[President Perspective] [Meet The Member] [Monthly Meeting] [Branch Officers Election]
On October 7, Californians will be asked two questions: First, should Gray Davis be recalled as governor of California? Second, from a list of candidates to replace Davis, who should take his place as governor? Under California law, Davis, as the target of the recall, cannot be a candidate to replace himself. One need only vote yes or no on the first question in order to vote on the second. The votes for the replacement candidates will not matter unless the recall question carries. Let's hope it does!
I am not usually a politically active person, but I have been incredibly disappointed by Gray Davis' performance. It's been one mismanagement fiasco after another with special interest politics at the core of Davis' actions. He is the ultimate political animal, making policy decisions and exerting political muscle based on special interest group pressure and backroom deals that have driven the California economy into the ground.
Sure, some of the problems he has dealt with are economic conditions that are beyond our state government's control. But in tough times like these it takes someone with the fortitude to step up and make the tough decisions not based on who's owed favors and contributes the most to the party political fund, but what is best for California. Career politicians in my opinion are at the root of what has dragged this state down over the years. And it takes people with a commitment to make positive changes regardless of the old boy political network.
As I've gotten older I've changed my perspective on voting for particular candidates based solely on my Republican upbringing and political beliefs to one of "who's willing to stand up and make a difference," regardless of party politics; who's willing to do the right thing as opposed to just falling in line with whoever bangs the drum the loudest.
Innovation in government and policymaking is needed now more than ever; the old school politics as usual won't work. Hopefully out of this current disaster someone will emerge with fresh ideas and a strong will to make changes, even if it means stepping on a lot of toes in Sacramento. I am anxious to see if Arnold Swartzenegger has the same passion that led Jesse Ventura to do a lot of positive things in Minnesota.
Davis has to go, it can't get any worse!
by Russ Thompson
This month we'll meet one of our newest ASCE members, Nola Snowbarger. Nola has been a member of our local ASCE branch for just one year and she is already setting a good example by running for office. If elected, Nola will be our new branch secretary.
Nola was born in Dayton, Ohio. Her father worked as an environmental engineer for the Air Force stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Base. Her mother was occupied raising her and her sister.
When Nola was two, her father was transferred to Norton Air Base in San Bernardino. Three years later he was again transferred, this time to Okinawa, Japan. Nola attended elementary school at the Air Force base there. Nola still remembers some of the children's songs she learned in Japanese. Nola's family returned to Redlands, California, when she was eight. They have remained here in California ever since.
Nola attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. She enrolled in the Environmental Engineering program and in 1999 graduated with a Bachelor's degree.
Her first job was with Earth Tech, an environmental engineering firm in Long Beach. She stayed with Earth Tech for one year and then returned to San Luis Obispo to work with the county. Currently she serves as a staff engineer in the County Utilities Division but she will soon transfer to Development Services. It is interesting to note that her father started as a civil engineer and eventually gravitated toward environmental engineering while Nola seems to be doing just the opposite. One of the most challenging projects she has worked on is the Lopez waterline pigging project. Nola explained that the Lopez waterline has had historical problems delivering its peak design flows to Avila Beach and the Five Cities area. The pigging project involves forcing a cleaning device, the pig, through the lines under pressure to scour sediment and scale from the pipe interior.
In her spare time Nola enjoys surfing, hiking Bishop's Peak with her white German Shepard Ally, and mountain biking. In college Nola competed on the swim team. It was there that she met her husband-to-be, Chad Engelskirger. It was a true engineering "love connection" as she and Chad met in an environmental engineering class and have dated since then. They are to be married in late November and hope to travel to Hawaii on their honeymoon. Chad is currently employed with Cannon Associates in San Luis Obispo.
by Greg Ray
Shape memory alloys are a subset of a broad class of active materials which are increasingly gaining acceptance across a diverse range of engineering disciplines. As the name implies, shape memory alloys can be trained to "remember" a physical configuration which can be recovered when stimulated by electrical, magnetic, and/or mechanical fields. This rather remarkable property can be leveraged in a number of ways depending upon the intended application. The presentation will highlight some of these applications and provide an overview of the physical principles which underlie the unique behavior of shape memory alloys.
The August meeting will also be an opportunity for many of our members to meet Garrett Hall, one of the newest members of Cal Poly's Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty. Before joining Cal Poly in fall 2002, Prof. Hall served as a faculty member at Clarkson College in New York. He recently completed his Ph.D. studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Please join us at A J Spurs for a fine feast and what promises to be an interesting and thought-provoking presentation.
by Ed Sullivan
Ah, the sweet smell of politics once again fills the air. No, it's not the recall; it's the annual Branch election for new officers. Our Branch Nominating Committee, incoming president Jeff van den Eikhof, has conducted a talent search, consulted with the elders, and recommends the accompanying slate of worthies to compose his 2003-2004 regime.
You have two ways to vote (it's preferred you not do both). The recommended method is via the Branch web site. Most of you will soon receive an email notice that the electronic polling is available. Alternatively, you can clip the adjacent ballot and mail it to Jeff at the address shown.
[President Perspective] [Meet the Member] [Monthly Meeting] [Branch Officer's Election]