President's Message
As I begin my new role as President of the ASCE Mohawk-Hudson Section, I am excited for the eventful year that we have ahead of us. I would like to continue with the momentum we’ve had over the past several years, and I am encouraged by all of the new faces I’ve been seeing at our recent board meetings. Active involvement by our members, whether leading the Section, planning events, or simply attending those events is what makes the Mohawk-Hudson Section great. A gain in active participation is a key goal of the Mohawk-Hudson board.
In just over a month we have our 18th Annual Student Scholarship Benefit Golf Outing, and in August we will have our annual Valley Cats Summer Outing. Throughout the summer, we will also continue planning for our special screenings of ASCE’s new film, “Dream Big: Engineering Our World” for local middle school and high school students.
If you ever need more information about a specific event or how to become involved, please don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the board members.
I wish you all a great summer!
Chris Carter, P.E., M. ASCE
President, ASCE Mohawk-Hudson Section
Annual Dinner Recap
The Mohawk-Hudson Section’s 79th Annual Dinner was held on May 3rd at Wolf’s 1-11 in Colonie. With over 70 people in attendance, the dinner was a great success.
Steven Boisvert, P.E., Greg Johnson, P.E., and Fred Dente, P.E., M.ASCE presented on the Mohawk Harbor Project in Schenectady, NY. Due to soft native soils and constrained site, the harbor wall used a king pile system with specially shaped H piles and interlocking steel sheets. Design was further complicated by the close proximity of buildings and water level fluctuations on the river and in the harbor. The harbor is now complete allowing boat traffic on the Erie Canal to visit the development.
Congratulations to all of our award recipients:
Sheldan Robinson – Student Scholarship Winner
Zachary D. Ogden, S.M.ASCE – HVCC Student Chapter Award Winner
Devan S. Naik, A.M.ASCE – RPI Student Chapter Award Winner
Cadet Colin R. Doody – West Point Student Chapter Award Winner
Don Adams, P.E., M.ASCE – Engineer of the Year
Paul M. Byrd, E.I.T, A.M.ASCE – Younger Member of the Year
David W. Emerich, P.E., M.ASCE – Meritorious Service Award
In addition, congratulations to the RPI Student Chapter for receiving the ASCE New York State Council Student Chapter Award for the second year in a row!
The Mohawk-Hudson Section would like to congratulate the following members who have achieved Life Membership in 2017:
John Sansalone, P.E., M.ASCE
Steven Snider, P.E., M.ASCE
James De Winter, P.E., M.ASCE
Zenon Kyfor, P.E., M.ASCE
Carsten Floess, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE
Harry Williams, P.E., M.ASCE
Stephen Hammond, P.E., M.ASCE
Richard Miller, P.E., M.ASCE
Frederick Dente, P.E., M.ASCE
Dan Moellman, P.E., M.ASCE
Edward Horn, P.E., M.ASCE
Wayne Gannett, P.E., M.ASCE
Gregory Gifford, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE
Allan Sirota, P.E., M.ASCE
Julie Mark Cohen, Ph.D., P.E., SECB, M.ASCE
The 2017-2018 Mohawk-Hudson Section Officers were installed at the end of the dinner by John Folts, P.E., M.ASCE, Region 1 Governor:
Chris Carter, PE, M.ASCE - President
Paul Byrd, EIT, A.M.ASCE – Vice President
Chris Einig, IE, A.M.ASCE - Secretary
Leo Fioravanti, PE, M.ASCE – Treasurer
Lucas E. Thompson, P.E., M.ASCE – 1st Past President
Barry A. Anctil, P.E., M.ASCE – 2nd Past President
Top Row: John Folts, P.E., M.ASCE installs the 2017 officers; The 2017 Life Members receive their plaques; Dave Emerich, P.E., M.ASCE receives the Meritorious Service Award
Middle Row: Devan Naik, A.M.ASCE receives the RPI Student Member of the Year Award; Don Adams, P.E., M.ASCE receives the Engineer of the Year Award; Paul Byrd, E.I.T., A.M.ASCE receives the Younger Member of the Year Award; Clay Tilton, S.M.ASCE accepts the ASCE New York State Council Student Chapter Award on behalf of the RPI Student Chapter; COL. Joe Hanus presents Colin Doody with the West Point Student Chapter Award (at West Point)
Bottom Row: Steven Boisvert, P.E. presenting on the Mohawk Harbor project
2017 Golf Outing
Join us on July 14th for the Annual ASCE Mohawk-Hudson Section Student Scholarship Benefit Golf Outing! The outing will once again be held at Airway Meadows Golf Course in Gansevoort, NY.
