ASCE Region 8 Newsletter | June 2022

IN THIS ISSUE From the Region 8 Director ASCE 2022 Election Results Current ASCE Policy Highlight Region 8 Membership Competition Update Region 8 Awards Spotlight Region 8 Technical Article Spotlight Region 8 Calendar of Upcoming Events

“Help you matter more and enable you to make a bigger difference”

FROM THE REGION 8 DIRECTOR

Hello all! Well, it’s been a busy last several weeks for me and for the Society, highlighted by the annual May election of new Society officers. Congratulations to Marsia Geldert-Murphey, who will assume the post of Society President-elect at the National Convention in Anaheim in October. Congratulations also to Darren Burton of the Utah Section and Bernie Sison of the Tacoma-Olympia Section who will be joining the Region 8 Board of Governors this fall as Governors Matt Roblez and Mark Lamer complete their three-year terms of office and leave the board. Thank you, Matt, and Mark, for your service to Region 8 over the past 3 years. This year we had a competitive election with four qualified candidates for the two open seats on the Region 8 Board of Governors. One continuing issue with this year’s election is the low percentage of members who take the time to vote. Only 7.3% of Region 8 members voted this year, which, although it is higher than the overall Society-wide average of 6.6%, is still an unacceptably low number, especially when you consider how the Society has endeavored to make casting an electronic vote quick and easy for all members. If anyone has a suggestion they would like to share with me regarding how we can get more participation in our annual elections, please let me know!

OSU Student Section Commemorative coffee cup

On a much more encouraging note, on May 21st, I had the honor and privilege to attend the official celebration of the 100th anniversary of the student chapter at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. The actual centennial anniversary of the student chapter was last year, but the celebration had to be held over to this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. About a hundred alumni and friends of the OSU student chapter attended the festivities at Kearney Hall on the OSU campus. Joining me at the event was Society President Dennis Truax, who made brief remarks. The celebration was organized by OSU civil engineering faculty member Tom Miller, who has served as the student chapter’s faculty advisor for the past 31 years, which is a remarkable and noteworthy achievement. Also recognized at the celebration was Ken Archibald, an OSU alumnus, who has served the student chapter as a practitioner advisor for the last 49 years and is continuing to serve them. Thanks to members like Tom and Ken and many others, the OSU student chapter of ASCE continues to thrive. Thanks Tom and Ken for your dedication to the ASCE OSU student chapter!   A couple of other note-worthy events that I’ve been involved with in recent weeks: Along with Society President Dennis Truax, I had the opportunity to help represent ASCE at the annual conference of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers held at the Whistler resort in British Columbia from May 25th to 27th. I especially appreciated the opportunity to interact with several CSCE members who are also members of ASCE, and (hopefully) begin the process of building a closer relationship to the approximately 500 dues-paying Society members who reside in Alberta and British Columbia.   One of the highlights of this year’s conference was a session dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the construction of the Alaska Highway, where ASCE member and civil engineering history buff J. David Rogers, Ph.D, of the Missouri University of Science & Technology gave a fascinating keynote presentation on the construction the highway, and specifically how the military engineers assigned to the project dealt with permafrost, which was a largely unknown phenomena up until that time (1942). Lastly, it was my pleasure to attend the annual meeting of the Utah Section in Cedar City, Utah on June 3rd. and to meet with and swear in the new slate of section officers. The Utah Section has an excellent policy of moving their annual meeting around the state from one year to the next, so that members in outlying areas like Cedar City (about halfway between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas) have the opportunity to participate.  Planning is now underway for the next Region 8 Assembly meeting, which will be held in Walla Walla, WA on August 19th and 20th. All twelve sections within Region 8 are strongly encouraged to send at least two of their current officers to this event, which is being crafted to provide attendees with information that will increase their effectiveness as leaders and in recruiting new leaders. Details about the meeting, the venue and accommodations will be forthcoming in the next few days. Stay well, everyone! Larry Magura Society Director, ASCE Region 8

