ASCE - American Society of Civil Engineers

Home President's Blog Announcements Events Calendar Newsletters Photo Gallery Students Sponsors & Links Past Presidents Board Members	President's Blog July 2010 We had a great turnout at our last branch meeting this past June 29^th. ASCE members and guests had the opportunity to see a great presentation by Miami-Dade Transit Director, Albert Hernandez, P.E. Mr. Hernandez discussed new and exciting plans and projects at Miami-Dade Transit that will have a positive impact in our community. I will like to extend this opportunity to invite all ASCE members, as well as others in the engineering community to join us at the 2010 Florida Section ASCE Annual Meeting on July 15 thru 17. This year, we are fortunate that the event will be held in our own backyard at the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, in Fort Lauderdale. The theme this year is “Engineering the Waves of Change”! The topics and presentations that the Florida Section Team has put together provide a diverse program for providing your continuing education requirements. We trust you will also find value in participating the social and networking aspects of the conference, and you will have the opportunity to meet and interact with your peers from across Florida. You can register for the meeting on-line at www.fla-asce.org. There still time to sign up, but space is running out! We look forward to seeing you in Fort Lauderdale! May 2010 At our March Branch meeting, over thirty branch members, as well as members from both the UM and FIU ASCE Student Chapters joined us to listen to Mr. Bart Wallis, P.E. discuss the construction of the new Marlins’ Stadium. As the Engineer-of-Record for this project, Mr. Wallis was able to present the different aspects and challenges associated with this great project. We are hoping to schedule a field trip in the near future to learn more about this great and challenging civil engineering marvel taking place in our own backyard. April started with a bang! On April 11, 2010, Miami-Dade ASCE, with the cooperation of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, hosted the finals of our second annual West Point Bridge Competition (WPBC). Six of the original thirty competing teams from Miami-Dade County participated in the finals held at the Youth Fair, and it was great to see kids excited and having fun with engineering! I want to thank the Miami-Dade County Public Schools for their support and the individual teachers for the encouragement of this great program. Thanks also to our sponsors, Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc. and Professional Service Industries, Inc. (PSI); without their support this event would not had been possible. Most importantly, I want to thank our own Drew Badri and all his volunteers for their hard work in putting this event together. Congratulations to all the winners! On April 27, 2010, the Cuban American Association of Civil Engineering (CAACE), in collaboration with the Association of Cuban Engineers (ACE), ASCE Miami-Dade Branch, Miami Florida Engineering Society (FES) and South Florida Women in Transportation Services (WTS) hosted a presentation by the Florida Region Future City Competition 2010. All the proceeds from this event were donated to the Miami Dade County Public Schools – Academy of Engineering. Special thanks go to Maria Porrata for her effort in organizing this event. The University of Miami Student Chapter held their End of the Year Celebration with a bar-b-q dinner and awards presentation on April 28, 2010. Many were in attendance and On April 30th, the Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Branches of ASCE hosted a half-day Stormwater Management Workshop. The workshop included presentation and panel discussions by legislators, regulators, elected officials and industry professionals involved in stormwater and surface water issues in South Florida. Over 200 people attended this free event made possible by the support of corporate sponsors. Participants earned 1.5 CEU’s towards the renewal of their PE license. Special recognition goes to Workshop Chair and Broward ASCE President-Elect Jose Lopez for his effort organizing this successful event. Finally, the ASCE Florida Section Board of Directors meeting was hosted by the Florida International University ASCE Student Chapter on May 8, 2010. ASCE Leaders from all over the state, including at the student level, were in attendance. The event heralded great discussions for the future of the Florida Section and its contribution to the State of Florida. April 2010 At our March Branch meeting, over thirty branch members, as well as members from both the UM and FIU ASCE student chapters joined us to listen to Mr. Bart Wallis, P.E. discuss the construction of the new Miami Marlin’s stadium. As the engineer-of-record for this project, Mr. Wallis was able to present the different aspects and challenges associated with this great project. We are hoping to schedule a field trip in the near future to learn more about this great and challenging civil engineering project taking place in our own backyard. April started with a bang! This past Sunday, Miami-Dade ASCE, with the cooperation of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, hosted the finals of our second annual West Point Bridge Competition (WPBC). Six teams from over thirty competing teams from schools across Miami-Dade County participated in the finals held at the Youth Fair, and it was great to see kids excited and having fun with engineering! I want