= 5901 N. IH 35

Cost:
$18 – with RSVP and PayPal web payment

$20 – with RSVP and payment at the door

$25 – walk-up (no RSVP, no pre-payment)

$5 – student/government employee with RSVP and web payment=

$10 – student/government employee walk-up (no RSVP, no pre-payment)

RSVP:
Click here to RSVP by Noon, Friday, June 12th=

=

Quick Links…

About Us

Job Board=

Younger Member Forum=

= June Meeting Sponsor:

MWH is recogni= zed as one of the world’s leading wet infrastructure engineering and construction firms. Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, MWH is an employee-owned firm with approximately 7,000 employees worldwide. Through our global experience, we have developed the expertise and project management systems to ensure that quality, safety, budget and schedule go= als are met on our projects. We also ensure our projects are as sustaina= ble and environmentally responsible as possible and take great care to implem= ent water conservation, waste management/recycling, LEED compliance, use of sustainable materials and other energy saving measures. We are curre= ntly engaged on a pump station design project for the City of Austin. As a corporate citizen of Austin, we have sponsored events such as the Hill Country Conservancy's recent Earth= Day concert held at Stubb's. We have also held several outreach events for lo= cal minority and women-owned business enterprises to help them procure work within the City. The motto of MWH Constructors is to "Think Globally, Build Locally,” and that is our pledge to the City of Austin.

= May Speaker: Bill Spelman, City of Austin, Place 5, Councilman-Elect

To= pic: Austin’s F= uture

Mr. Spelman is a Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, Univers= ity of Texas. Turning theory into practice has been the cornerstone of Bill Spelman’s car= eer. He earned a Ph.D. in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, then = spent seven years with a national association of big-city police chiefs; develo= ping nationally recognized community-policing programs. After serving two year= s on the Austin Water and Wastewater Commission, he was elected and served from 1997 to 2000 as a member of the Austin City Council. While on the City Council, Spelman championed downtown development, neighborhood-based serv= ice delivery, performance measurement, and civilian oversight of police operations.

Spelman teaches courses in applied mathematics and statistics, urban policy and managemen= t, and criminal justice, and continues his research on police operations, pr= ison policy, and urban economic development. As executive director of the Texas Institute for Public Problem Solving, Spelman helped to train 14,000 poli= ce officers and community residents throughout Texas in the practice of community policing.

Bill is curren= tly Chair of the Waller Creek Citizens Advisory Committee. He is marrie= d to Niyanta Spelman, Executive Director at RainforestPartnership. They have t= wo sons.

President’s Message

by Julia M. Harrod, P.E.<= span style=3D'font-size:9.0pt'>

The Austin Branch is extremely active w= ith various activities over the summer and beyond:

· &nbs= p; We are looking forward to another successful Contin= uing Education Seminar scheduled for July 31^st with Rep Joe Pickett, Chairman of the Transportation Committee as the luncheon keynote speaker. =

· &nbs= p; Looking further ahead, planning for the Fall Texas Section meeting is going strong. Amy Smith and David Matocha are heading = up a great group of volunteers. Amy is right when she says members are going to want the opportunity to be a part of this event.

· &nbs= p; As an ongoing activity, the Regulatory Stakeholders Committee has its work cut out for it as the City of Austin continues to propose rule chan= ges throughout the year.

There is plenty of opportunities to get involved. Contact Robert Scholz, P.E. (rwscholz@p= bsj.com) or myself (juliah@mwmdesigngroup.com) = to let us know your interest. Find out how you can plug in and start working with other engineers to make a difference in our community. Even if you o= nly have a couple hours to spare, there is an activity for you.

Together we are ASCE; together we can m= ake a difference!

A= SCE Austin Chapter Job Board:

This is a reminder that the ASCE Aus= tin Chapter job board is available and is generally up to date with job listi= ngs from various member organizations. Please pass this information on to colleagues. The following is a link to our J= ob Board: http://www.austinasce.= org/jobs.htm.

Austin = Branch Hosts Texas Section Spring 2010 Meeting

The Austin Branch will be hosting the T= exas Section Spring 2010 Meeting . This meeting will be unique in both its revised format and locatio= n. This will be a Texas Section meeting that will be talked about for years = to come. There is no better opportunity to get involved in creating the future Texas Section meeting formats.

