June 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 June If you live adjacent to a Section in a different Region, or are merely interested in the other Region reports for June, 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 9 update? See the May edition of  News Around Region 9 Share this page via social media and email:

REGION 9 NEWS California teams well represented at Concrete Canoe finals Cal Poly San Luis Obispo teammates have “green screen” fun.  Photo: ASCE California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo took second place overall and won the competition’s Innovation Award at the “America’s Cup of Civil Engineering,” ASCE’s 28th annual National Concrete Canoe Competition, held at Clemson University in South Carolina.  The University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles also took part in the finals, with Berkeley taking home the Spirit of the Competition Award, in large part for helping UCLA attend by towing the Bruins’ canoe on their trailer. All told, 22 university teams from across the country and Canada competed for the title at Clemson University in South Carolina.  Throughout the year, 215 teams of civil engineering students spent thousands of hours researching, designing and constructing their unique concrete canoes aimed at creating the winning combination of creativity, knowledge and teamwork to come out on top at spring regionals, securing them the opportunity to compete at the national competition.  First place this year went to the University of Florida.  Complete results, photos, video>>

SAN FRANCISCO SECTION Stanford puts ambient noise to work Researchers at Stanford University have developed a method to isolate seismic body waves hidden in ambient noise and develop a 3-D representation of the pressure-wave velocities beneath the surface of the earth.  The research team recently published its findings in the Journal of Geophysical Research.  Follow the waves in ASCE’s online edition of Civil Engineering magazine.

REGION 9 NEWS San Diego member elected new Region 9 governor James T. Frost, P.E., ENV SP, M.ASCE, of San Diego, was elected Region 9 Governor-Elect in ASCE’s recent officers election.  Read more about Frost’s experience and vision for Region 9. ASCE’s 2016 president-elect elect is Norma Jean Mattei, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, M.COPRI, M.ASCE, of New Orleans, LA.  Read her biographical outline and vision statement. The newly elected officers will be inaugurated at the ASCE Annual Business Meeting in October, during the ASCE Convention in New York City.

SAN DIEGO SECTION Section gives new roundabout award for bikeway and trail safety A sculpture-topped roundabout in Carlsbad was names by ASCE’s San Diego Section as its Outstanding Project for 2015 in the Bikeways and Trails category.  Carlsbad city associate engineer Jonathan Schauble, P.E., M.ASCE, says the roundabout has made the intersection safer for drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Learn more about the honor as covered in San Diego’s Union Tribune.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE STEM majors earn most throughout careers, study finds A study comparing college majors to postgraduation income has found that students who major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics earn the most, both at the start and later in their careers. Get details on the findings in ASCE’s online edition of Civil Engineering magazine.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Cities, universities lead in resilience planning Research by the consulting firm Haley & Aldrich finds that cities and universities are leading the way on bolstering resilience, but several barriers impede progress. Explore the resilience focus in ASCE’s online edition of Civil Engineering magazine.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Engineering innovations could expand wind power A new report from the Department of Energy notes that with taller towers and larger turbines, wind energy facilities could be sited closer to electricity consumers, boosting their efficiency. See what may be possible in ASCE’s online edition of Civil Engineering magazine.

IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE U.S. carbon emissions drop despite rise in energy use Although energy consumption increased in 2014, heavier reliance on natural gas and wind resulted in a muted increase in carbon emissions, according to a federal analysis. Delve into the promising trend in ASCE’s online edition of Civil Engineering magazine.