to thank Miami-Dade County Schools for their support and the individual teachers for the encouragement of this great program. Thanks also to our sponsors, Langan Engineering and Environmental Services and Professional Service Industries (PSI), without their support this event would not had been possible. Most important, I want to thank our own Drew Badri and all his volunteers for their hard work in putting this event together. Congratulations to all the winners! And April is just getting started… On April 27^th, the Cuban American Association of Civil Engineering, in collaboration with the Association of Cuban Engineers, Miami-Dade ASCE, Miami FES and South Florida WTS will be hosting a presentation by the Florida Region Future City Competition 2010. Please join us to support these kids for their participation in this great program. The next day (April 28^th), let’s join the University of Miami ASCE Student Chapter on their year-end event. On April 30^th, the Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach branches of ASCE will be hosting a half-day Stormwater Management Workshop. A diverse panel of elected officials, regulators and industry professionals will discuss the latest stormwater issues affecting our region. Come and join us, this is a FREE event, but space is limited so register soon. Finally, if you are interested in finding out what is going on with ASCE at the state level, everyone is welcome to attend the next quarterly board meeting of the Florida Section of ASCE, to be held on Saturday May 8^th at Florida International University and hosted by FIU’s ASCE Student Chapter. We look forward to seeing you at any of these April events.	Rafael Piña, P.E. President
	February 2010 After an extended holiday break, the Miami-Dade Branch of ASCE is looking forward to our first big event of 2010. On February 24^th, the Branch will be hosting a lunch meeting at the 94^th Aero Squadron Restaurant. Our guest speaker will be Mr. Javier Rodriguez, PE, Director of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX). Transportation has always been a hot topic in South Florida and transportation related projects have always had an impact in our local economy. Especially in these difficult economic times, transportation projects are providing a much needed lifeline to our local engineering and construction industry. Please join us for this event where Mr. Rodriquez will be discussing current and new transportation projects from MDX. Other upcoming ASCE programs in the works include a presentation on the new Marlin’s Stadium on March 24^th, the West Point Bridge Competition, and a Stormwater Management Workshop on April 30^th to be held jointly with the Broward and Palm Beach Branches of ASCE.
	January 2010 On behalf of the board of directors of the Miami-Dade Branch of ASCE, I want to wish our members a happy and prosperous new year. We are looking forward to new and exciting things for 2010. We want to thank all of the members that joined us last month at the joint holiday party with the Miami Chapter of the Florida Engineering Society, and also thank you for your contributions to the “Toys for Tots” drive. A great time was had by all of those who attended, while helping a great cause. Here at Miami-Dade ASCE we are looking at exciting and interesting programs for 2010. For our February Branch meeting, we are planning a lunchtime presentation by Mr. Javier Rodriguez, P.E., Director of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority. Other programs in the works include: a presentation on the new Miami Marlins Stadium, a technical seminar on deep foundations, and a Stormwater Management Workshop held jointly with the South Florida Water Management District and the Broward and Palm Beach Branches of ASCE. Please stay tuned to our newsletter and website for upcoming details on these programs. We look forward to seeing you in February!
	November/December 2009 On October 21^st, the Miami-Dade Branch of ASCE went on a field trip to the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) project. About 25 of our members, including students from FIU had a chance to tour the Rental Car Center facility which sits at the heart of this project which will eventually link several modes of transportation near the Miami International Airport. It was a great chance to learn more about this interesting and challenging project which is nearing completion. Our thanks to Jenine Spoliansky, Liz Fernandez and the rest of the MIC folks for hosting this event for us. On November 5^th, we held a career seminar for engineering students at the University of Miami. Approximately 35 students listened and asked questions to a panel of engineering professionals Our panelists, Andres Baquerizo, PE; Cristina Gonzalez, PE; Brian Metrovich, Ph.D; and Fernando Vazquez, PE shared their insights regarding the different areas of practice that are available within engineering and provided valuable advised to engineering students regarding their future careers. Thanks to our panelists for their support of this event and Monica Maher and the rest of the UM ASCE Student Chapter for their hospitality. Please join us at our upcoming joint holiday dinner with FES at the Hyatt Regency in Coral Gables on December 11^th to unwind and share the holiday spirit with your colleagues. As in previous years, we ask that you please bring an unwrapped toy to the cocktail party to benefit Toys for Tots. On behalf of the Miami-Dade ASCE, I want to wish all of our members and their families a happy Thanksgiving Holiday.