Preparations for this meeting have begun with the selection of a fabulous venue – the newly constructed AT&a= mp;T Executive Education and Conference Center, located on the University of Tex= as Campus.&nb= sp; This facility combines advanced technology and sophisticated hospitality – just the setting to make the Texas Section meeting in= Austin the civil engineering event of the year!

The Host Committee invites all Austin Branch members to get involved in making this meeting a success. you may contact individual sub-committee chairman to find out about volunteering = for their committee.

General Co-Chair: Amy Spicer = Smith = ; amy_smith@urscorp.com

General Co-Chair: David Matoc= ha = ; david.matocha@hanson.com

Budget/Finance: Curtis Steger = ; = curtis@holfordgroup.com=

CPD Seminars: Craig Chesser cachesser@l= an-inc.com

Awards Banquet: Kelly Barney = ; <= /span>kbarney@pape-dawson.com=

Exhibits: = Ron Reichert rreichert@ejiw.com

Hotel Arrangements: Steve Bontempo &= nbsp; steve@bontempo-eng.com<= /span>

Printing/Mailing: Dale Murphey = ; dmurphy@kfriese.com

Publicity: = ; Roman Grijalva = ; roman.grijalva@jacobs.com

Registration: = ; Linda Barlow = ; = lbarlow@hvj.com<= /p>

= ; &n= bsp; Don Willhouse dotdon32@ms= n.com

Student Activities Rose Marie= Clee = ; rmklee@crespoinc.com

Order of the Engineer

Ceremony: = ; Cres Guzman &nbs= p; Crespin.guzman@klotz.com

20= 09 Younger Member Employer Recognition Award

The Committe= e on Younger Members is seeking nominations for the 2009 Younger Member Employ= er Recognition Award. The Empl= oyer Recognition Award was created to recognize employers who support young engineers and assist with their personal development. CYM also awards two Superior Employer Recognition Awards (one public, one private) to the nominees who best display exemplary support of young engineers in their organizations. A list of wi= nning organizations will be submitted for publication in ASCE News and included= in the Younger Member Newsletter.

<= /o:p>

Nominations = must be postmarked by August 1, 2009. The nomination form, which describes the award in detail, is avail= able for download on the CYM Awards page http://www.= asce.org/files/doc/pressroom/honors/2009EmployerRecognitionApplication.doc<= /span>.

Thank you for your continuing support. As= always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at mmaly@schemmer.com

<= /o:p>

Marie A. Mal= y, P.E., M.ASCE

Chair, ASCE Committee on Younger Members

ASCE Continuing Education Seminar

This year’s continuing education seminar will be held on July 31^st at the MCC Building located at 3925 West Braker, Austin, <= st1:State w:st=3D"on">TX 78759. Our keynote speaker at this year’s conference will be Representative Joe Pickett, Chairman of the Transportation Committee in the Texas House of Representatives. An announcement for online registration will be sent out= via email in June.

Remember: The Texas Boar= d of Professional Engineers requires 15 hours of continuing education credit (including one hour of ethics) annually. This event will satisfy several of the annual hour requirements including ethics.

by Jonah Mankovsky, EIT – Continuing Education Chair

<= /a>Odyssey of t= he Mind Results

Meet the “Peeps” from Barton Hills Elementary: Abbey Preston, Ange= la Campbell, Devon Nelms, Joe Williams, S= am Filleman, Seamus Quinn, and Theo Lavier. They make up a team of 4th grade= rs from Barton Hills Elementary who were the first Austin area team= to ever qualify for World Competition of Odyssey of the Mind! They won the Central Texas regional competition, and came in second in the Texas State competition, to earn the chance to represent their school, their community, = Austin, and Texas at the 30th annual Odyssey o= f the Mind, World Competition in A= mes Iowa, May 27-30.

OM is an interna= tional educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities = for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve spontaneous and long-term problems.=

The kids had to design and build a tower out of 1/8 in by 1/8 in balsa wood sticks that would hold as much weight as possible. In addition, during testing, they had to place spacers between the weights, and then pull them out causing a shock wave.

Thanks to donations from over 50 businesses (including HVJ Associates Inc, sever= al cash donations from ASCE members at the last lunch meeting, and a matching donation from Austin Branch), neighbors, friends, teachers, and family members, they raised enough to cover air travel and registration/lodging/= food costs for the 7 kids and one coach, as well ground transportation, pins, gifts for their Polish buddy team, and even some expenses for parent chaperones.

