September 2018 Newsletter

President's Report

Central Ohio  Section Members:

I hope you all had a most enjoyable summer. School is back in session, so that means we also start a new year of ASCE activities. We are starting things off with something a little different on September 21. We are meeting in Newark for lunch and presentation on the Adena and Hopewell earthworks. These historic mound builders demonstrated a sophisticated knowledge of geotechnical engineering for their time. We will then have a guided tour of the nearby Newark Earthworks. I hope you can come join us for this event. It is sure to be interesting.

Can you help us? We need two additional volunteers for this coming year. Brooks Vogel has been our newsletter editor for many years, and right now he is pulling a double shift as newsletter editor and 1st VP. So he could really use some help with the newsletter. No experience required, he is more than willing to teach you what you need to know.  Also, Linda Kaplan was glad to volunteer to be our secretary this year, as she and her family expected to move to the Columbus area during the summer. You know what they say about the best laid plans. Now, it doesn't look like she will be moving to Columbus after all and will remain in Pittsburgh. Although she is willing to help out remotely for as long as we need, it is not ideal. It would really help if someone who lived in the area would step up to volunteer.  If you can help with either of these volunteer positions, please get in touch with me.  Thanks for any help you can give.

Peter Narsavage, P.E.
President – ASCE Central Ohio Section
peter@narsavage.org

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Lunch Meeting

September Lunch Meeting and Tour - Ohio's Hopewell Earthworks

OHIO’S HOPEWELL CEREMONIAL EARTHWORKS AND WORLD HERITAGE

The Adena and Hopewell people of Ohio’s past were prolific builders of complex earthworks and mounds that served varied purposes including being centers of culture and trade, burial sites, and settings for ceremonies that aligned with solar and lunar astronomical events.  Some of the earthworks demonstrate for their time sophisticated knowledge of geotechnical engineering. An example of such was the selection native soil types better suited to the construction of steep sloped mounds. These 2,000 year old earthworks are currently on the “U.S. Tentative List” for inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which would be the first such designation for a site in Ohio.  This event will include an overview presentation of the earthworks and their history followed by a guided tour of the nearby Newark Earthworks. For more information ahead of time you may check out http://worldheritageohio.org/ and https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/newark-earthworks. 

Speaker

Brad Lepper, Ph.D. — Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

Dr. Brad Lepper is the Senior Curator of Archaeology and the Manager for Archaeology and Natural History at the Ohio History Connection in Columbus, Ohio.  His primary areas of interest include the Ice Age peoples of North America, Ohio's magnificent mounds and earthworks, and the history of North American archaeology.  Dr. Lepper has written extensively on these subjects for both technical journals and magazines intended for a general audience. He writes a monthly column on archaeology for the Columbus Dispatch.  He is also the author of the book, Ohio Archaeology: an illustrated chronicle of Ohio's ancient American Indian cultures, published in 2005 by Orange Frazer Press.  This book received the Society for American Archaeology’s Public Audience Book Award in 2007.  The Ohio Archaeological Council presented Dr. Lepper with its Public Awareness Award in 2008 in recognition of his efforts to promote the archaeology of the state.  Dr. Lepper has been visiting professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Denison University in Granville and the Department of Anthropology at The Ohio State University at Newark.

Menu

Hot plated lunch with choice of soup or salad, an entree of parmesan crusted chicken, pork tenderloin or rolled spinach lasagna, potatoes, rice, vegetables, dessert and beverages.

CPD Hours

One (1) CPD hour will be provided for the luncheon, with an additional one (1) CPD hour for those who participate in the tour.

Tickets

$20.00 ASCE member

$15.00 ASCE life member

$10.00 ASCE student

$25.00 Guest (not an ASCE member)

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Annual Golf Outing

After an unprecedented rain out in 2017, history soon repeated itself in yet another rain out of the 2018 golf outing. In spite of the rain, most registrants were still able to enjoy lunch, an early dinner, and socializing under the cover of the party shelter.

The fundraising component of the outing was not as heavily hampered by the weather. We want to thank the generous sponsors of the outing and those would-be golfers who offered their registration in support of our fundraising efforts. This year's event, as in past years, provides funding for the Section's Younger Member Group and various educational and outreach events.