	October 2009 It is very thrilling for me to address you for the first time as president of our Miami-Dade Branch. I and the rest of the board were amazed at the turn-out at our September Branch Meeting at which time we presented our 2009 Branch Awards. These year’s award recipients included our very own Julieta Rivero-Manso (Young Engineer of the Year), Marlin Engineering, Inc. (Engineering Firm of the Year), Alberto Delgado Billini (Government Engineer of the Year), and Amir Mirmiran (Engineer of the Year). The Project of the Year Award presented to the Florida Department of Transportation, APCTE, BHA Engineers, Kimley-Horn, Sanchez-Zeinali & Associates, T.Y. Lin International, and URS Corporation for their work on the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) Center Roadways. Again, we extend our congratulations to all the award recipients for the outstanding achievements. During this meeting also, the new board of directors for the Branch was installed. We are all looking forward to this new year, and hope to continue with the great work done by the previous board. Our purpose here at ASCE is to be a source of information, advocacy, and networking for you our members. As such, our resources are available to help you. As a service to our members during these difficult economic times, we welcome any firms with job openings to place their employment ads in our newsletter and website, free of charge. As a follow up to our awards presentation, our nest meeting will be a field trip to the MIC project on October 21^st. Please join us to learn more about this project which is having such a positive impact in traffic movements and to the overall infrastructure of Miami International Airport. On November 5^th, the Branch will be hosting a career seminar for engineering students. The program will consist of a roundtable discussion with a panel of four professionals from different fields of engineering practice. The event will be at the University of Miami, but students from other universities and all ASCE members are welcome to attend. Hope to see you at our next meeting.
	September 2009 The Florida Section Annual Meeting was held on August 20th through 22nd in St. Petersburg, Florida. I would like to congratulate once again Fernando Tinoco, PhD (Faculty Advisor of the Year – UM), Patrick Kaimrajh (Student Outstanding Service – UM), and Omar De Leon, LEED AP (Student of the Year – UM). The conference had many great speakers and presentations. If you were not able to attend, please plan on attending next year’s conference in Fort Lauderdale. It has been a pleasure serving as President of the Miami-Dade Branch. I appreciate the hard work of the Branch’s 2008-2009 Board and all committee members. We have another outstanding group leading the charge for the Miami-Dade Branch. I would like to congratulate the 2009-2010 Miami-Dade Branch officers: President: Rafael Pina, P.E., Langan Engineering President-Elect: Sergio Alfonso, P.E., Marlin Engineering Vice President: Maria Fernandez-Porrata, Marlin Engineering Secretary: Javier Manso, P.E., HDR Treasurer: Avinash Thummadi, E.I., Professional Service Industries, Inc. (PSI) Newsletter Editor: Christopher Zavatsky, E.I., Miller Legg Please support our new officers and attend the Awards and Installation Dinner which will be held at the 94th Aero Squadron on September 23rd. For reservations or further information regarding the luncheon, please contact Beatriz Marrero at marrerob@cdm.com. As this is my final message as your Branch president, let me say it was an honor to serve our great Branch and to have had the opportunity to work with a tremendous group of engineers and others that make up our Branch.
	August 2009 As summer winds down, it is time to lay plans for the Branch’s 2009 -2010 year. The 2009-2010 Miami-Dade Branch Officer Ballot was distributed to all Members on July 28th. Please take a minute and cast your vote. We have another great group of candidates to lead us into 2010. If you are interested in getting involved, do not feel like you missed the opportunity just because the ballot went out to vote. There are many opportunities now and throughout the year. The Branch’s active committees are always looking for new faces. If you are interested, please contact any of the committee chairs or officers. The 2009-2010 officers will be installed at the Branch’s Annual Award and Installation Dinner scheduled for September 23rd. The Florida Section will be holding its Annual Meeting August 20-22 at the Hilton Bayfront in St. Petersburg, Florida. The conference is offering a number of technical sessions that include geotechnical, transportation, water resources, structural, management, and student tracks. All classes will count towards continuing education credits. The Awards and Installation Luncheon will be held on Friday, August 21st with keynote speaker Mayor Pam Iorio, Mayor of Tampa, Florida. I hope everyone enjoys the last days of summer as we look forward to a great new calendar year.

	July 2009 On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Alice N. Bravo, P.E., Marie F. Bell, Narinder S. Jolly, R.A., AIA, Johnny Martinez, P.E., Javier Rodriguez, P.E., and Dorian K. Valdes, P.E. and the Branch members for attending the June 18th Stimulus Package Roundtable. The Roundtable was a success based on the number of attendees and the positive comments submitted. The Board continues to plan activities for all Branch members, but the only way the board can be sure it is satisfying your needs is to hear from you. Please contact me or any of the board members to give us your ideas and suggestions for programs we can offer. Time is running out to register for the 2009 Florida Section Annual Meeting next month on August 20 - 22, 2009 at the Hilton Bayfront in St. Petersburg, Florida. For additional information on this event, please visit the Florida Section website at www.fla-asce.org. This month we are pleased to provide Branch members with a presentation on the Herbert Hoover Dike Stabilization at Lake Okeechobee. Please join us on July 22nd at the 94th Aero Squadron to learn more about soil mixing methods, including Trench-cutting Re-mixing Deep (TRD) method and its application in the Herbert Hoover Dike Stabilization project. See you on July 22nd!