If you have questions, please call Walt Lippmann at (518) 386-9676 or email him at [email protected] to discuss how you can participate and enjoy the day's events.
CLICK HERE for Registration and Sponsorship Information.
Tri-City Valley Cats Outing
The Mohawk-Hudson Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers would like to invite all ASCE members and Younger Members to their 9th Annual Summer Outing on August 18th. Come join us for a fun filled night at Joe Bruno Stadium and watch the Tri-City Valley Cats take on the Hudson Valley Renegades.
CLICK HERE for ticket information.
Dream Big!
The Mohawk Hudson Section will be hosting special screenings for local middle school and high school of the new film “Dream Big: Engineering Our World” at the Regal Cinemas © Crossgates IMAX theater and Regal Cinemas Clifton Park RPX from October 16th through the 20th.
All around the world, engineers are pushing the limits of ingenuity and innovation in unexpected, imaginative, and amazing ways. Dream Big: Engineering Our World, a giant-screen film about engineering, will take viewers on a journey of discovery from the world’s tallest building to a bridge higher than the clouds. Along the way, the audience will witness how today’s engineers are shaping the world of tomorrow.
Our goal is to educate 1200-1500 students by offering this film to you and schools in the Capital Region and beyond, for free admission. Along with the film, students will explore engineering experiments and DIY projects presented at our booths outside the theater. We hope that this will introduce the engineering discipline to students emerging into technology programs, and to encourage students applying for college to follow their dreams and Dream Big.
Paul Byrd (Vice President, ASCE Mohawk-Hudson Section), Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, and Jay Simpson (President, ACEC New York) pause for a photo after discussing upcoming Dream Big screenings on the Assemblyman’s show, “Assembly Update,” on Friday June 2nd.
2017 Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professors Ricardo Dobry, Sc.D., M.ASCE and Tarek Abdoun, Ph.D., M.ASCE were recently selected by the Geo-Institute Board of Governors to receive the 2017 Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award for the paper, “Cyclic Shear Strain Needed for Liquefaction Triggering and Assessment of Overburden Pressure Factor Kσ.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, November 2015.
The Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award is a memorial award established in 1955 to recognize the outstanding professional accomplishments of Thomas A. Middlebrooks, A.M.ASCE. It is awarded to the author(s) of a paper published by the Society that is judged worthy of special commendation for its merit as a contribution to geotechnical engineering.
Congratulations Professor Dobry and Professor Abdoun on this accomplishment!
2017 Letter of Honorable Mention
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ASCE Student Chapter was selected by the Committee on Student Members to receive a Letter of Honorable Mention for its outstanding activities as recorded in its 2016 Chapter annual report. This recognition is received by only the top third of all Student Organizations.
The Chapter’s accomplishments reflect the enthusiasm and hard work of its officers, members, and advisors.
Congratulations to the RPI Student Chapter and best wishes for continued success in your future activities.
2017 Future Cities Recap
The ASCE Mohawk-Hudson Section was a proud sponsor of the 2017 Future City Competition held at Proctor’s Theater earlier this year. This marked the 25th year for the Future Cities Program nationally and the 16th year locally. As a highly recognized STEM program, the local competition helped to encourage and inspire 27 teams, including over 400 local students, to pursue careers in STEM. Students were given the opportunity to plan, design, and create a city of the future that addressed the real-world issue of public space.
The Mont Pleasant Middle School Team displays their future city after receiving the “Most Innovative Infrastructure Systems” Award, which was sponsored by the ASCE Mohawk-Hudson Section.