Dear ASCE Members and Friends,
Join us for our next Eastern Branch meeting Tuesday, January 19 at the Ram Pub in Brookings.
5:30 Social
6:00 Business Meeting
6:45 Presentation
Our presenter is lead bridge engineer with Civil Design Inc, Chris Brozik, PE. He'll be discussing a bridge most of South Dakota is familiar with, the railroad bridge over the Missouri River at Chamberlain. The "MRC Railroad Recostruction - Chamberlain to Presho Bridge Rehab" is a multi-million dollar project involving rehabilitation of 33 structures along the MRC Mainline between Chamberlain and Presho, SD. One of the main portions of the project involved replacing all timber elements on the mile-long Missouri River Bridge.
This bridge is also one of two Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks recognized by ASCE with a plaque showcased in the visitors center overlooking the bridge. You can find more information at http://www.asce.org/project/missouri-river-bridges/. The second recognized South Dakota project is the Belle Fourche Dam, if any of you were curious.
Awards Banquet:
Mark your calendars for the joint ASCE/SDES Awards Banquet to be held February 27th at the new Hilton Garden Inn in Downtown Sioux Falls. RSVP information will be sent out soon. The banquet will feature displays of projects nominated for Outstanding Engineering Achievement. Entertainment this year is Brookings' very own Nationally reconized magician, illusionist, and entertainer - REZA. Scheduled at the end of Engineers Week (E-Week), this year's banquet will be an enjoyable celebration of our collective engineering achievements. All of our members and their guests are encouraged to attend. Tickets for the evening are $25/person and include a full meal and entertainment.
ASCE's Structural Engineering Institute (SEI):
Additionally, Suzanne Fisher, Sr Manager for SEI Operations with ASCE, has asked that we forward the information below - SEI is looking for volunteers to solve some trial problems so they can see how different engineers interpret the code. Hyperlinks are provided below to obtain the information. If this is something in your realm of engineering or you are interested in providing comment, please do so by January 15th (deadline has been extended)
PARTICIPATE IN SEI TRIAL DESIGN PROBLEM
Help improve codes and standards
SEI Trial Design Problems are investigations into how structural engineers interpret code provisions. The purpose is to evaluate if practicing engineers are able to accurately understand and consistently implement the current code as well as possible future code provisions. The exercise is designed to take about an hour. Solutions are anonymous in the publication of results which are summarized and communicated to the respective standards committees. This problem is representative of a common engineering task that is performed in structural engineering offices on a routine basis.
Review the Trial Design Problem, submit your solution online, and encourage your colleagues to participate. Thank you for your input to improve codes and standards!
------------------------------
Erin Steever P.E., M.ASCE
Eastern Branch Membership Chair
------------------------------