	June 2009 On May 15, 2009, the Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Branches held the "Our Future with Reuse/Reclaimed Water" symposium in Fort Lauderdale. The symposium was well attended by municipalities and firms from the tri-county area. The symposium was a success based on the number of attendees and the positive comments submitted. We hope to continue collaborating with other ASCE Branches by promoting joint events on topics of interest to ASCE members. Mark your calendars for the 2009 Florida Section ASCE Annual Meeting on August 20th through 22nd at the Hilton Bayfront St. Petersburg, Florida. For additional information on this event, please visit the Florida Section website at www.fla-asce.org. The success of the Miami-Dade Branch is largely due to its active membership, hard working committees, past leadership, and the current board. To keep this momentum going, we will need new leaders to get involved with the Branch. The following positions will be open for nominations: President Elect Vice President Treasurer Secretary The Branch will also need individuals to Chair the Communications and University Relations committees. Ballots for the positions will be distributed soon by means of email and will be posted in the July 2009 Newsletter. Get involved!

	May 2009 Branch members met on April 18th at the Bill Baggs State Park to join Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) in the annual Biscayne Bay Cleanup, otherwise known as Baynanza. I want to thank the Branch members that participated in the 2009 Baynanza. Again, the Branch’s events take place through the voluntary efforts of our members and supporting companies and organizations in Miami-Dade. On behalf the Miami-Dade Branch of ASCE, thank you to all of the volunteers and supporters During the past month we were busy with other activities. On April 29th, we participated in Mock Interviews at Turner Technical Arts Middle School. An important part of Turner Technical’s curriculum is the Capstone project. This project encourages students to explore a research topic and learn to analyze ideas. The project includes completing an annotated bibliography, preparing a research paper, and completing an interview with professionals. This multidisciplinary project spans over several years of study at Turner Tech and will help students integrate their learning across disciplines. Branch members interviewed Capstone project participants and discussed with them future goals. I’d like to bring to your attention the Outreach Committee, which has a number of initiatives under way. The Outreach Committee has been promoting ASCE as a mentoring resource to K-12 students and teachers. The Outreach Committee has also been promoting civil engineering as a profession to K-12 students. If you are interested in visiting a school, talking with students about engineering, or promoting an engineering-related activity, please contact me or one of the board members. Our next event will be Water Reuse Symposium on May 15th at the Signature Grand. The event will be hosted by the Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach ASCE Branches, along with the South Florida Water Management District. The event is open to the general public. I look forward to seeing you on May 15^th.

	April 2009 The Miami-Dade Branch held the first annual West Point Bridge Contest on April 4, 2009 at the Miami-Dade Fair and Exposition. On behalf of the Board, I want to thank the FIU ASCE and UM ASCE student chapters and the Sponsors (Florida Section ASCE, ASCE Broward Branch, Malcolm Pirnie, CDM, C3TS, Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Giralt Enterprises, Manso-Rivero Family, and CH2M Hill) for making the event a success. The Branch’s next meeting will be at the Bill Baggs State Park as we join Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) with its annual Biscayne Bay Cleanup, otherwise known as Baynanza. I encourage all members to participate in Baynanza where you will have an opportunity to interact with other members and help the local environment. Please contact Beatriz Marrero at marrerob@cdm.com if you are interested in attending the event. Again, the Branch’s events take place through the voluntary efforts of our members and supporting companies and organizations in Miami-Dade County. On behalf of the Miami-Dade Branch of ASCE, thanks to all the volunteers and supporters. I look forward to seeing you on April 18th.

	March 2009 The Career Guidance Seminar held this past February 11th at FIU was a success due to the interest shown by the FIU and UM student chapters. We want to thank our speakers, Sergio Alfonso, P.E., Daniel Davis, P.E., David Gonzalez, Esq., Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, PhD, P.E., and Manuel Moncholi, MS, EIT, for providing the students with their insight on higher education and professional careers. I am of the opinion that we are responsible to our society and profession in actively supporting and participating in the education of young people. I am proud to say that the Miami-Dade Branch of ASCE is making strides in this regard. Some recent examples include the Branch Members’ participation in the Future City’s Competition and MATHCOUNTS, and the Technical Writing Workshop prepared by the Young Member Forum for the FIU and UM student chapters. There are many opportunities for you to become involved. The best way for you to get connected is joining a Branch Committee. You can contact any board member to find out how you can become involved. The student chapters are finalizing their entries to the canoe and bridge competition for the 2009 ASCE Regional Conference to be held at Vanderbilt University. We are grateful for those of you that helped and supported them with their projects. This month our meeting will be held on March 19th jointly with the Cuban American Association of Civil Engineers. Jorge Sanguinetty, PhD from DevTech Systems, Inc. will be speaking about the Cuban Economy and Society. I look forward to seeing you on March 19th.

