[President Perspective] [Meet The Member] [Monthly Meeting] [Nominations] [Help SCE]
In this, my first article as incoming president, I'd like to take a moment to look back at the past year and share my perspective on ASCE and the year ahead. I also want to acknowledge all of the hard work by our outgoing President Dan Van Beveren. It has been a pleasure working with Dan and the other officers, getting to know them better over the past year, and seeing increased attendance at our monthly lunch meetings.
Under Dan's leadership our branch has accomplished a great deal, including David Beard and the 150th Anniversary Committee's commitment and dedication to bring positive attention to our profession through various activities over the past year. The "Ask the Infrastructure" exhibit is a great example of members volunteering their time to bring a better understanding of civil engineering to the Central Coast. Also, I continue to be amazed at what Jeff van den Eikoff has been able to quietly accomplish with the branch web page, and with Ed Sullivan's help, the electronic newsletter. The move to an electronic emailed version of the newsletter will save the branch thousands of dollars over the next few years alone, while allowing us to reach more members and non-members alike.
Who can look back at the past year without feeling the great sense of pride for the people of this country as we have all dealt with the aftermath of 9-11. How we've dealt with adversity has strengthened us, and how we conduct our lives has forever changed. As members of ASCE we can be proud that ASCE engineers filled key roles in providing essential technical support and site assessments after 9-11, and we are currently filling key roles in ongoing Homeland Security and infrastructure protection issues.
On a happier note, as I think about our branch and the benefits we derive from being members of ASCE, I think of the vast amount of professional development opportunity. Just visit and spend some time at the national www.ASCE.org website, or attend one of the many ASCE seminars. But without a doubt I see the networking opportunities and friendships built and maintained through ASCE involvement as the key to ASCE membership. For me, our last lunch meeting is a perfect example. Besides seeing a few past co-workers and an old Cal Poly classmate, Dennis Shallenberger, to share timely information about the effect of new DSA inspection requirements, John Wallace described an incident in Santa Ynez involving a utility trench accident and Cal OSHA involvement, and Gene Spencer explained the use of helical anchors in foundation repairs. Not bad for spending an hour and a half over lunch at Madonna Inn.
In the coming year I hope to see our membership and lunch meeting attendance expand through continued commitment to finding diverse presentation topics and interesting guest speakers, and at the same time encouraging members to share current issues and experiences with the attending members. Due to a recent change in how the L.A. Section funds branch activities, we have more resources at our discretion. I will be discussing with the other officers ways to best use these funds to benefit our members, including our longstanding support of the SCE at Cal Poly. I look forward to the coming year and hope our members continue to stay involved and support SLO Branch activities.
by Russ Thompson
Those who attended the monthly ASCE meeting at Cal Poly last May will recall the fantastic finish turned in by the Cal Poly Society of Civil Engineers (SCE) at last year's Pacific Southwest Regional Conference. Cal Poly SCE placed first for the eighth year in a row with a first place win in both the steel bridge challenge and the concrete canoe race. Last year's SCE conference coordinator, Cal Poly Civil Engineering student Ryan Ferguson, is the subject of this meet the member column.
Ryan took office in May as the new president of the Cal Poly SCE. He is a senior Civil Engineering student with a concentration in Structural Engineering. In addition to the challenges of senior level classes at Cal Poly and an internship with the County of San Luis Obispo Engineering Division, Ryan will face the challenge of an unprecedented ninth win at next year's SCE conference as president of SCE.
Ryan comes to Cal Poly from San Bernardino. As a child, Ryan loved to create and build things. During his freshman year in high school, he learned that he was well suited for a career in Structural Engineering. His other interests include music, mountain biking, hiking and ocean kayaking. Every year he hikes to the top of San Gorgonio, the highest peak in Southern California. Ryan plays the trumpet and previously worked as a radio disk jockey at the Cal Poly radio station.
Ryan has had two other internships while studying at Cal Poly. One with Caltrans District 8 in San Bernardino, and one with the City of San Luis Obispo. His most memorable engineering experience occurred while with the City of San Luis Obispo. He performed a storm drain inlet and culvert inventory and condition analysis that involved walking through many of the larger culverts built under the city.
Ryan plans to graduate from Cal Poly in 2004. Prior to graduation he will work on a co-op with Granite Construction in Sacramento. Following graduation he hopes to begin his career as a Structural Engineer in Northern California. He says his love for the outdoors and the beauty of the Bay Area are what draws him north.
by Greg Ray
Our October meeting will provide members an unusual opportunity to hear a world authority on irrigation and water system, Cal Poly Professor Emeritus John L. Merriam, F. ASCE. Those of you who visit the Cal Poly campus, especially the agricultural precincts, have probably noticed the J. L. Merriam Irrigation Practices Field, a state-of-the-art teaching and research facility which honors Prof. Merriam's decades of service to Cal Poly and to water resources overall. Among his many honors, our speaker was recently presented a Certificate of Appreciation by the California State Department of Water Resources for more than six decades of service to irrigation, stressing flexible supply systems to permit arranged/demand scheduling of farm irrigation.
Through his amazing career, Prof. Merriam has traveled the world, including many developing regions, participating in a host of water engineering projects to help meet this most fundamental of community needs. At our October meeting, we will hear about some of these activities, and have the special opportunity to meet a legend in his field.
by Ed Sullivan
Time is getting short to submit nominations for San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara Counties' project and engineer of the year. These awards are an excellent way to recognize outstanding achievements of colleagues in our area. This year's deadline for nominations for both awards is October 15th. Nominations will be reviewed by the branch's awards committee and the results presented at our annual awards program during the December meeting.
Obtain nomination forms and further information at the Branch web site www.asceslo.org.
Nominations should be sent to Russ Thompson at 7400 Morro Road, Atascadero, CA 93422, or by e-mail to russt@rtcengineering.com. For questions, call Russ at (805) 462-1375.
Cal Poly's award-winning ASCE student club is a source of pride for our branch and well deserves our support. Recently, the SCE received authorization to use a former storage room on campus as a site for officer meetings, studying, hanging out together, etc. Always short of resources, the SCE has asked if ASCE members can help them finish the room. They need a coffee maker, a mini-fridge, a table, a dry-erase or cork board, CE-related posters, and any other old furniture that people or firms might be able to donate. If you can help, contact SCE president Ryan Ferguson at (805) 593-0473 or by email at rferguso@calpoly.edu.
[President Perspective] [Meet the Member] [Monthly Meeting] [Nominations] [Help SCE]