ASCE Richmond Branch Newsletter

Volume5 Issue 3 December2012

Important December Dates

DecemberBranch Meeting - Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of
Current Investment Trends in Surface Transportation
December 20th, 12 PM, Westwood Club





President's Message

As many of you know, ASCE as a whole is very involved
in government relations on both a local and national
level. Our national government relations has a very
involved program which features weekly updates on
state legislation pertaining to civil engineering,
programs where you can learn to make a difference in
supporting these issues (and any others of personal
interest), opportunities to meet and discuss issues with
government officials, and far more than I could ever
mention in one article. If you have not already, I highly
recommend you check out the national website at
www.asce.org/Government-Relations.
As the Virginia Infrastructure Report Card gears up for a 2013 release, we
are excited to offer some amazing opportunities for our members in the
next couple of months to learn more about the report cards, and
government relations in general. On December 13
th
, Brian Pallasch, CAE
will be coming to our monthly branch meeting to discuss the ASCE Surface
Transportation Infrastructure Report. Mr. Pallasch is the Managing Director
of the Government Relations and Infrastructure Initiatives for ASCE, and a
great resource for all members interested in government relations. He is
the main contact for ASCE in regards to actually working with government
officials, and even has an office on Capitol Hill to be close to everything
going on. We're very excited to welcome him to Richmond!
In This Issue
President's Message
Exciting Upcoming
Events and PDH
Opportunities
Local News and
Projects
Sponsors of the
Month
MeettheBoard
andChair
Members!

Clickhereforour
bio'sandcontact
information

PresidentAmyBird

PresidentElectAustin
Clark,P.E.

VicePresidentBrooke
Young

Secretary/Treasurer
TonyGaynord,P.E.

PastPresidentMike
Howell,P.E.,S.E.

CommunicationsChair
MelanieLeckey

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In January, we will be once again hosting the Virginia Government Meet
and Greet at the Jefferson Hotel. Last year we had a very good showing of
government representatives, and are anticipating similar this year. For
those who would like to know what ASCE is supporting and how to make
this event the most effective, there will be informational sessions prior to
the event. Everyone is welcome, so even if you have zero experience in
governmental matters, please feel free to attend to learn more.
Additional information on this event, as well as the informational sessions
for those interested, can be found in this newsletter.
I hope you all can attend at least one of these great events! If you would
like to become more involved in government relations and ASCE's
involvement, or have any questions on any of these matters, please
contact our government relations chair, Chris Vaught at
michael.vaught@stvinc.com. In addition, please feel free to contact me
anytime about anything ASCE related at abird@dewberry.com.
Finally, I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and on behalf of
the Richmond Branch of ASCE, we wish you all a happy holiday season!
Exciting Upcoming Events and PDH Opportunities!

December Branch Meeting - Failure toAct: The Economic
Impactof Current Investment Trends in Surface
Transportation Infrastructure

Presented by: Brian T. Pallasch, CAE, ASCE's Managing Director of
Government Relations and Infrastructure Initiatives

Location: Westwood Club
Date: December 20th
Time: 12:00 pm
Price: $20
RSVP: By COB on December 17th
1 PDH available for all attendees
Menu:Club Sandwich - Roasted Turkey, Cure"81" Ham and Sharp Cheddar
with Smoked Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato on Multi-Grain Bread with
assorted cookies

Please join us at the Westwood Club on December
20th, 2012 at Noon for a presentation from Brian T.
Pallasch, CAE, ASCE 's Managing Director of
Government Relations and Infrastructure Initiatives in
Washington, DC.

He has been responsible for managing the ASCE's
government relations department including federal
and state legislative affairs, regulatory affairs,
grassroots, and policy development, since joining the
staff in 1999. Since 2008, Pallasch has been responsible for managing
ASCE's strategic initiatives regarding infrastructure including development
of the Report for America's Infrastructure.

To register, please visit our website, www.ascerichmond.org. For any
questions, please contact Brooke Young at Brooke.Young@Kimley-
EducationOutreachChairs
CalebLange,Ashley
Johnson,andJosiah
Johnson

GovernmentRelations
ChairChrisVaught

MembershipChair
Vacant

WebsiteChairKevin
O'Neill

YoungMemberChair
JustinWatson
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Horn.com.



General Assembly Meet andGreet Announced and
Upcoming Informational Session

Our branch will again host a Meet and Greet with Virginia's General
Assembly on Wednesday,January 23rd 2013 to both be a presence to them
as civil engineers and educate them on the bills that support our civil
engineering objectives. This event will be held from 6 PM to 8 PM at the
Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond.

Previously, we have held a brief informational session directly prior to the
event, but because some folks have difficulty getting off of work in time
to get there and also the quantity of information we try to review, we
have chosen this year to have two informational sessions in the weeks
leading up to the event to be more precise about the goals we are trying
to convey to the assembly.

The first of these sessions was held in November and thesecond session
will bein January2013. Please check our website and upcoming January
Newsletter for updates for this informational session.