	February 2009 Last month we had an interesting and educational topic: Miami-Dade County’s Sustainability Program. Mr. Devesh Nirmul presented the latest on activities that the County is looking to implement so that it can sustain access to essential goods and services, economic opportunities, transportation choices, livable communities, and healthy natural resources. The Branch’s next meeting will be a Career Guidance Seminar at Florida International University on February 11th. The objective of the seminar is to make the engineering students aware of the infinite career choices they have. ASCE hopes to help engineering students figure out what their interests are by connecting them with professionals that can provide valuable advice on their careers. The seminar will be roundtable discussion between professionals and engineering students and the Branch’s Board encourages those interested in engaging engineering university students to participate in the meeting February 11th. Please contact Beatriz Marrero at bmarrero@cdm.com if you are interested in attending the seminar. With spring, comes local ASCE Miami-Dade Branch activities in which I encourage your participation and support. Listed below are two of events that offer you the opportunity to participate in your Branch: February - MATHCOUNTS, which is a national enrichment program dedicated to increase enthusiasm for and enhance achievement in middle school mathematics, will take place February 26th and 28th. If you’re interested in volunteering and helping out during the competition, please contact Lin Li (lilin@miamidade.gov) or Dave Reynolds (dreynolds@tylin.com). The Outreach Committee is offering the West Point Bridge Contest to local middle and high school students this spring. The purpose of this contest is to provide students with a realistic, engaging introduction to engineering. Please contact me at rinconl@cdm.com. These wonderful events reach out to and enrich our local community. They take place through the voluntary efforts of our members and supporting companies and organizations in Miami-Dade. On behalf the Miami-Dade Branch of ASCE, thank you to all of the volunteers and supporters. I look forward to seeing you February 11th.

	January 2009 Happy New Year from the Miami-Dade Board! It is always with much excitement that we begin a new year. Our branch is off to a great start with a luncheon on Sustainability this month. On January 22nd, the branch will host Mr. Devesh Nirmul, Manager of Miami-Dade County’s Office of Sustainability, where Mr. Nirmul will talk about the County’s Sustainability Developments. Mr. Nirmul, tasked with promoting a healthy and prosperous future for Miami-Dade, is collaborating with County agencies, business groups, nonprofit organizations, and other partners to protect and enhance Miami-Dade’s distinctive environmental quality and livability. If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to volunteer your time to a worthy cause, ASCE offers multiple venues through which you can make a difference. The West Point Bridge Contest is underway, and so far 75 high school teams and 3 middle school teams have registered for the 2009 competition. The purpose of the contest is to provide middle school and high school students with a realistic, engaging introduction to engineering. The contest will provide local students with an opportunity to learn about engineering and bridges through a realistic, hands-on problem-solving experience, the application of math, science, and technology to create devices and systems that meet human needs, and the use of computers as a problem-solving tool. If you are interested in learning more about the West Point Bridge Contest or want to be a contest sponsor, please contact me at rinconl@cdm.com. MATHCOUNTS, a math competition sponsored by Florida Engineering Society (FES), is also looking for volunteers. MATHCOUNTS, a national math enrichment, coaching, and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievements, will be held on February 28, 2009 at Miami-Dade College. FES is looking for volunteers to help with the local competition. For more information on MATHCOUNTS or to register as a volunteer, contact Lin Li, P.E. at lilin@miamidade.gov. Another event looking for volunteers is the annual Career Guidance Seminar for college students. The Miami-Dade Branch Board will reach out to the Florida International University and University of Miami in February 2009 and have representatives with different engineering backgrounds present on career paths. We are looking for volunteers to participate in the career guidance at one of these meetings that will be held on campus. This is a way to influence graduating engineers and younger engineering students at the junior, sophomore, and freshman levels. We are particularly looking for alumni of the respective universities. Please contact me at rinconl@cdm.com if you would like to participate. Join us on January 22nd to meet Devesh Nirmul and learn the latest on the County’s sustainability program.