ASCE 2022 ELECTION RESULTS

Hello, ASCE Region 8 members. The ASCE 2022 election results are in. We’d like to congratulate the new 2023 ASCE President-Elect, Marsia Geldert-Murphey, and our own new Region 8 Governors: Bernadette “Bernie” Sisson, and J. Darren Burton. We’d like to welcome our new Region 8 Governors, Bernie Sisson, from the Tacoma-Olympia Section in Washington, and Darren Burton, from the Utah Section in Utah. We look forward to officially introducing them at their first Region 8 Board of Governors meeting during the Region 8 Board of Governors and Region 8 Assembly August 18-20th.   Region 8 also welcomes incoming 2023 ASCE President-Elect Marsia Geldert-Murphey. President-Elect Geldert-Murphey has been active in ASCE for over 30 years. Her vision as ASCE’s future President focuses on service, with her vision statement including advocacy, service, competence, and engagement. She understands the priority of bringing value to our ASCE members. Her leadership roles within ASCE have been varied and distinguished. Ms. Geldert-Murphey currently works as a regional director for the Lochmueller Group, Inc., and specializes in geotechnical and transportation engineering. As a quick review….WHAT is the Region 8 Board of Governors (BOG)? The BOG is comprised of 7 Governors, a Treasurer/Historian, and one Society Director/Region 8 Chair, who collectively represent 12 ASCE sections and Western Canada, across the largest geographic area in ASCE.  The PURPOSE of the Board of Governors (BOG) is to help our members feel connected with other members throughout our region, focusing on our membership’s needs to make a differences through ASCE. The GOAL of the BOG is to advance the civil engineering profession by serving the members of the Region 8 as an extension of the Board of Direction. The duties of a Region 8 Governor include: Providing advice to the Society Board of Direction Managing the affairs of the Region 8  Connecting with and supporting Region 8 members by visiting Sections, Branches, and other Region 8 organizations.

ASCE 2023 PRESIDENT-ELECT MARSIA GELDERT-MURPHEY, P.E., F. ASCE   St. Louis Section Vision Statement: My vision of service as the leader of ASCE truly is alignment with the Society’s purpose, vision, mission, and strategic goals…in fact, my vision is as easy as A-S-C-E-A – Advocacy, S-Service, C-Competence, E – Engagement…

I believe ASCE must focus not only on the value we bring to our members, but also on the ease and simplicity with which that value is conveyed, received, navigated, and experienced.

ASCE REGION 8 GOVERNOR BERNADETTE “BERNIE” SISON, P.E., M. ASCE Tacoma-Olympia Section Vision Statement: When I started my undergraduate engineering studies decades ago with a National Honors Scholarship, I wanted to help my community live and thrive. I realized then that engineering touches all aspects of life. Fast forward a few decades and I became involved with the Tacoma Olympia Section.

I became the first acknowledged Legislative Liaison in recent memory. I learned about the failing infrastructure of Washington State. I participated in an ASCE Legislative Fly-in and met with legislative aides. I volunteered to be a part of the 2019 Washington State Infrastructure Report. Covid 19 arrived as I was finishing my term as president of the Tacoma Olympia Section. We were planning a full and productive year of activities. Our member outreach activities were successful, and we won the membership awards for a small section and younger member categories. Then all aspects of life changed: State of our infrastructure is in more need than ever before. There is more need for engineers than ever before. Practicing engineers and future engineers need more support than ever before.

ASCE REGION 8 GOVERNOR  J. DARREN BURTON, P.E., M. ASCE Utah Section Vision Statement: To approach any ASCE opportunity or challenge, I use a three-point mantra:  We are here to serve others, Service should be fun, Serving is more fun with friends.

Submitted by: Virginia J. Groeschel ASCE Region 8 Governor, Alaska Section

CURRENT ASCE POLICY HIGHLIGHT

New Legislation Suspending the Federal Gas Tax, ASCE Strongly Opposes In the article, “ASCE strongly opposes legislation that would create federal gas tax holiday”, by Eleanor Lamb from February 17, 2022, it describes how ASCE aligned with a transportation industry partners’ group in opposition of the Gas Prices Relief Act (S. 3609) legislation, introduced by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), which would suspend the federal gasoline tax, currently 18.4 cents-per-gallon, until January 1, 2023, resulting in a Highway Trust Fund (HTF) revenue loss estimated over $20 billion. The Highway Trust Fund has relied on the revenue generated by the gas tax since 1993. For over 25 years, the gas tax has been a reliable source of revenue to support infrastructure projects to repair, maintain, and upgrade our nation’s roads, bridges, and public transit systems.  ASCE President, Dennis D. Truax, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, responded to the Gas Prices Relief Act (S. 3609) legislation in an official statement on behalf of ASCE and effectively opposing the legislation.  To read the full article by Eleanor Lamb, follow the weblink: https://infrastructurereportcard.org/asce-strongly-opposes-legislation-that-would-create-federal-gas-tax-holiday/ To read ASCE President, Dennis Truax’s official statement, follow the weblink: https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/society-news/article/2022/02/17/asce-statement-on-legislation-to-suspend-the-federal-gasoline-tax the enactment of the infrastructure bill last year. Submitted by: Virginia J. Groeschel ASCE Region 8 Governor, Alaska Section

