April 2016 |
| REGION 9 NEWS Members make voices heard at Legislative Fly-In  Photo courtesy Elizabeth Ruedas Region 9 representatives had the opportunity to meet Sen. Mimi Walters (R-CA) during the ASCE Legislative Fly-In. Roughly 200 ASCE members from across the country – including many from Region 9 – gathered in Washington, DC, March 15-16, for the annual ASCE Legislative Fly-In to advocate on Capitol Hill for infrastructure improvements. The focal points for the members to push on the Hill this year included the Federal Aviation Administration bill reauthorization, work on and passage of a Water Resources Development Act so that it is on a two-year cycle, and the importance of increased investment for water infrastructure. Elizabeth Ruedas, recently honored as one of ASCE’s New Faces of Civil Engineering, attended her first Fly-In, bringing along two friends from Los Angeles. “We have all these bills being written and we don’t have anyone there representing our fields so I’m very interested in pursuing a career in politics in the future,” said Ruedas, EIT, ENV SP, A.M.ASCE, a design engineer for CNC Engineering Inc. in the City of Industry, CA. “So I think this is a great way to get started. It’s amazing to meet with [members of Congress] on a personal level as well as network with others who have the same passion and the same interests that I do.” Ruedas took in several meetings at the Capitol. She even ran into Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA) in the hallway and was able to have a quick chat. “It’s amazing how everything is set up, so well-organized,” Ruedas said. “We were able to have these intelligent conversations and really bring home these points that we were trying to advocate for.” |
| SAN FRANCISCO SECTION Seismic resiliency project honored as OCEA finalist The seismic upgrade of Bay Division Pipelines Nos. 3 and 4 at Hayward Fault in Fremont, CA, is an ideal example of how to do resiliency right and was one of six projects to be honored as finalists for the 2016 ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award at the annual OPAL Awards Gala, March 17, in Arlington, VA. Learn more about the innovative project. |
| LOS ANGELES SECTION Arcadis national technical manager named ASCE Fellow James A. Cathcart, PE, F. ASCE, a national technical manager for global design and consultancy firm Arcadis, has been named a Fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction. Cathcart has more than 38 years of experience in the planning and design of infrastructure projects in California. Read more about what made Cathcart worthy of Fellow status. |
| MARCH ASCE BOARD OF DIRECTION MEETING HIGHLIGHTS Innovative Approaches, Future of Regions’ Boundaries Top Discussions  Jay Higgins, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE, your Region 9 Director, is a member of the Los
Angeles Section. Jay represented you at the ASCE Board meeting in Arlington, VA, March 18-19, held in conjunction with the ASCE Legislative Fly-in and the Outstanding Projects and Leaders Awards Gala. Mid-March was a very productive and enjoyable time for ASCE members who came to the Washington, DC, metro area, starting with the annual Legislative Fly-In. More than 200 Society members from around the country gathered in Washington to meet with their respective senators and representatives on Capitol Hill and advocate for infrastructure improvements. The ASCE OPAL Awards Gala followed on Thursday night in Arlington, VA, honoring several remarkable leaders and outstanding projects in civil engineering. The Board of Direction’s spring meeting capped the week, and it was a busy two-day session. The Board held strategic discussions with several committees, updating important progress being made in the Society’s push to further establish civil engineers as global leaders, including by Raising the Bar, advancing sustainability, and innovating to dramatically reduce the life-cycle costs of infrastructure. The innovation theme was central to the Board’s discussions. The ASCE Industry Leaders Council provided highlights on efforts related to the ASCE Grand Challenge strategic initiative. The first ASCE Innovation Contest was a success, garnering entries from around the world. The expert panel of judges selected 15 winning submittals, and those entrants will have the opportunity to present their ideas to industry leaders at special events this spring. The Board also discussed the most appropriate design criteria to use as the Task Committee on Geographic Boundaries continues its work to reduce the number of geographic regions by one so that the Board can add a technical director without increasing the overall number of Board members. As can be imagined, there is a lot to consider when making such a decision. Which states naturally align together? Are the number of ASCE local entities in a region more relevant than the number of members? Are there common areas of practice and collaboration that shouldn’t be split between regions? The Task Committee will refine two alignment options to present to the Board in July. Read more about our meeting in ASCE News. We next gather July 8-9 in San Diego. To share your thoughts on ASCE issues and governance, please email Jay. |
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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 April If you live adjacent to a Section in a different Region, or are merely interested in the other Region reports for April, 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 March edition of News Around Region 9 Share this page via social media and email:  |
| IN ASCE’s CIVIL ENGINEERING ONLINE MAGAZINE Future economic losses in river basins linked to climate change Researchers have analyzed socioeconomic growth and climate change-induced flooding in river basins worldwide to determine potential economic losses through 2080. Explore what the insights may mean in an exclusive article for ASCE’s Civil Engineering online. |