ASCE Akron-Canton Nov 2015 Newsletter

November 2015

Volume 31, Issue 2

Akron-Canton Section Newsletter

Please look over this November edition of the newsletter for the latest information on your Akron-Canton Section

President's Column

By: Mark Miller, M.ASCE

I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy the fall leaves before the remnants of the Pacific hurricane brought them down with wind and rain! It has been a beautiful fall.

As a contractor and a material supplier, I have a different perspective of projects than most of our membership who are designers. I have always welcomed the opportunity to assist engineers with the

design process for projects and to also assist during construction as site conditions often change from the

anticipated. I encourage designers to call contractors and suppliers for their insight and experience. Something that looks great on paper is not necessarily achievable in the field. I hope we can develop more members from the contractors and material suppliers in our area. These other business entities often employ Civil Engineers to take advantage of their training and experience. Be on the lookout for new potential members, they will be glad you asked!

Earlier in the month, the Student Chapter had a nice dinner and evening planned and invited the CAK Section. The Board was very well represented but barely any other members were in attendance. The students enjoy and need our support. Please consider any future announcements where we may participate with them!

Our monthly meetings are possibly the most important function of our section. Any suggestions to make them the "Best They Can Be" are welcome. From the business, social and professional aspects of our meetings, please make every attempt to attend!

Election Day is around the corner. Please vote your mind, it is your duty! Voting also sets a good example for our younger folks to show an interest in the community.

I have renewed.....Have you? The Renewal Race is ON !! ASCE National is again encouraging members to renew early and help the Section possibly win $1,000. See the notice in this newsletter!

Please watch your inboxes for our monthly newsletters and periodic announcements. If you have an interest in getting involved on the leadership team, please do not hesitate to contact any of the members of the Board.

Regards,

Mark Miller

Akron-Canton Section President

November Section Meeting

Hosted by the ASCE Cleveland Section. RSVP to Mary Egan at [email protected] by Friday, November 5th. Click here to view a pdf of the flyer.

December Section Meeting

Save the Date for the December Section Meeting to be held during lunch on December 17th. Meeting details are currently being finalized and will be announced soon.

Retired Civil Engineer Wanted

Midwest Industrial Supply Inc. is seeking a retired civil engineer interested in part-time consulting work, specifically in road construction stabilization and/or soil stabilization for work sites.

If interested, please contact Heather Richkowski at [email protected] or at 330-323-7782.

Donation to Project Lead the Way

During the 2014-2015 fiscal year, the Akron Canton Section Board of Directors voted to donate to three area high schools as part of Project Lead the Way. The three schools that received a donation were:

Akron Garfield High School
Firestone High School
STEM High School

We received very positive feedback from all three schools discussing how the money has impacted their program. A summary of each schools feedback is provided below.

First we will purchase additional supplies for our Vex Robotics teams. Second we will purchase items that we can enhance using our laser engraver and sell to raise funds for our STEM Club. Lastly, the funds will be used within my Civil Engineering/Architecture class for possible field trips or internship experiences for the students. - Steve Carter, Garfield High School

We used it to buy Kinex kits to help teach our kids about statics. The learners loved using the kids because they could iterate their bridges many times. We also used dual range force sensors to calculate forces and do truss calculations. - Zachary Griffith, STEM High School

I utilized your funds to expand my robotics club.26 kids volunteer to spend two evenings a week working on their robots. They compete in a series of five competitions during the course of the school year. They attend an 18 hour lock-in (Friday after school to Saturday lunch- no sleep allowed) at school to build their robots. In three years of competing my students have won every major award VEX Robotics offers in the State of Ohio, including two trips to state and one to Worlds. They were the first organization in the history of Firestone to represent Firestone High School at an international event. - Dan Spak, Firestone High School

UA Survey Feedback Wanted

The University of Akron College of Engineering is seeking feedback regarding the masters program in an effort to make the program more accessible for working professionals. Please help the college by taking a brief survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7YVX5X3

Section Membership Renewal Race

ASCE National is offering a $1,000 cash prize to the section that has the highest percentage of members that renew their ASCE membership before December 11, 2015. Help the Akron-Canton Section win by renewing your membership today! See details below.