by the Trump administration - and the beginning of an infrastructure bill released last week - highlight the importance of the engineering profession just in time for Engineers Week.
 
The National Society of Professional Engineers founded E-Week in 1951 to ensure a future diverse engineering workforce through increased understanding and interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-based careers.  This week we acknowledge the engineering discipline.
 
President Trump's proposed infrastructure projects (so far) focus largely on areas critical to transportation and energy.  According to the release, the program will create more than 430,000 direct and indirect jobs.
 
If President Trump follows through on his campaign promise to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure over the next decade, we may face a shortage of surveyors, construction workers, technicians, scientists, and engineers responsible for project completion and delivery.  (The financials are also being sketched out, but that's another story.)
 
Technical professionals will need to modernize our existing stock while also reprogramming current systems to meet tomorrow's challenges.  Filling gaps in the STEM-based professions may require front-end funding to prepare this workforce through education and training.  This could provide an opportunity for STEM initiatives in academia and vocational education.  Perhaps better public relations could also raise the profile and cultural advocacy of the technical profession.
 
Politicians don't build dams and transit networks; engineers do.  Engineers are duty bound to honor facts, data, and constraints:  There is no lobbying to change the density of water, and existing subsurface information cannot be disregarded as hypothetical, political opinion, or fake news. (It can, however, be remediated.)  These constraints call for imagination and creativity in the design process - which should be nurtured within our children on a socio-cultural level.
 
As a civil engineer, I stand at the intersection of form and function.  Civil engineering marvels are built on big dreams, which is the thrust of a recent film by the American Society of Civil Engineers called Dream Big; Engineering our World.  The film highlights stunning technical accomplishments while inviting young minds to consider the possibilities when inspiration meets innovation.
 
Emerging technologies and trends such as autonomous vehicles; impacts of population growth; and climate change and resiliency require a broader discussion that considers cost, price, value to society, and constraints.
 
So let the conversation over the built environment begin in earnest.  Take an objective look at the data and constraints related to technology, climate, and our population's looming needs.  Nurture the new generation's fascination with nature, games, and ideas.  Consider the value of STEM-oriented investment as a way to maintain our quality of life and to protect our communities from manmade disaster.  Oh - and Happy E-Week.

-David Harris, PE, is a Professional Engineer licensed in the Carolinas and Florida and is President of the American Society of Civil Engineers North Carolina Section.  Engineers Week runs Feb. 18-24.  For more information, visit www.discovere.org.

The North Carolina Secretary of State’s office has asked the ASCE NC Section for three nominees to serve on the Land Records Advisory Committee.  Alex Rankin currently represents the section and is willing to serve another term.  Interested members should contact David Harris, ASCE NC Section President.

About the Land Records Advisory Committee:
North Carolina's legislature created the Lands Records Advisory Committee to assist the Secretary of State in administering the Land Records Management Program. The purpose of the program is to encourage county governments to utilize modern methods, techniques, equipment, and documentation that will improve the quality of public services with respect to land records and achieve a high degree of standardization throughout the state.  Pursuant to G. S. §147-54.3, the program is also charged with providing advice and technical assistance to local governments in implementing and maintaining minimum standards with regard to the following aspects of land records management:
•    Uniform indexing of land records.
•    Uniform recording and indexing procedures for maps, plats, and condominiums.
•    Security and reproduction of land records.

The Committee consists of twelve members, appointed to staggered four-year terms. Nine of the members are appointed from professional associations whose work contribute to the field. Three additional members are appointed from the public at large.

Image via Kimley-Horn

Image via Kimley-Horn

Image via Kimley-Horn

Project of the Year:
The project of the year is the NC State Harrelson Hall Demolition and Pedestrian Plaza Construction Project. Kimley-Horn was contracted as the prime consultant providing civil, landscape architecture, structural, and traffic consulting services. The sub consultants were Stanford-White and Terracon who provided electrical and industrial hygiene services, respectively. The demolition of the four-story reinforced concrete NC State landmark required significant hazardous material abatement, structural demolition, and the construction of the new pedestrian plaza reusing 100 limestone panel facades for paver transitions, landscape features, and seat walls. The project was completed both on schedule and 15% below the appropriated construction budget. The project additionally met and beat their sustainability goal of diverting at least 90% of the project materials from a landfill by successfully diverting 95%. 

