SAME Jacksonville Post members played a big part in promoting the most important part of Engineers Week—enlightening today’s students about the educational and career opportunities available to them in the field of engineering.
One highlight was the 5th Annual Engineering Career Day held Feb. 23, 2007, at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-Jacksonville District headquarters. Close to 100 area high school students participated in technical problem-solving competitions, and spoke with engineering professionals from public and private sector organizations and admissions officers from local universities.
USACE-Jacksonville District Commander, Col. Paul Grosskruger, USA, opened the day’s events. Students learned about college entrance prerequisites and the engineering programs offered at four area universities. The students also heard Kevin Bodge, Ph.D., Senior Engineer and Vice President of Olsen Associates Inc., speak about the role of engineering in protecting our nation's coastlines.
The learning and fun began weeks before the daylong activities. The 17 student teams were tasked with designing a coastal bridge that could survive a wave attack from a simulated hurricane. This assignment familiarized them with basic engineering principles and challenged them to work together in teams to solve real world problems within real world constraints. The students’ projects were judged on design and survivability of their structure, as well as construction and cost.
After the initial competition, the students’ imaginations were further tested with a surprise problem: to design and construct an artificial wave-break reef. To further promote their interest in the various engineering firms’ specialties, the students had to “buy” their construction materials from the onsite exhibitors. Then their design was tested and judged in wave tanks built by members of the USACE Engineering Career Day Team, led by Matthew Schrader, Coastal Engineer.
“The winning team's design not only protected their beach from erosion when subjected to wave action, but was also cost-effective and environmentally beneficial,” said Schrader.
Fourteen Jacksonville Post Sustaining Members contributed $2,700 toward this event. Participating firms included PBS&J; Weston Solutions; England-Thims & Miller Inc.; Bergmann Assoc.; GAI Consultants Inc.; Gannett Fleming Inc.; HDR; HNTB; LG2; Aerostar Environmental Service Inc.; Golder Associates; Taylor Engineering; MACTEC; and Civil Services Inc. The SAME Jacksonville Post, the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command and USACE also provided booths. Submitted by Christina Swanson, Jacksonville Post, Post Script Editor |
The Rock Island Post Deployed Engineer Support program helps deployed soldiers solve engineering-related problems. In some circumstances, soldiers on the battlefield may face engineering obstacles they have never previously encountered or need additional resources such as specialty computer programs, engineering textbooks or other tools to remedy the situation. Through this program, soldiers are able to e-mail a few pictures and a short description of the problem to a professional engineer on the volunteer list and quickly gain additional help. Assistance is available for many engineering disciplines such as roadways, bridges, water and wastewater treatment, and electrical and power generation.
Jeff Tatarek, P.E., S.E., of Hanson Professional Services, joined the Deployed Engineer Support program’s civilian-engineers volunteer list two year’s ago. On Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007, Tatarek answered his first call of duty to assist ground troops in Northern Iraq. He was contacted initially by a coordinator from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Rock Island District, who called on behalf of the North Carolina National Guard’s 105th EngineeringÊGroupÊin Iraq. The 105th had an urgent problem. A bridge on a main highway in Iraq had been damaged by improvised explosive devices and the 105th needed Tatarek’s assistance to make the bridge structurally sound again.
Hanson donated Tatarek’s technical support services, allowing him to solely concentrate on this assignment. Tatarek took the project a step further, taking his work home and donating additional time to the project.
“Halfway around the world, a bridge is still a bridge,” said Tatarek. “With digital photos and an understanding of what needs to be accomplished, we can provide the support that the troops need to complete their mission.” |
