[President Perspective] [Meet the Member] [Monthly Meeting]
National Engineering Week is February 20 through 26. The Branch's 2004 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement, Project Cuesta Grade, will have an on-site plaque unveiling ceremony during this time. How will you celebrate National Engineering Week? One way to observe it is to take note of everyday things that may have an engineering background. Since this week encompasses all fields of engineering, why not explore some other disciplines besides civil engineering? What an opportunity to research one of my favorite topics - food!
Let's start out by looking at coffee. Did you know that it cools more quickly if you wait to add milk or cream? Cornell University students Darwin Novak and Robert Seidel used thermodynamics and heat transfer principles to prove it. Assuming a "pouring point" of 185 degrees Fahrenheit, and a "safe drinking point" of 143 degrees, they found that a cup of coffee took 425 seconds to cool if milk or creamer was put in right away. However, if you waited 310 seconds to add the milk or creamer, it cooled in just 340 seconds - 85 seconds faster. I'm sure your co-workers will be highly impressed by this knowledge.
And why stop there . . . astonish them with the engineering of a potato chip! They are a product of acoustical engineering. According to chemical engineer William E. Lee III in an interview with Discover magazine, "Auditory information is important when assessing food." He cites experiments where people found eating to get very boring when they could not hear themselves (I wonder if his family responded that meals were pretty boring when they could hear him). From his research, he went on to analyze the sounds of a potato chip's crunch depending on where it was located in the mouth. He concluded his work with one of the strangest quotes I have ever heard: "With a salty snack, we want to maximize teeth time and minimize tongue time." Try throwing that bit of trivia out when there is a lull in the conversation.
For those with a sweet tooth, there is considerable engineering involved in making candy. Chemical engineers from Hershey and M&M/Mars agree that chocolate has advanced over the last 120 years using various engineering techniques. Since a temperature change of just 1 degree Celsius can ruin a whole batch, the entire process has benefited especially from inventions in the last 20 years. Engineers have also refined chocolate's frequent companion, caramel. They even created a formula for it (the "Maillard Reaction") using variables such as kettle size, moisture level, time, pressure, and temperature. Finally, the humble jellybean is also an engineering feat. But don't take my word for it - the next time you are headed to Sacramento, take a detour to Fairfield and the Jelly Belly Factory. Their free tour is listed in the national "Sightseer's Guide to Engineering," and shows you how to make 1.25 million beans in an hour.
During this year's National Engineering Week, take some time to explore the common things around you. You will be astounded at how much engineering was involved in their creation!
-Valerie Beard, P.E.
Ditas Esperanza is the Capital Projects Engineer for the City of El Paso De Robles. You name the improvement project and she oversees it - waterlines, reservoirs, wells, sewer lines, lift stations, signals, streets, bridges, parks. With only a clerical person and the maintenance crews on staff, Ditas relies on qualified consultants to do studies, designs and construction inspection for the projects. She is able to efficiently address the required upgrades by obtaining help directly from consultants who are knowledgeable and experienced in the type of project at hand.
The 4-year budget Ditas manages is currently around $40 to $60 million, with $20 million slated for the high-profile 13th Street Bridge project. The bridge is the middle one of only three freeway crossings in Paso, and will be widened from two lanes to six-four through lanes and two left turn pockets. The bridge will also add pedestrian pathways on both sides and bikelanes. There will be new open space areas on the north and south side of the brides which will be fully landscaped. A multi-purpose trail will be constructed underneath the bridge to connect these two open space areas. Since she was also the project manager for the Veterans Memorial Bridge (formerly, Niblick), by summer 2006 she will be able to add the construction of two bridges to her career lists! The challenges associated with managing the 13th Street Bridge project have been property acquisition, dealing with the community's frustrations with the road closures, and environmental impacts to the Salinas River.
As if this is not enough, in December 2003, several projects that no one could anticipate, was added to her list as she managed the repairs of those buildings and facilities that were damaged as a result of the San Simeon Earthquake. These projects are almost complete. The most critical repairs was that of the City's two 4 million gallon steel water tanks. Thankfully, the repairs should be complete in time for the summer water peak demands.
One headache that still remains as a challenge for the City is in dealing with the reactivated sulfur springs. After an initial idea to dig down and cap it, the City's consultants are back to the drawing board to come up with a new design: Exciting for the engineers, a headache for the City! Looming are the challenges with meeting the environmental requirements and FEMA application requirements.
Civil engineering, however, was not Ditas's initial dream. Ever since Ditas was a little girl she wanted to be a doctor. She applied to UC Irvine knowing that the school had a good pre-med program. And then came organic chemistry - agh! After a recommendation from her mom (she had always been good at math and her father was a civil engineer), the next thing Ditas knew she was signing up (as the school was more than happy to welcome a female engineer) and she hasn't looked back since.
Ditas brings her experience from working at private and public jobs in Orange County to the Central Coast. Her average tenure early in her career was 4 to 5 years at each job, which she recommends everyone do. She was able to gain a broad range of experience, and stayed long enough at each job to perform effectively. Ditas says the pay she may have sacrificed in the past for the experience she gained has paid off for her in the long term. Ditas's favorite project was the new transportation center for Paso. Inspired by the romance of trains, the beautifully renovated station is now a new stop for Amtrak.
Ditas is very happy in her current position and enjoys hanging out with her two cats, as well as working out, riding her bike and snow skiing when she can. She is very active in her church and recently led the children's Christmas program. She also has several nieces and nephews, and will be traveling this summer to Serbia to meet a new nephew! While overseas, she plans to hang out with some friends in Hungary and travel with her niece to London.
by Courtney Howard
The February luncheon presentation will focus on the construction phase of the Pismo Beach wastewater treatment plant. Dennis Delzeit, City Of Pismo Beach City Engineer/Director of Public Works along with Roberto Sanchez of the Wallace Group and Doug Dunham of Earth Systems Pacific will discuss interesting aspects of the construction of Pismo Beach's $12 million treatment plant construction project. The presentation promises to be interesting and will include discussion of the treatment process, funding, stone columns and construction issues.
Mark your calendars for February 17th and plan on joining us at Rosa's restaurant in Pismo Beach.