Please Save the Date to join the ASCE Kansas City Section for their Annual May Elections Meeting.

This year we are changing things around – all ASCE Kansas City members in good standing (membership renewed for 2018) will be invited to attend this meeting at no cost. All Kansas City Professionals are welcome to attend for $15!

During this Annual Meeting, we will hold an election for our Board of Directors for 2018-2019, we will induct our ASCE Kansas City Board of Directors, and we will preview the events we will have coming up for the upcoming year. ASCE Kansas City will take a break for June and July, however, we will have a membership celebration / drive in August to get the year started!

Thank you to our 2017-2018 Board of Directors and Committee Chairs, and all volunteers!  http://www.kcengineers.org/board-of-directors/

Also thank you to our meeting sponsor: Advanced Drainage Systems.

Thank you to the Engineer’s Club of Kansas City for continuing to support our next generation of Engineers. One of their main two fundraising events for scholarships is their Spring Golf Scramble.

Please consider signing up to sponsor or play, this promise to be a great afternoon of fun! See below for the advertisement and the forms to sign up.

Announcement PDF : Spring 2018

Excel Form to Register : Spring 2018 Sponsor Form

On March 20th 2018, the ASCE Kansas City Section held their monthly meeting with APWA KC Metro Chapter. The meeting was a resounding success with over 110 attendees! The success could be attributed to the great planning from Committee Chair Morgan Race, PhD, PE and trying a new location in a Brazilian Steakhouse, or a very relevant technical topic for civil engineering and public works practitioners. Thank you to all those who attended and thank you to our Speaker George Tannoury, P.E. from Terracon Consultants, Inc.

We look forward to April’s Annual Celebration Luncheon coming up in three weeks!

Please plan to join KC ASCE for their Annual April Awards Luncheon and visit from Society President-Elect Robin Kemper, , PE, LEED AP, F.SEI, F.ASCE on ASCE Society Initiatives and Vision. This meeting is scheduled to be held at Brio Tuscan Grille in the Plaza.

Event Sign up here: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=nj4vwaoab&oeidk=a07ef690ctc68df3480

Meeting Sponsor :

Robin A. Kemper, PE, LEED AP, F.SEI, F.ASCE and ASCE President-elect has over thirty-five years of diverse and extensive structural engineering experience in design, analysis, and forensics, focused mainly on buildings. Robin currently is a Risk Engineer with Zurich North America. She works for both the Professional Liability and Construction Properties Risk Engineering Groups providing technical support to construction project policies, developing best practices, and investigating losses on construction projects. Robin has a passion for Engineering Ethics and since 2011, in her spare time, Robin has given over 20 presentations to various engineering groups.

Robin is a licensed Professional Engineer in six jurisdictions, and a Fellow of both ASCE and the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute. She has been active in ASCE since college, was President of both the Central Jersey Branch and the New Jersey Section of ASCE, and was District 1/Region 1 Director on the Society Board of Directors. Robin also served on the Board of Direction of Engineers Without Borders, and the Civil Engineering Industrial Advisory Board of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, her alma mater. She is currently a member of the Civil Engineering Industrial Advisory Boards for Rutgers University and the College of New Jersey.

Robin loves to travel, seaside vacations, and her family. She and Chris have been married for 37 years; they have two wonderful daughters and two great son-in-laws, and Robin loves playing with the newest member of the family, grandson Jonah.

Please plan to join KC ASCE and APWA KC Metro Chapter for their monthly March Luncheon presented by George A. Tannoury (Geotechnical Department Manager at Terracon Consultants, Inc.) on Cement Modified Soil for Pavement Applications . This meeting is scheduled to be held at Porto do Sul Brazilian Stakehouse in Overland Park, KS.

Meeting Sponsor:

Event Sign Up:  http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=nj4vwaoab&oeidk=a07ef4g9bc0f52dddb8

Presentation Abstract:

For many years, the ability to stabilize soil for pavement base material relied heavily on the use of Fly Ash, a bi-product of energy generation from coal-fired power stations. But more recently, new regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has impacted the availability, and expense, of Fly Ash, making it costly for DOTs and public entities to use for the base layer under pavement. With natural gas being a cheaper and more environmentally-friendly alternative to coal, Fly Ash supplies may continue to decrease while prices increase.  Cement Modified Soil (CMS) provides a better, cost-effective alternative.

Speaker: George A. Tannoury, P.E. (Geotechnical Department Manager – Terracon Consultants, Inc.)

George A. Tannoury, P.E. continues to serve as geotechnical department manager with Terracon Consultants (Wichita Office) since 2015 and is the engineer of record on a wide spectrum of projects including wind turbine projects, refinery structures, power plants, grain storage elevators/bins, bridges and highways.  Mr. Tannoury has two Master of Science degrees in civil engineering (The University of Balamand – 2001 and The University of Nevada Reno – 2007) and is currently pursuing his Ph.D.  in geotechnical engineering “Evaluation of Microcraking for Cement Modified Soil” at the University of Kansas.

Please plan to join KC ASCE and KSPE Eastern for their monthly February Luncheon presented by Bob Lambrechts (Partner at Lathrop and Gage) on Ethics for Professional Licensure. This meeting is scheduled to be held in Overland Park, KS.

Sign up for this meeting here:  http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eevmgvvx46214cfe&llr=nj4vwaoab

Bob has filed nearly 600 patent applications in the United States, and over 400 patent applications in foreign jurisdictions. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City’s schools of law and engineering for over 24 years, and in his practice, he brings knowledge gained through a rich and varied background to help clients develop strategies for maximizing their patent portfolios.