In addition, this year we chose to donate a portion of the fundraising toward the Central Ohio Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Section, an ASCE affiliated organization. These funds will be used in support of EWB's ongoing efforts to build a new school in the village of Las Victorias, Guatemala. EWB will reconize our support on their website and on a plaque on the completed school. They will also give us an update on the project and their organization at a luncheon later this year.

From EWB:

Dear ASCE Central Ohio:

The image above is among dozens of messages from the children of Las Victorias, Guatemala. They wrote thank-you letters with pictures showing their vision of a new school because they are SO grateful for your support. Thanks to the very generous sponsorship of the Central Ohio Section of ASCE, and the contributions of other amazing donors, the school will soon become a reality. It will help the families of this Maya village improve the lives of their children for generations to come.

Detailed engineering designs for the main classroom building are nearly complete and construction will be underway soon. Future phases of the project will include a kitchen and bathrooms. Click https://mailchi.mp/372b18d4b1aa/excitement-is-building-in-las-victorias for updates.

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Legislative Update

ASCE Member Tom Less joined gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray to present his plan, if elected, to ask Ohio voters to upgrade Ohio's deteriorating infrastructure by approving a $1.8 billion bond package. Citing a lack of action at the federal level, Cordray believes Ohio must act on its own. The infrastructure package would focus on roads and bridges, public transit, water systems, and rural broadband internet to improve the livelihood of Ohio residents and the state's economic competetiveness. For the complete article please follow this link: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180802/cordray-wants-18-billion-plus-to-tackle-ohio-infrastructure-needs

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Webinars

GEOSYNTHETICS USED IN UNPAVED AND PAVED ROADS

Thursday, October 25, 2018, 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

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Steel Bridge Competition

In late July, AISC announced that they would be the sole sponsor of the Student Steel Bridge Competition. As such, the Competition will no longer be recognized as an official activity of ASCE Student Conferences. Prior to this decision by AISC, ASCE and AISC had a joint agreement to collaborate on the National Student Steel Bridge Competition. However, differences in approach to core requirements, especially AISC's desire to prohibit university teams from outside the United States from competing at a national level, the competition will now be conduceted exclusively by AISC in events completly separate from ASCE sponsored events. ASCE is working to develop strategies for new competitions in future Student Conferences. For additional information click HERE.

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Help Wanted - Newsletter Editor

Want to get involved? The Central Ohio Section is in need of a volunteer to serve as newsletter editor and serve on the board as Secretary.

• Exciting position to develop involvement in the Central Ohio Section and generate excitement within the Section
• Give back to the Section and our industry
• Attendance at board meetings and other events
• Networking opportunity - contact with all members
• No skill required - training available
• Please contact us through any board member or at newsletter@centralohioasce.org with any questions or if you are interested.
• Thank you for your support of our section!

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Younger Member Group Events

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UESI Events

Risk Assessment of Underground Vaults

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Dream Big!

The acclaimed giant-screen documentary Dream Big: Engineering Our World has inspired and delighted audiences in museums around the world.

Now, ASCE with generous support from the United Engineering Foundation (UEF) has set an ambitious goal: to put a copy of the Dream Big film and educational toolkit in every public school in America.

To reach every school, we need your help!

Give $5 to send the school of your choice a toolkit containing:

1. A DVD of the full-length feature film in English, French, Spanish and closed captioned, licensed for educational screenings only
2. The complete teacher’s guide
3. All companion videos
4. Downloadable files for classroom use

Use the search box at the top the https://www.engineersdreambig.org/ webpage to locate a public school.

If you cannot find the school you are looking for, it may have already been chosen as a recipient by someone else. Please consider making a contribution to a general fund for schools still in need.

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Additional Events

The Ohio Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists is hosting a seminar on Volatile Organic Compound Vapor Intrusion October 10 and 11, 2018 at the ODNR H.R. Collins Core Laboratory Conference Room, Delaware, Ohio. We will be offering CEUs and the 2-day course is a value at $350. Registration is available on the Ohio Section AIPG website.

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Meeting Schedule

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