The Peeps ranked 24^th out of 47 world-wide teams invited to participate in their division's event. In addition to teams from various states within the US, there were teams from South Korea, Poland, Mexico, and Canada in their division! <= o:p>

Their balsa wood structure held 300lbs--less than they expected, but they are h= appy with how they placed considering it was their first time to compete at th= is level. (Their structure held 465 lbs at State competition, and withstood 5 shock waves before breaking!) They got great scores and verbal comments on their structure, play and overall style.

The kids, parents, and coach wanted to extend their thanks to everyone for all the support and encouragement.

YMF Update<= /o:p>

by Brandon Hammann, EIT

As we transition into the summer months, YMF is preparing for a joint event with the Houston chapter. As of now, we = are planning to meet in Austin and travel south to one of the many rivers to enjoy a relaxing float under the sun! The specific details are still being worked out but we wil= l be sending out a mailer soon with more information.

On Wednesday, June 24, YMF will host a happy hour at The Ginger Man. Please stop by at 5:30 to enjoy free appetizers and some good times with fellow colleagues.<= /p>

We hope everyone enjoys the first month= of summer…stay cool and be safe

Sincerely,

Brandon Hammann, A.M.ASCE

Austin YMF President<= /p>

brandon.hammann@klotz.com

John A. Focht, Founding member of the ASCE Austin Branch

by Melinda Luna, PE – History and Heritage

John Arnold Focht, was one of the membe= rs who established the ASCE Austin branch.&= nbsp; Born in Sweetwater, Texas in 1894, it has bee= n said that his early childhood experience was the reason he wanted to study sanitary engineering. Focht= was nine years old before his family had running water in their house. Graduating from High School, he = set out to study civil engineering at the University of Tex= as in 1910. At the time UT only had two engineering degrees (civil or electr= ical engineering).

At UT, he played in the Longhorn = Band and of course meet and started his friendship with Dean (T.U.) Taylor. Graduating in June of 1914, jobs= were scarce and he went back to the City Sweetwater where he worked as an assistant engineer. With the resignation of the water commissioner, Foct became the Water commissioner= and the City engineer. When the= tasks of the water mains in the City were almost complete, he decided to return= to UT to take additional classes in Chemistry and Bacteriology. In 1916, Sweetwater was to build= a new sewage disposal plant, so Focht left UT to build the plant. Like many men in this day, Focht= left his job for First officers training camp to help in World War I. Focht and his troop of engineers erected barracks and acted as traffic officers. Wounded in 1919, Focht returned = to Texas where he headed for Rockwall Texas to help build a concrete highway. It was on th= is project that Focht worked with Julian Montgomery and Marvin Nichols. Montgomery would go on to become the state WPA Engineer and eventually the State Highway engineer. Nichols would go = on to become a partner in Hawley, Freese and Nichols. Focht eventually became County engineer of Rockwall.

At UT, Dean Taylor was searching for engineer who had actually built highways. Dean Taylor realized after the W= orld War I, that Texas would build a great number of miles of highway and maintain this system of roads. Focht was suggested = as one of the young and promising engineers.&nb= sp; Focht declined Taylor= ’s offer to come to UT because the pay of a professor was only one third of what he was making as an en= gineer working building highways.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> In 1920, Focht married Fay= Goss of Abilene Texas.

Eventually Focht agreed to take a 33% p= ay cut to teach at UT in 1926. First, Dean Taylor had Focht finish his Master’s degree work= he had started in 1916. He sta= rted attending student chapter meetings in 1926, and eventually became faculty advisor of the ASCE student chapter.&nbs= p; This also started his involvement in the Texas Section ASCE. Starting in 1933, Focht was elec= ted to several section offices. He= also became involved in the publishing of the Texas Civil Engineer. He took pictures of the section meetings. Focht continued to take pictures at the section meetings until 1980.

