“Help you matter more and enable you to make a bigger difference”
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Region 8 Director's Column
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In This Issue
- Region 8 Director's Column
- Recent Region 8 Award Winners
- Update to Montana Section, May 2020 Newsletter
- Region 8 Calendar of Upcoming Events
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Aloha and Mahalo for your membership in ASCE and for your support for our civil engineering profession. Hope you all are keeping safe through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ASCE Society-level elections have concluded. Congratulations to our Region for increasing voter turnout from five percent last year to eight percent this year. While eight percent is still an extremely low number, it was a 60-percent increase from last year. #babysteps
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The Society President-Elect race was a nail-biter as the victor won by only 102 votes out of over 6,800 cast. Congratulations to Dennis Truax for being elected as our next Society President-Elect.
Congratulations to Kevin Nielsen for being elected to the Society Board of Direction as a Technical Region Director. Kevin is the immediate Past President of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) and is from the Oregon Section.
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Tor Anderzen,
Alaska Section
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Fausto Burruel,
Arizona Section
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Dan Karlin,
Montana Section
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Congratulations to Tor Anderzen, Alaska Section, and Fausto Burruel, Arizona Section, for being elected as our next Region 8 Governors. Tor and Fausto will succeed Florence Ching, Hawaii Section, and Fred Nelson, Arizona Section, starting October 1.
This year, the Region 8 Board of Governors (BOG) also appointed an At-Large Governor. The At-Large Governor is intended to fill a need on the BOG. After carefully considering the interested candidates, the BOG decided to appoint Dan Karlin, Montana Section, as our next At-Large Governor. Dan will succeed Darren Hippenstiel, Oregon Section, starting October 1.
If you have an interest in serving as Region 8 Governor, there will be two openings for terms beginning in October 2021. Candidates can be from any state in our Region except for Arizona because they already have the maximum allotted two positions on the Region 8 BOG. If you want more information or are interested, please contact any of the current BOG members.
The membership passed the proposed amendments to the Society Constitution by a 75.4% to 24.6% vote. A two-thirds majority was required for passage. The intent of the proposed constitutional amendments was to improve the organization’s flexibility, nimbleness, and responsiveness as well as giving voting equity to dues-paying Affiliate members. The Board will continue to work on related amendments to the Society’s Bylaws and Rules of Policy and Procedures over the next year.
The Region 8 BOG voted to delay our Fall BOG and Assembly meetings to October 15 to 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meetings are traditionally held in late August or early September. We are hoping that the extra time will allow a safer environment for participants. The BOG will announce the location of the meetings in the near future.
Mahalo for being a member of ASCE and for all that you do to help our great profession. #Region8isgreat!!! Please be safe and continue to wash your hands.
Mahalo and Aloha,
Tony C.G. Lau, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE
Society Director, Region 8
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Recent Region 8 Award Winners
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- Congratulations to Robert Sowby, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, of the Utah Section who was selected by the Society’s Committee on Younger members to receive the 2020 Daniel W. Mead Prize for Younger Members for the paper, “To Uphold and Enhance the Profession.”
- Congratulations to Amanda Tanaka, P.E., M.ASCE, of the Hawaii Section who was selected as the 2020 recipient of the Edmund Friedman Young Engineer Award for Professional Achievement for “professional achievement in service to the advancement of the profession, evidence of technical competence, high character and integrity, and contributions to public service outside her career.”
- Congratulation to Jie Zhang, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, of the Seattle Section whose editorial team was selected by the Society’s Awards Committee to receive the 2020 State of the Art of Civil Engineering Award for the book, Computational Fluid Dynamics: Applications in Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Treatment, published by EWRI, June 2019.
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The Nevada Section has had an interesting year for 2020 as many of you have experienced thus far. To start off, our Past President, Maylinn Rosales, P.E. was awarded the Engineer of the Year Award for the public sector by our Southern Nevada Branch. Two Section Officers, Jon Smith, P.E. and Randall Rice, P.E. were able to attend the 2020 Multi-Regional Leadership Conference in San Francisco, CA. The Section President, John Swatzell, P.E., spoke at several elementary schools about civil engineering and had the students design and perform several activities based on the subjects presented.
Our Branches are also navigating this unique time with virtual meetings and fund raisers. While waiting for further decisions and direction from the Nevada Governor allowing large group meetings, Branches will move forward with meeting forums following social distancing guidelines. This is creating unique obstacles, but at the same time creating opportunities and possibilities for engaging members. The Southern Nevada Branch was able to hold their annual awards banquet prior to the shelter in place orders. Unfortunately, Truckee Meadow Branch was not able hold their awards banquet and awaiting an opportunity to reschedule.
Nevada’s Younger Members Forums were able to begin a PE Review course for their members. However, the platform for learning required a virtual platform after the social distancing was enacted. Overall the courses went well, and we hope the attendees achieve their goals. Their fund raising went to a virtual setting and they are trying different formats to engage their members with virtual luncheons and meetings.
John Swatzell P.E.
ASCE Nevada Section President
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Update to Montana Section, May 2020 Newsletter
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After verifying the age and design of the Pugsley Road Bridge with the Society’s History & Heritage Committee, the Montana Section will not be submitting an application for National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark recognition.
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Region 8 Calendar of Upcoming Events
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- Region 8 Board of Governors Fall Meeting, October 15, 2020, Location TBD
- Region 8 Fall Assembly Meeting, October 16-17, 2020, Location TBD
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