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Image via Mark Koegel

Young Engineer of the Year:
The young engineer of the year is Mark Koegel from Kleinfelder. Mark has been an active member in the Eastern Branch since September 2013 and is an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame. At Kleinfelder Mark is consistently recognized as a detailed oriented engineer who strives to provide quality deliverables. Clients look to Mark for both his excellent service and his sound engineering judgement. These traits allow Mark to effectively provide mentorship and help provide career guidance to staff. Mark is also a volunteer for the Ronald McDonald House and contributes frequently to serving the local community of Durham.

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Image via Shawnak Doshi and Steve Swelton

Student Chapter Member of the Year:
The Student Chapter Member of the Year is Shawnak Doshi. Shawnak has been an active member of ASCE since 2014 and is currently the 2017-2018 Student Chapter President for NC State University. In addition to serving as president Shawnak has held multiple officer positions and has operated as the concrete canoe captain for the past two years. Quoting his student chapter advisor "His commitment and excitement for ASCE is inspiring, and he has welcomed the opportunities to lead efforts in the service of others. Through these experiences, Shawnak has honed his own leadership skills which will only improve his future success within the engineering profession."
 

As announced earlier, our Fall Technical Conference will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 26, 2017.  The North Carolina ASCE Section is seeking relevant and significant cutting edge research and case studies covering multiple engineering-related modes and technologies that can be presented during the conference.  This is a CALL FOR ABSTRACTS on topics in the following categories:

• Water Resources and Environmental
• Structures
• Construction & Materials
• Transportation
• Geotechnical
• Management and Sustainability
• Professional Issues (laws, ethics, etc.)

Abstracts should not exceed 300 words and should contain enough information for the reviewers to assess the significance of the work to be presented and published (for example, objective, scope, methodology, and significant findings or lessons learned). Your proposed abstract should appeal to a broad range of professionals including practitioners, academics, researchers, industry professionals at varying levels, and students. Conference attendees should leave with a heightened knowledge of the topic and possible solutions to the problems presented and discussed.

Abstracts and requests for information should be sent to David Harris at engharris@yahoo.com.  Please include the words ‘ASCE Annual Meeting ABSTRACT’ in the subject heading.

The deadline for submitting your abstract is August 1, 2017.

You can review the Call for Abstracts document for additional details.

The North Carolina Section of ASCE held its 2017 Legislative Reception on May 10, 2017, at the Museum of Natural History in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.  The event had an amazing turnout by ASCE members!  Although conflicting events led to few legislators and staff being in attendance this year, many attendees reported that the event served as a tremendous networking opportunity for members and visitors.  Schnabel Engineering presented a poster on dam safety and inspection, ITRE presented a poster discussing Diverging Diamond Interchanges, MI Engineering had a poster espousing bridge inspection and preservation, and several PhD students from NCSU displayed posters relevant to their research.  We encourage ASCE members to be sure to invite their representatives and senators from the General Assembly to next year's event.

We would like to thank David Schaad and Duke University for organizing and holding this year's Spring Technical Conference.  The conference featured seventeen presentations and one tour of Duke's amazing (and recently refurbished) chapel.  About 75 people attended!  We'd like to thank the presenters for their time and tremendous work!

The Region 4 Assembly, which includes all 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, has established a very meaningful and worthwhile competition and award for a Younger Member who resides within Region 4. A Younger Member is defined as a member, associate member or affiliate not over 35 years of age on February 1, 2017.

The award is named after Daniel V. Terrell of the Kentucky Section. Dean Terrell served as President of National ASCE in 1954. This award is presented annually for the outstanding paper submitted on a topic established by the Region 4 Assembly. Two (2) papers per Section may be entered in the Daniel V. Terrell Paper 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 (Tom Fitzgerald) by March 1, 2017. The entrant must then present their paper during the Spring 2017 meeting of the Region 4 Assembly to be held in May of 2017 (specific date and location to be determined).

This year's topic is "Is it ethical for university engineering faculty to teach technical subject matter to engineering students without obtaining professional licensure?" The first place award is a plaque and $500.  The second place prize is $250.

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 (Jon.Keeling@stantec.com), Monica Sartain (monica.sartain@pca-llc.biz), or Tom Fitzgerald(tfitzgerald@schnabel-eng.com).

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

While the topic is the same as for the Society's Daniel W. Mead Contest, it is not necessary that an entry be made to both the Terrell and Mead Competitions. If the entrant chooses to enter the Mead competition, the deadline is February 1, 2017. The winner of the D.W. Mead award receives Society and peer acclaim, a bronze plaque, and a cash prize in recognition of the time and effort put into this competition.

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