Please register on ourwebsiteif you wish to attend the Meet and Greet
event or the informational sessionin January. Be sure to leave your email
address as the number of people who register will affect which room we
end up being in. An email will be sent to those who have registered with
further details as the date gets closer.

If you have any questions, please contact Chris Vaught at
Michael.Vaught@stvinc.com

Meet and Greet Event:


ASCE's 18th Annual PopsicleBridge Competition

ASCE's 18th Annual Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition will be held on
February 10, 2013 at the Science Museum of Virginia. The object of the
competition is to have students build the most efficient bridge possible
using only popsicle sticks and Elmer's glue.

The contest is open to all Richmond area Middle and High School students.
Prizes are awarded for the three most efficient bridges in each age group,
as well as for the most aesthetically pleasing and most innovative bridges.
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There will even be a chance for the students to test their bridges against
one designed by professional bridge engineers! This competition is held in
conjunction with the Richmond Joint Engineers Council as part of their
annual Career Day.

Registration for the competition will be open until January 25, 2013.
Please visit our website for more information or to register.





ACEC Virginia & Metropolitan Washington
Build Your Business

Featuring:
Sean T. Connaughton
Secretary of Transportation

Participate in our Transportation Reception
Honoring
Departments of Aviation, DRPT and VDOT

Thursday, January 10, 2013
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

The Jefferson Hotel
101 West Franklin Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220
www.jeffersonhotel.com

Individual tickets may be purchased for $35 by completing the online form
at www.acecva.org (under events). Questions? Contact Nancy Israel at
nisrael@acecva.org or 804.447.2057.

Please send completed form and check for $35 to ACECVirginia
Deadline to register for this event is January 7, 2013.

Please send your check payable to:

ACEC Virginia
8600 Mayland Drive
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Richmond, Virginia 23294
Local News and Projects

2013 Daniel V. Terrell Paper Competition

This Daniel V. Terrell award is presented annually for the outstanding
paper submitted on a topicestablished by the Region 4 Assembly. The
topic this year is:

"Is it ethical to maintain current licensure requirements in light of the
everincreasing technical complexity of our profession?"

For more information, please visit our website.

A Civil Engineer Hero Finds a Place in Popular
Entertainment
By Stefan J aeger, Author of The Jackhammer Elegies

If you try to count the number of movies that have an engineer as a major
character, you probably won't get off the fingers of one hand. Fiction
provides a few more examples, and TV has its rare smattering.

In the twenty-seven years I've worked with engineering associations, the
last seven at ASCE, the most repeated refrain I've heard from engineers is,
"Why can't we have a TV show L.A. Engineer?" (For those of a younger
generation, L.A. Law was a popular TV series in the late '80s and early '90s
that featured a cast of characters from a law firm in Los Angeles.) That
refrain stayed with me, and as someone with a long-standing interest in
writing fiction, I started planning a thriller in the '90s, getting my initial
plot hook from a story I heard about a New York City professional engineer
who'd been caught in an elevator after the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing and his ordeal in getting out. A fictionalized version of his
experience became the opening scene in my recently released thriller The
Jackhammer Elegies.

In my novel, the man trapped is Scott Carter, a structural engineer and
ASCE member, whose knowledge of the building's framework helps him
alert the city about potential collapse. That publicity turns him into the
conduit of threats from the technically cunning terrorist of the attack,
alias Jackhammer, and Carter becomes a consultant to the FBI as it
investigates the engineering angles of the case. Carter teams up with
Special Agent Michelle Taylor, and the partners soon find themselves
matching wits with an elusive mastermind targeting the lifelines of a city's
public works.

Besides trying to build an engaging plot, I hoped to paint the world of civil
and professional engineering through Carter's character and his active
participation in ASCE activities. However, I didn't want to portray Carter
or the profession in idealized terms. Carter fights self-doubts about his
move into management to make more money when his true passion is
design, and health issues and his growing love for Taylor can at times
undermine his confidence as he faces the stresses of his hunt for the
public works terrorist. As one PE reviewer of the novel said, "The book...
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portray[s] the engineering profession with all of its strengths, weaknesses,
and foibles."

I only hope my thriller can do its part in shining the spotlight a bit brighter
on civil engineers and ASCE.

Stefan Jaeger, CAE, is Managing Director of Member & Corporate
Communications at the American Society of Civil Engineers. His thriller
The Jackhammer Elegiesis available on Amazon.com (paperback and
Kindle) and on BN.com (Nook Book).

Thanks to our Sponsorsthis Month!

Interested in advertising in this newsletter and being seen by
hundreds of local engineers and companies within the Greater
Richmond Area? Email Melanie at mleckey@dewberry.com for
more information!


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If you have any comments regarding this newsletter, please don't hesitate
to contact me at mleckey@dewberry.com.

Thanks!
Melanie Leckey
ASCE Richmond Branch Communications Chair
ASCE Richmond | 4180 Innslake Drive | Glen Allen | VA | 23060
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