December 2015

Great outreach event or other activity? Let the whole Region know! If you’re a local ASCE leader and your Section, Branch, Younger Member Group, or Student Chapter has staged any special events, engaged in outreach from grade-school kids to lawmakers, done charity work, fund raising or anything of the sort, let ASCEnews Weekly know and we may include it in next month’s Region report. You may already have written about it and posted pictures in your newsletter, website, or social media. Share the details and any photos at asce.org/localnews. Got questions? Write to submissions@asce.org. See the other Region reports for December If you live adjacent to a Section in a different Region, or are merely interested in the other Region reports for December, click on each to view them:   Region 1   Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section, Buffalo Section, Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers Section, Ithaca Section, Maine Section, Metropolitan Section, Mohawk-Hudson Section, New Hampshire Section, New Jersey Section, Puerto Rico Section, Rhode Island Section, Rochester Section, Syracuse Section, Vermont Section  Region 2   Central Pennsylvania Section, Delaware Section, Lehigh Valley Section, Maryland Section, National Capital Section, Philadelphia Section, Pittsburgh Section Region 3   Akron-Canton Section, Central Illinois Section, Central Ohio Section, Cincinnati Section, Cleveland Section, Dayton Section, Duluth Section, Illinois Section, Michigan Section, Minnesota Section, North Dakota Section, Quad Cities Section, Toledo Section, Wisconsin Section Region 4   Arkansas Section, Indiana Section, Kentucky Section, North Carolina Section, South Carolina Section, Tennessee Section, Virginia Section, West Virginia Section Region 5   Alabama Section, Florida Section, Georgia Section, Louisiana Section, Mississippi Section   Region 6   New Mexico Section, Oklahoma Section, Texas Section Region 7   Colorado Section, Iowa Section, Kansas City Section, Kansas Section, Nebraska Section, South Dakota Section, St. Louis Section, Wyoming Section Region 8   Alaska Section, Arizona Section, Columbia Section, Hawaii Section, Inland Empire Section, Montana Section, Nevada Section, Oregon Section, Seattle Section, Southern Idaho Section, Tacoma-Olympia Section, Utah Section  Region 9   Los Angeles Section, Sacramento Section, San Diego Section, San Francisco Section Region 10  All International Sections, Branches, and Groups Missed the last Region 2 update? See the October edition of  News Around Region 2 Share this page via social media and email:

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Unseen damage from past earthquakes leads to higher risk of landslides  Research indicates a legacy of damage from past earthquakes, sometimes undetected, might create higher landslide probabilities in future earthquakes. Consider the seismic consequences in an exclusive article for ASCE’s Civil Engineering online.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Plans to limit global warming may not be enough, U.N. says The goal of limiting global temperature increases to 2°C (3.6°F) is not possible given the current national strategies to lower emissions that are on record with the United Nations. Consider the specifics in an exclusive article for ASCE’s Civil Engineering online.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE For U.S. civil engineers, 2016 economy looks promising Civil engineers hoping for more robust business conditions have the greatest cause for optimism since the beginning of the Great Recession, according to the forecasts of economists who study the construction industry. Peruse the positive predictions in an exclusive article for ASCE’s Civil Engineering online.

NATIONAL CAPITAL SECTION DC-area elementary students forge a special bond with ASCE member Fourth-grade students at Liberty Elementary School in Chantilly, VA, have been busy all school year learning about civil engineering. A visit from Washington, DC-area P.E. James Wonneberg took their enthusiasm to a new level of excitement. Find out more about Wonneberg’s connection with the students.

PITTSBURGH SECTION Pennsylvania native blends engineering with the extraterrestrial Brett Schock grew up in Pennsylvania interested in all things space. Today, he’s a traffic engineer in Kenmore, WA, but he still finds time to indulge his lifelong passion for the possibilities beyond this planet. Learn more about his research and his Civil Engineering magazine cover story about engineering on Mars.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Global renewable energy capacity reaches milestone An International Energy Agency report reveals that half of all new energy capacity added in 2014 came from renewable sources, and predicts a surge in wind and solar projects in many countries. Examine the energy trends in an exclusive article for ASCE’s Civil Engineering online.

ASCE NEWS For Dream Big movie contest, members sharing engineering dreams ASCE members are sharing their engineering dreams, realized and sought, in hopes of winning a "dream" prize in the Society's contest celebrating production of the awe-inspiring, giant screen movie, Dream Big: Engineering Wonders of the World.   "I just really believe in what we do as civil engineers," said Marcellus Pitts, owner and CEO of Pitts Fowler Enterprises Inc. in Atlanta, and a professional adviser to two ASCE Civil Engineering Clubs at Georgia high schools. “I love to see people live better, and that’s what we do. I couldn’t see myself being anything else. The high school kids I advise are making lives better in Haiti, something they never dreamed was possible.” Contest prizes, to be drawn at random, include a trip to an international locale for a Dream Big film shoot, the chance to host a Hollywood-style Dream Big premiere, and a trip to Laguna Beach, CA, for an exclusive preview screening of the film. ASCE is producing Dream Big: Engineering Wonders of the World in association with MacGillivray Freeman Films, with the Bechtel Corporation as presenting sponsor. It's scheduled to premiere in February 2017 in IMAX and other giant-screen theaters nationwide. To enter the contest, visit its web page.

NATIONAL CAPITAL SECTION STEM grants director at NSF named Fellow Yvette Pearson Weatherton, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, a longtime civil engineering educator and current Intergovernmental Personnel Act appointee, has been named a Fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction. Weatherton is a program director in the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation, where she manages a diverse portfolio of approximately $70 million in awards geared toward STEM education and workforce development. Read more of what made her deserving of the honor.

NATIONAL CAPITAL SECTION Expert in pipeline rehabilitation at Black & Veatch named Fellow Ahmad Habibian, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, national practice leader for pipeline rehabilitation at Black & Veatch Corporation, has been elevated to the status of Fellow. Habibian specializes in infrastructure management, pipeline assessment and rehabilitation, and trenchless technology. Over his more than 30 years of experience, Habibian has been involved in the planning, design, construction, evaluation, and rehabilitation of water and sewer systems. Discover more of what made him worthy of the honor.