May 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 May If you live adjacent to a Section in a different Region, or are merely interested in the other Region reports for May, 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 last month's Region 8 update? See the April edition of  News Around Region 8  this is a test Share this page via social media and email:

ARIZONA SECTION Section issues new state Report Card with overall C grade A Well-timed investments in infrastructure have helped ease growing pains in Arizona, especially in Phoenix, but now, what’s next? Reviewing the condition and needs of the state’s infrastructure both now and into the future, the Arizona Section released the 2015 Report Card for Arizona’s Infrastructure to coincide with National Infrastructure Week. The Report Card assessed nine categories, giving the state an overall grade of C. While faring better than the nation’s infrastructure as a whole, the report reveals that the state’s infrastructure needs attention to keep up with growth. Read more on the new Report Card in ASCE News.

NEVADA SECTION Students from 11 schools enjoy ASCE Branch’s bridge design contest The ASCE Nevada Section’s Capital Branch recently staged its 11th annual bridge design contest for 11 participating schools in Gardnerville, NV. “It’s an introduction to kids about civil engineering and what they do and that civil engineering can be exciting,” Sue McReavy, civil engineer for R.O. Anderson, told The Record-Courier. Read more about the event.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE More detailed bridge data will help stretch repair budgets Shay K. Burrows, P.E. M.ASCE, is leading creation of a new Federal Highway Administration database of element-level data from bridge inspections that will give a much more detailed picture of the state of the bridges in the National Highway System and help owners stretch their repair budgets. Read about the data collection in ASCE’s web-exclusive Civil Engineering magazine.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE New foam material derives strength from geometry Researchers at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have developed a geometric pattern for 3-D printing that creates precise closed-cell foam materials that approach the theoretical limits of isotropic—or uniform—stiffness. The development holds the promise of developing such lightweight structures as sandwich panels, insulation, or acoustical materials that can also carry structural loads. Read more on this innovation in ASCE's online edition of Civil Engineering magazine.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Report: Rising Arctic temperatures have global implications A state-of-the-field report geared toward non-specialists and issued by the U.S. National Research Council details the global implications of rising Arctic temperatures and melting ice. Explore the report found in ASCE’s web-exclusive edition of Civil Engineering magazine.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Study of subatomic particles to aid investigations of bridge cables While civil engineers frequently concern themselves with large-scale structures such as skyscrapers, dams, and bridges, researchers in applied physics probe the other end of the physical spectrum, studying the behavior of some of the smallest particles detectible by humans. It may seem unlikely that these two fields would collide, but that is what has happened at Columbia University, where a diverse team of researchers is using microscopic neutrons to investigate the behavior of broken wires inside suspension bridge cables. The results of the researchers' collaboration may be good news for the owners and operators of some the nation's largest and oldest suspension bridges. Explore the potential breakthrough in safety in ASCE’s web-exclusive edition of Civil Engineering magazine.

SEATTLE SECTION Boeing senior VP of engineering discusses making value instead of making things Boeing senior VP of engineering discusses making value instead of making things Globalization, developments in technology, and new business models are changing the way products and services are conceived, designed, produced, and distributed around the world. These forces are also transforming work and operations in manufacturing. Increasingly, business is not simply about “making things” but about “making value.” Making value is the process of using ingenuity to convert resources into a good, service, or process that contributes additional value to a person or a society. How can civil engineers benefit from this focus on making value? John Tracy, Boeing’s chief technology officer and senior vice president of Engineering, Operations & Technology, shares findings from the National Academy of Engineering’s new report, Making Value for America:  Embracing the Future of Manufacturing, Technology, and Work in ASCE’s forum, The Leadership Imperative.

SEATTLE SECTION Up from the depths: Repairs underway on Seattle’s giant tunnel boring machine The intricate repair job on “Bertha” that finally began at the end of March will continue through the summer, likely delaying completion of Seattle’s replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct by two years. The 300 feet long, more than 57 feet wide tunnel boring machine nicknamed for Seattle’s first female mayor broke down 1,000 feet into the two-mile job, about six months after work began in 2013. Discover how Bertha is getting back on track in ASCE’s web-exclusive edition of Civil Engineering magazine.