REGION MEMBERSHIP COMPETITION UPDATE

Hello fellow Region 8 members. The Region 8 Membership Competition is in full swing and will be wrapping up in a couple months with the winners being announced during the 2022 Region 8 Fall Assembly Meeting scheduled for August 19th-20th. The Region’s numbers show we are below the baseline levels established during the 2021 Fall Assembly Meeting (starting point for this year’s competition) so let’s make a push to get those numbers trending in the right direction. One thing to note is the “auto-upgrade” members (student members upgraded to membership status upon graduation) have been added to the baseline numbers and are part of the membership values going forward.  As of the end of April, our current leader for the Large Section category is the Utah Section and the Western Canada region is leading for the Small Section. The leader in the Younger Member Group category is the Montana Section. The race isn’t over and there’s still time to give these groups some competition!  In case you don’t remember what’s on the line please see the list below for the competition breakdown and prize information. Competition will be based on the percentage of increase of dues-paying members. The competition will begin as of the 2021 Fall Region 8 Assembly meeting and winners will be announced at the 2022 Fall Region 8 Assembly meeting. Total competition cost to Region 8 - $2,500 to be covered by Region 8 reserves. Prizes as follows: Large Section with the highest percentage increase in membership - $1,000 Small Section with the highest percentage increase in membership - $1,000 Younger Member Group (YMG) achieving the highest percentage increase in membership of dues-paying members - $500 Section size at the beginning and end of the competition will be based on data provided by the Society Geographic Services Department one week prior to the Assembly meeting. Region 8 will provide a certificate to the winners as well as cash to be used on Section and Younger Member Group activities. If you have questions about the competition, please reach out to Fausto Burruel.

REGION 8 SPOTLIGHT AWARDS

Region 8 Board of Governors would like to congratulate Hawaii Section Younger Member Forum (YMF) for their selection by ASCE’s Committee on Younger Members to receive the 2022 Younger Member Group Award for Small Groups for their outstanding professional, technical, social, outreach, and community service activities. Please join us in congratulating Hawaii Section YMF

Hawaii Section YMF (Photo courtesy of Hawaii Section webpage)

For more information on the Hawaii Section YMF group, please visit the weblink: https://ascehawaiiymf.org/ For more information on ASCE’s Younger Members, please visit the weblink: https://www.asce.org/communities/younger-members

Region 8 Board of Governors would also like to congratulate Ms. Carly Kaneko, P.E., ENV SP, M.ASCE, Hawaii Section Younger Member Forum has been selected by ASCE’s Committee on Younger Members to receive the 2022 Younger Member Group Award for Small Groups for “their outstanding professional, technical, social, outreach, and community service activities.”   Submitted by: Virginia J. Groeschel ASCE Region 8 Governor, Alaska Section CAROLINA ALBORNOZ, Aff.M.ASCE, (she/her) Senior Administrator, Global Geographic Services

