IBC Executive Committee
Congratulations to William Detwiler, P.E., T.Y. Lin International, Liji Huang, Ph.D., CCCC Highway Consultants Co., Ltd., Jennifer Laning, P.E., Pennoni, and Frank Russo, P.E., Michael Baker International on their election on the International Bridge Conference Executive Committee.
Mr. Detwiler is a Senior Bridge Engineer & Principal Project Manager at T.Y. Lin International in their Coral Gables, FL office. Mr. Detwiler is currently managing the Design Review of the $800M I395/SR836/I95 Design/Build project for the Florida Department of Transportation. He has over 25 years of experience in bridge engineering including inspection, preservation, repair and rehabilitation projects and design experience in both concrete and structural steel, including box girder bridges and segmental construction.
Mr. Huang began the study Civil Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. After nine years of study, he received a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering, and joined CCCC Highway Consultants Co., Ltd. He has devoted his career to bridge design, consulting and research ever since he joined CCCC. CCCC was founded in 1954. The company undertakes the survey, design, construction, inspection, and maintenance of large bridges and tunnels in China and overseas. Mr. Huang will be the first International Bridge Conference representative from China.
Ms. Laning is an Associate Vice President in the Transportation Division with a primary focus in bridge inspections and project management. She serves Pennoni as a Bridge Inspection Practice Leader, headquartered in the Baltimore, Maryland office. Her responsibilities include project management and quality management of NBIS Bridge and underwater inspection projects and coordination of relevant project requirements for local, state and federal clients.
Mr. Russo is the Vice President and Technical Director at Michael Baker International. As a member of the Baker Technical Services Group for bridges, he is responsible for the design, design oversight, quality control, and marketing support of complex bridge engineering projects nationwide. He has an extensive teaching background in academia and for professional clients. He also has experience in forensic engineering and expert witness report preparation.
We are pleased to welcome each of these candidates to IBC Executive Committee and we look forward to their assistance in the planning for the 2019 International Bridge Conference, which takes place on June 10-12, 2019 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD, USA. For more information on the event visit, https://eswp.com/bridge/bridge-home/.
Future City Competition Results
Congratulations to New Lebanon Jr/Sr High School for winning the 2015-2016 Capital District Future City Competition! Their city, “Marhielo” took first place overall in the competition on January 9. A list of all the winners can be found here.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ESWP MEMBER AND AQUATECH CEO VENKEE SHARMA UPON APPOINTMENT TO THE UNITED STATES – INDIA CEO FORUM
Announcement Made by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross
CANONSBURG, PA, Feb. 14, 2019 – Venkee Sharma, CEO of Aquatech International, has been appointed to serve on the U.S. – India CEO Forum. Established in 2005, this Forum provides an opportunity for dialogue between the United States and Indian governments to strengthen the economic and commercial relationship between both countries.
The announcement was made by U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, who will co-chair the Forum with Indian Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu. “The U.S.-India CEO Forum is critical to the fruitful commercial relationship and strong economic ties between our two great nations. The incoming U.S. CEOs will bring fresh perspectives to the Forum and help us consider new opportunities to further deepen our cooperation,” he said.
“It is an honor to be part of this CEO Forum, which plays an important role in encouraging economic opportunities and strengthening important business relationships in both our countries. While Aquatech is headquartered in the United States, our global operations include a significant presence in India which includes global technical services, R&D, as well as an appreciable footprint in the local market. This affords us a unique and beneficial perspective that we can bring to the Forum,” said Sharma, who will serve a two-year term on the Forum.
SAME/ESWP Program Recap
On February 12, ESWP was pleased to partner with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) in presenting a program on the Emergency Rehabilitation of Route 30, presented by Cheryl Moon-Sirianni, P.E., District Executive of PennDOT District 11-0; Brian Heintzl, P.E., of Gannett Fleming, and Eric Klimas, P.E., of Golden Triangle Construction. The three presenters provided a very informative inside look into the analysis, planning, and construction required to bring Route 30 “back to life” in less than three months, following the major collapse of this busy State highway, which carries 25,000 motor vehicles daily. The Route 30 Rehabilitation was recently recognized by the ESWP as the 2018 Emergency Rehabilitation Project of the Year. To learn more about this project, visit the ESWP Awards Page, found here.
ESWP Engineering Career Fair
ESWP’s 3rd Annual Engineering Career Fair took place on Friday, February 8, 2019 at the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Our career fair provided a rare opportunity for students and professionals to meet employers and company representatives in the engineering field all in one place.
This year, 25 companies participated in greeting over 140 students from the tri-state area. The students were eager to participate this year, as ESWP had a waiting room of approximately 20 students before the start of the event on Friday. At the end of the event, companies commented “This was the best career fair yet” and “This event gives us an opportunity to talk to students from various schools, it is very beneficial for us to attend.”
In addition to the career fair, we had almost 25 students take advantage of the mock interviews that were offered. This was an opportunity for students and professionals to interact and get quick feedback on their resume and interview skills. The actual qualifications required for the job were provided by the employers prior to the interview. This includes factors such as work experience, minimum educational qualification, and average salary offered. The students that participated appreciated the feedback and experience.
ESWP recommends that students consider these five (5) things after attending the ESWP Engineering Career Fair:
1. Get organized.
2. Follow-up with employers.
3. Maintain the connection.
4. Practice your interviewing skills.
5. Reflect on your experience at the ESWP career fair.
These five items will better prepare students for a future opportunity. For more information about upcoming student or young member events, visit https://eswp.com/events/.
2019 ESWP Banquet
And a good time was had by all! The 135th ESWP Annual Banquet was held last night at the Westin Convention Center Hotel with great fanfare! More than 430 guests attended the event, believed to be among the longest running awards dinner in the United States! You can view the award recipients on our website link here and we will post photos of the event as soon as they are available. Pictured here is University of Pittsburgh Dean of Engineering James Martin, with George Washington Prize winner Nate Carnovale, with ESWP President Bob Ward in the foreground. Thanks to all for supporting this very important engineering gathering. And congratulations to all of our award recipients!