Along the way he found time to help establish, the first Traffic Engineers Conference held in Texas in July 1940 with the Texas Hi= ghway Department. In 1951, Focht = and Alexander lobbied to establish the ASCE Austin Branch. At UT, Focht role was changed to counselor in 1956 and retired in that position in 1964. In 1975 Focht started on his book “An Engineer Remembers”, his autobiography. He talked about his work experie= nces and his family(whom he was most proud of). Among his awards was the national award for History and Heritage in 1983 and the Texas Section had awarded him the Award of Honor and Professional Service Award in 1955. Participating over fifty(5= 0) years in ASCE, the section gave him a movie camera and the status of hono= rary member. Focht continued to be involved with ASCE until his death on Septe= mber 11, 1991 after a long and fulfilling life.

<= /a>ASCE Continuing Education Webinars

June 2009

Tue Jun 16, 2009

Strengthening Structural Steel Beams&nb= sp;

Wed Jun 17, 2009

Innovative Designs for Improving Intersection Capa= city

Thu Jun 18, 2009

Wind and Seismic Retrofit of Wood-Framed Buildings= - New Webinar

Fri Jun 19, 2009

Negotiating Better Engineering and Architectural Contracts

Tue Jun 23, 2009

Design of Moment-Resisting Foundations for Pre-Engineered Buildings

Wed Jun 24, 2009

Mentoring: Guidance for Mentors, Proteges, and Organizations

Thu Jun 25, 2009

Sight Distance <= /span>

Fri Jun 26, 2009

Understanding HEC-RAS Errors, Warnings and Notes - New Webinar

Tue Jun 30, 2009

From Project Engineer to Project Manager: Look Bef= ore You Leap

Tue Jun 30, 2009

LRFD Subsurface Explorations, Soil and Rock Testin= g - New Webinar

July 2009

Wed Jul 01, 2009

Reducing Collisions at High Crash Locations= - Newly Updated

Thu Jul 02, 2009

Speaking to Make Good Things Happen: Preparing, Presenting and Following Up

Tue Jul 07, 2009

Design of Building Foundations: Practical Basics

Wed Jul 08, 2009

Five Habits of Highly Successful Marketers<= /a>

Thu Jul 09, 2009

Safety Aspects of Timing Signalized Intersections<= /span>

Fri Jul 10, 2009

HEC-RAS Bridge Hydraulics <= o:p>

Tue Jul 14, 2009

Deciphering Building Code Provisions for Structural Renovation

Wed Jul 15, 2009

Ethics: The Road All Engineers Must Follow<= /a>

Thu Jul 16, 2009

Design of Wood Columns and Wall Studs&n= bsp;

Thu Jul 16, 2009

Design and Installation of Driven Piles= - New Webinar

Fri Jul 17, 2009

Essential Skills for Economic Growth in Tough Econ= omic Times - New Webinar<= /i>

Fri Jul 17, 2009

Working With the National Flood Insurance Program: CLOMRs, LOMRs and LOMAs - New Webinar

Tue Jul 21, 2009

Using Whole Systems Design Techniques to Improve Sustainable Performance - New Webinar

Tue Jul 21, 2009

Renovation of Masonry Facade = ;

Wed Jul 22, 2009

Understanding the Market for Engineering Services = in Sustainable Development =

Thu Jul 23, 2009

Introduction to Green Design = ;

Fri Jul 24, 2009

Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) for Geotechnical Engineering: Shallow Foundations for Soil and Rock - New Webinar

Tue Jul 28, 2009

Mosquito Management in Constructed Treatment Wetla= nds - New Webinar

Tue Jul 28, 2009

Deflection and Lateral Drift Criteria for Metal Building Systems

Wed Jul 29, 2009

Scope Creep: Preventing and Resolving&n= bsp;

Thu Jul 30, 2009

Floodplain Basics for Municipal, Transportation and Airport Projects

Fri Jul 31, 2009

Selecting Detention Routing Software: An Overview = of Widely Used Detention Routing Programs

<= /p>

Thank You to All of Our 2009 Sponsors= !

&nbs= p; 3D"MWM

<= /span> &nbs= p; 3D"Renewable

<= /p>

&nbs= p; &nbs= p;

<= /p>

3D"Dynamic

&nbs= p;

Want to be an Austin Branch Sponsor? Gives your company advertising and free postings on our online job board. Click here for more information.=

The Austin Bra= nch Newsletter gives you the latest information on ASCE events and activities. To inquire abou= t this newsletter or to publish articles contact the Communications Director. Contact information for our Boar= d of Directors can be found at www.austina= sce.org.

National ASCE – www.asce.org Texas Se= ction – www.texasce.org