REGION 8 TECHNICAL ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT

Screening Methods in Liquefaction Analyses Taylor Hall – April 2021 The 2020 Magna Earthquake was a friendly reminder of the seismic setting that we live in. Earthquakes can cause damage in a variety of manners, from the ground shaking that is triggered from a fault rupture to the ground movement initiated by the buildup of pore pressures in subsurface soils. Whatever the movement, it’s important for structural and geotechnical engineers to work together to properly evaluate the potential seismic hazards that each site may pose. That includes evaluating the potential of liquefaction and lateral spread in subsurface soils. As we know, liquefaction is the phenomenon that occurs in loose sands, silts, and clays but does it occur in all silts and are clays susceptible to it? This article discusses the current state of screening of liquefaction susceptibility of fine-grained soils.   The Chinese Criteria was one of the first screening methods used for evaluating liquefaction potential of soils. The Chinese Criteria was a Chinese building code enforced design procedure that required the following conditions be met in order for a soil to be considered susceptible to liquefaction.  The clay content (particles smaller than #200 sieve) is <15% by weight  The liquid limit is 35%  The natural moisture content is >0.9 times the liquid limit  Since the adoption of the Chinese Criteria, several large earthquake events (1999 Kocaeili, 1999 Chi-Chi, 1999 Adaparazi, and 2011 Christchurch) have occurred and resulted in liquefaction and seismic induced movement. Our community of engineers have dispatched researchers to observe and record the movement. This data has been added to the growing database of sites that have experience ground movement due to liquefaction and, just as important, noted the sites where liquefaction was expected but did not occur. After a review of the new data, it became apparent that the Chinese Criteria was not accurately predicting which sites did and did not liquefy and it became necessary to update it, particularly in regard to fine-grained soils.   Since Youd’s (Youd et. al., 2001) monumental paper, several methodologies have built off the foundation set in place using the new data to refine and replace the Chinese Criteria. One of the more often referenced methodologies were outlined in Bray and Sancio’s 2006 (Bray and Sancio, 2006) paper on the Assessment of Liquefaction Susceptibility of Fine-Grained Soils. The authors used case history data from measured historic earthquake events to establish screening criteria for evaluating whether a soil is susceptible to liquefaction. They concluded that soils with water content to liquid limit ratio of 85% or greater, and plasticity index less than 12 were susceptible to liquefaction. The paper found soils to be moderately susceptible to liquefaction when their plasticity index ranged between 12 and 18 and the water content to liquid limit ratio is 80% or greater. Where one could imagine soils with a plasticity index greater than 18 are no longer liquefiable, the authors strategically state that “structures founded on these soils, and for that matter, any soils, may undergo significant deformation if cyclic loads approach or exceed the dynamic strength of the soil” (Bray and Sancio, 2006).  Although not as widely accepted as the findings from the NCEER workshop, the Soil Liquefaction During Earthquakes monograph (Idriss and Boulanger, 2008) offers additional screening criteria for use in liquefaction analyses. The monograph takes the screening interpretation a step further by characterizing the liquefaction of the soils to behave in a sand-like or clay-like behavior. As pointed out by the previous methodologies, the screening often takes place within ‘dirty’ sands and low plastic fine-grained soils. Idriss and Boulanger summarized that soils began to behave clay-like once their plasticity indices were between 4 and 9, intermediate (clay-like and sand-like) with a plasticity index between 4 and 5 and sand-like when the plasticity index of the soil is less than 3.5.   In one of the last industry-wide accepted consensus papers, Brigham Young’s Leslie Youd and many others (Youd et. al., 2001) concluded that soils once found to be too “clayey” for liquefaction to trigger may instead suffer softening and strength loss during earthquake shaking. So you may be asking, if your site sits on a soil that behaves in a clay-like manner, are you free from seismic induced ground settlement? Like many geotechnical phenomena, it depends. Although the site may be too clayey for liquefaction to occur, settlement may still happen, but at a much smaller magnitude than sand-like behavior.   As illustrated in the screening methods above, the hazard of liquefaction and its potential effects to the environment can most accurately be characterized using studies that incorporate more recent earthquake events and the liquefaction behavior associated with each. Unfortunately, there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ methodology available for use. Your geotechnical engineer can help step you through these hazards and provide guidance on the potential ground movement your site may experience. These screening methods offer a fresh look at the susceptibility of soils to liquefaction and related behavior (settlement, cyclic softening, etc.).   References:  Bray, J.D. and Sancio, R.B., 2006, Assessment of the liquefaction susceptibility of fine-grained soils: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, v. 132, no. 9, p. 1165-1177. Idriss, I. M. and Boulanger, R. W., 2008, Soil liquefaction during earthquakes: Oakland, Calif., Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, MNO-12, 237 p. Youd, T. L. and Idriss, I. M., 2001, Liquefaction resistance of soils: summary report from the 1996 NCEER and 1998 NCEER/NSF workshops on evaluation of liquefaction resistance of soils: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, v. 127, no. 4, p. 297-313.

REGION 8 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2022 Western Regional Younger Member Council - Salt Lake City, UT – June/July 2022 2022 Region 8 Board of Governors Fall Meeting – Walla Walla, WA – August 18-19, 2022 2022 Region 8 Fall Assembly Meeting scheduled for August 19-20, 2022 ASCE National Convention and OPAL event, Oct. 23–26, 2022, Anaheim, CA ASCE REGION 8 EVENTS

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