Prior to joining Lathrop Gage, Bob served as a senior automation engineer from 1983 to 1987 with the Allied Signal Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. From 1991 to 1995, Bob served with the U.S. EPA in the Region VII office as a special assistant to the Regional Administrator, he has served over 27 years as a Reserve Officer in the United States Navy Reserve, and he currently serves as the U.S. Navy’s Campus Liaison Officer for the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

As an intellectual property lawyer, Bob has substantial experience in preparing patent applications for medical devices, safety equipment, machine tools, building components, environmental control systems and automation equipment. He is often called upon to provide clients with legal opinions on infringement issues and patent validity,and he assists clients with licensing of intellectual property and protecting their intellectual property rights.

Please plan to join KC ASCE and EWRI for their monthly January Luncheon presented by Matt Davis, MPA (Project Coordinator) and Josh Boehm (Development Manager) on Rock Island Rail Corridor Authority. This meeting is scheduled to be held at Cafe Trio by the Plaza.

Thank you to our Meeting Sponsor – Forterra BP:

Sign up for this meeting here:  http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eew97dwud0ac4cfd&llr=nj4vwaoab

The Rock Island Rail Corridor Authority (RIRCA) was established to manage and maintain the Rock Island Corridor, which Jackson County acquired in the spring of 2016.

The 17.7-mile corridor stretches from Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums south through Raytown and into Lee’s Summit. Transforming a portion of the Rock Island Corridor into a shared use path will commence immediately. Corridor planning and design will focus on preservation of the national rail network corridor’s integrity, most notably the railroad corridor’s unencumbered continuity, and on multi-modal transportation options as the corridor remains available for freight service.

The Kansas City Section and Missouri Society of Professional Engineers Western Chapter will host their annual joint meeting on December 19, 2017 at the Grand Street Cafe. This meeting is sponsored by The University of Kansas Edwards Campus Program.

Sign up through this link :  http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=nj4vwaoab&oeidk=a07eeu4q4lz15be047d

Our speaker will be Jason Waldron, P.E. – KC Streetcar Program Manager / Kansas City, Missouri .

Jason Waldron is a registered professional engineer with experience in program, project, and construction management for a variety of roadway, trailway, and railway projects.  He has been involved with the Kansas City Streetcar Project from the early conceptual planning, through design and construction and into passenger service.  Jason has spent the last four years with the City of Kansas City, MO and currently serves as the Program Manager for KC Streetcar.  Mr. Waldron is a graduate of Iowa State University.

The Presentation will focus on:

Hear the story of how Kansas City’s modern streetcar program transformed its downtown with unprecedented ridership and economic development. Follow the KC Streetcar roll from planning, through construction and into passenger service. Understand the funding and public-private partnerships that were used to develop a funding strategy.  Learn how the project provided an opportunity to address other infrastructure needs and serve as a catalyst for innovation.

The Kansas City Streetcar was recently awarded the ASCE Society Level Innovation in Sustainable Engineering Award for 2017. What an accomplishment for Kansas City, Missouri!

Read Here about the Award : http://news.asce.org/innovation-in-sustainability-award-winner-transforms-kansas-city/ 

The Kansas City Section hosted the 2017 Project of the Year Award Presentation on Tuesday November 14th at Californos in Westport. The KC Section had over 25 in attendance including Past President John Blancett (HNTB) who was recognized for his outstanding service to the Kansas City Section by President Mike Winckler (City of Independence, Missouri).

The KC Section Luncheon hosted Jackie White, P.E. (City of Grandview, MO) and Jason Meyers (Burns and McDonnell) during this meeting as they presented on the award winning project of Missouri Route 150 Outer Road. The first design-build LPA project within the Missouri Department of Transportation. Thank you to our speakers and ASCE members for attending.

Providing adequate access to the I49 interchanges has long been a challenge for the City of Grandview, Missouri. The interstate essentially bisects the city and impedes local connectivity and development. The MO 150 Outer Roads design-build project addressed this issue by extendingand realigning the outer roads that run along the interstate and improving the sidewalk and trail system that crosses the interstate and connects to the park and trail system along MO 150. It improves access for an underserved population, enhances safety in the area, and provides attractive, sustainable and ADA compliant infrastructure to promote the future development of over 150 acres of land.

The project is adjacent to one of the largest developable sites in the area and runs along one of the highest volume interchanges in metropolitan Kansas City. It will provide enhanced access and attract development to a first-tier urban community that was previously passed over for sustainable infill development. The new facilities provide a walkable and bicycle friendly environment with excellent access to future businesses.

The City of Grandview selected the Kissick/Burns and McDonnell team to deliver this project.

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the KC Section teamed up with the Society of Women Engineers in Kansas City to give back on Saturday November 4th at Harvesters. This is the third year the groups combine to support our local Kansas City community and this year, once again the groups had 20 volunteers.

The group sorted through frozen foods and divided them into meat, non-meat, bulk, bread/desserts, frozen meals, among others.

After almost 2 hours of volunteering, the groups gathered at Waldo Pizza to share lunch together and continue networking. During lunch, Becca Brader (SWE KC President) and Mike Winckler (KC ASCE President) spoke about upcoming events for both organizations.

We are already looking forward to the 4th Annual Harvesters Volunteering Event!