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A MESSAGE FROM THE KANSAS CITY SECTION PRESIDENT |
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Public Relations…now those are two words that make the world of difference. At the same time, it’s two of the scariest words for Engineers. Whether you are in a large or small company, whether you are a college graduate or a senior engineer, public relations should be an important part of your day. ASCE feels the same way. Society ASCE has a lot of programs that help encourage individuals and local sections to promote our profession.
Each year, Society ASCE offers State Public Affairs Grants (SPAG) to local sections, to promote grassroots government and public relations programs. Last year, the Kansas City Section received grant money from Society ASCE for the Liquid Assets documentary. This documentary was produced by Penn State University and focused on the aging water and wastewater infrastructure of many large metropolitan areas.
The Liquid Assets campaign was designed to promote the documentary and the City’s combined sewer overflow program, as well as educate citizens and leaders of the community so they can make informed decisions on infrastructure and science-related issues. The Kansas City Section coordinated a live call-in panel discussion following the airing of the Liquid Assets documentary on KCPT, organized a public issues forum and discussion in coordination with the Public Administration Students Association at UMKC, conducted outreach with schools, teaming with the Blue River Watershed Association for a program that taught K-12 students about water quality, and conducted outreach with the community, organizing educational outreach booths at three local water festivals. During the National Convention, the Kansas City Section received the 2009 State Public Relations Award for the highly successful Liquid Assets Public Outreach Campaign. For more information about the Liquid Assets program, visit the PR Blog at .
About 6 months ago, ASCE released their revised Infrastructure Report Card. With the release of the report card, Society ASCE provided the local sections with guidance on what we can do to get the message out about the Nation’s failing infrastructure. In July, Jennifer Jacka and I appeared on Dr. Deb O’Bannon’s Talk Radio 710 Show, Water Water Everywhere, a 30-minute radio show focused on Engineering Issues. We discussed the newly released report card and its impact. If you are interested in listening to the podcast, go here to listen.
This Spring, the Kansas City Section will offer a PR University, which will be open to any ASCE member interested in learning more about Public Relations. Two members from Society ASCE staff will travel to Kansas City to lead the seminar. Space will be limited to 40 people, to ensure small group interaction. The purpose of the seminar is to incorporate public relations into ASCE and other professional activities. Participants will gain effective communication skills through presentations and hands-on activities. This will be an 8-hour seminar and we will offer Professional Development Hours (PDHs) for those who attend. Look for more information in the coming months.
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KANSAS
CITY SECTION ASCE
Committee
Chairs |
Attendance:
Kevin Brown - Terracon
Awards:
Brett Odgers - Geosynthetics
Matt Bleything - Burns & McDonnell
Database:
Brian Hash - HNTB
Media Contact:
Craig Buhr - Burns & McDonnell
Newsletter/Webpage:
Ronnie Williams - Burns & McDonnell
Continuing Education:
Gene Amrhein - Kiewit
Rachelle Lowe - Burns & McDonnell
Dinner:
Joji Calabro - Burns & McDonnell
Brant Vermeer - Burns & McDonnell
Explorers Group:
Frank Nelson - Burns & McDonnell
Region VII Governor:
F. Jay Burress - Shafer, Kline & Warren
History & Heritage:
Debra Wray - Burns & McDonnell
Joint Engineering Council:
Chester Bender - Ponzer Youngquist
Kiosk Committee:
Roy Bravo - Black & Veatch
Legislative:
Jennifer Jacka - HDR
Chris Leaton - Black & Veatch
Mid-MO Liason:
Merrell Watt
John Blancett - HNTB
Membership:
John Blancett - HNTB
Adrian Keller - HNTB
Nominating:
Craig Buhr - Burns & McDonnell
Tom Crowley - Carollo Engineers
Jim Cherney - TapanAm Associates
Programs:
Kelly Rotert - PSI USA
Sheryl Gallagher - Geotechnology
Diversity:
Tony Reames - City of Lee's Summit
Technology:
Ernie Longoria - City of Overland Park
Younger Members President:
Holly Boomsma - GBA
EWRI:
Dave Silverstein - Burns & McDonnell
Geotechnical:
Kelly Rotert - PSI
Structural:
Richard Meloy - Burns & McDonnell
Transportation:
Justin Kindt - Geotechnology
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MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS (PDF Format) |
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September 2009 Newsletter
(DOWNLOAD)
October 2009 Newsletter (DOWNLOAD)
November 2009 Newsletter (DOWNLOAD)
December 2009 Newsletter (DOWNLOAD)
January 2010 Newsletter (DOWNLOAD) |
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ENVIRONMENTAL WATER RESOURCE INSTITUTE
(EWRI)
Kansas City, Missouri Local
Committee
The Kansas City ASCE Chapter is excited to
accomplish its goal to explore areas that would interest and
enhance the development of its members. In doing so,
ASCE approved the conception of a new subtechnical group the
Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI).
EWRI is a nationally recognized technical
group that originated in 1999. Its purpose is to enhance
the professional and technical development in the water
resource and environmental sectors. At present, National
EWRI has over 20,000 members through both ASCE and individual
membership. The vision of the organization
is:
To recognize worldwide leaders within ASCE
for the integration of the technical expertise and public
policy into the planning, design, construction and operation
of environmentally sound and sustainable infrastructure
impacting air, land, and water resources.
The local Kansas City chapter wishes to
carry that same vision to the metropolitan area. With
just under 400 local EWRI members, it is our goal to provide
educational opportunities and community services to benefit
the community, government, and technical professionals.
EWRI is also seeking to understand the impacts and needs of
the surrounding environmental and water resource issues to
create effective improvements in our
community.
If you are interested in
being a part of this group, you are welcome to attend our
monthly planning meeting every first Wednesday of the
month. For more information, contact Jeff Evans jcevans@hntb.com or Sarah Fjell fjellsd@cdm.com
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ASCE STRUCTURAL
TECHNICAL
COMMITTEE
ASCE and MSPE members who are
interested in structural engineering are welcome to attend the
monthly meetings of the Structural Engineers Association of
Kansas and Missouri (SEAKM). Contact secretary@kc.seakm.org to be put on the SEAKM
announcement list.
Visit the website http://seakm.org for
details.
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ASCE NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Ronnie Williams
Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company
9400 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64114
816-333-9400 x2381
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