Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania

Location

337 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Phone: (412) 261-0710 Email: eswp@eswp.com Get Directions

Engineers’ Society News

Despite the Pittsburgh Engineers’ Building remaining closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a busy fall season.

Most notably both our International Bridge Conference and International Water Conference were conducted on a virtual platform in late-October and early-November, respectively. Preparation leading up to these events in the “new virtual world” really made for a challenge! Still, both events were very well attended, and received very positive reactions from our Conference attendees according to their survey responses. Additionally, our Program Committee continues to offer continuing education events, although delivered through the webinar format. Look for new events coming up in December – likely to remain on the webinar format.

ESWP Program Success!

Almost 200 registrants for the ESWP Program Committee webinar “Steel Bridges in the 21st Century,” presented by Dr. Brandon Chavel, P.E. of the National Steel Bridge Alliance of AISC! This interesting program examined the history and future of steel bridges with consideration on life span, costs, maintenance, constructability and more! Dr. Chavel fielded many questions from webinar viewers as well as those viewing on Facebook live. Completion of the webinar entitled viewers to one Professional Development Hour (PDH). Join us for our next program on Thursday, October 1 on the Bonner Bridge presented by Nick Burdette, P.E.

IWC News

The Executive Committee of the International Water Conference® (IWC) voted unanimously to present the 2020 IWC in an “all-virtual” environment.

This means we won’t have the opportunity to benefit from the in-person gathering during IWC this November in San Antonio, Texas, but we have plans for an alternate delivery platform with eShow®, the leading provider in the virtual-conference world. Accordingly, we believe the 2020 IWC well-prepared to present the same educational and networking opportunities as you have come to expect and enjoy at the IWC. We are working diligently to prepare this virtual platform to present the same high-quality technical presentations that the IWC is renowned for, albeit in a different delivery platform. Likewise, we are planning for a full complement of continuing education workshops as presented by our expert instructors. Additionally, we will have exhibit and sponsorship opportunities to promote your business to all involved with the International Water Conference. We will roll out details on these opportunities, as well as details on the conference registration very soon, so please check this page frequently!

Thank you to all who participated in our survey questionnaires which to help to guide these decisions. While we all hoped to return to an in-person gathering with friends of the IWC, we believe it is in the best interest of all at this time to do so remotely, from the comfort and safety of your own environment. We look forward to better days ahead soon! In the meantime please look for additional details on this virtual IWC, the first in our 81 year history!

Please stay safe and be healthy and we look forward to seeing you soon!

PA Brownfields Highlights

The ESWP was pleased to partner again with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in presenting the 2020 Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference. Held at State College, PA in the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center over March 9-11, almost 400 participants attended the conference.

This year we attracted 55 vendors to the exhibit hall, making it the highest attended in our history. In addition, attendees were able to select from over 20 different presentations and three general sessions which included state and federal updates on Brownfields programs, a futures forecast, and an informative, educational, and uplifting story on one business’s success that chose a brownfield as a place to build and expand their business. (Learn more about Crazy Aaron’s “Thinking Putty” success at Puttyworld.com.) To learn more about the conference and the presentations please visit our Brownfields Conference page: https://eswp.com/brownfields/overview/

 

 

IBC 2019 Highlights

The 36th Annual International Bridge Conference (IBC) was held June 10-12, 2019 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD.

The IBC brought together more than 1,000 bridge owners, engineers, government officials, bridge designers, construction executives and more from the US and abroad. We had more than 20 different countries represented this year, as well as more than 40 states from the United States. Our furthest traveled attendees came all the way from Australia.

We started the conference off on Monday, June 10th with three Special Sessions at 8:00 AM. These Special Sessions included Construction, New Technology and Bridge Asset Management.

 

The official start and welcome happened during our Keynote Session. Our Keynote Speakers did an excellent job kicking off the start of the 2019 IBC!

 

 

We were pleased to welcome our Featured State, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). WSDOT organized a Session for Monday afternoon, which included 6 presentations on some of their ongoing projects, as well as a large display in our Exhibit Hall.

The 3-day conference had over 80 presentations and 13 continuing education workshops that were conducted. Not to mention, we had 10 Posters and 5 Bridging the Gap Theatre Presentations. The Posters and Bridging the Gap Theatre were new additions to this year’s conference, along with the Outdoor Demonstrations in our Outdoor Exhibit space.

 

The Exhibit Hall is one of the main attractions at the IBC and was a great opportunity to network with the various vendors and fellow attendees. We would like to thank our 2019 Exhibitors for their continued support as IBC attendees always enjoy strolling through the Exhibit Hall learning about the latest technologies, products, and services the bridge industry has to offer.

 

 

 

 

In addition to all the other excitement, the IBC Attendees were able to get an exclusive sneak peak of the Arlington Memorial Bridge Rehabilitation on Tuesday, June 11th. We couldn’t have asked for better weather for this outdoor tour! The tour began with a brief project introduction and overview, which was presented by the Kiewit Construction team and Federal Highway Administration in the Kiewit Field Office. This introduction was then followed by the guided walking tour on the Arlington Memorial Bridge.

 

We also held our Annual IBC Awards Dinner on Tuesday, where the winning projects were recognized and presented with an Award. We were pleased to have Dr. Karl Frank, P.E., our 2019 IBC Roebling Award winner, attend the dinner and provide us with a brief presentation of his outstanding achievements.

 

 

 

We want to thank all the IBC attendees, sponsors, presenters, exhibitors, and committee members for contributing to another successful conference.

We hope to see everyone for our 37th Annual IBC in Pittsburgh, PA June 8-11, 2020.

 

For Attendees of the MSCI Engineering Sustainability Conference, Bi-Annual Event Feels Like a Homecoming

“A Climate for Change” was the theme at this year’s Engineering Sustainability conference,

hosted by the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) at the University of Pittsburgh with the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education & Research at Carnegie Mellon University. The conference dealt with something unique for a technical conference: It spent time talking about not only the “what” of sustainable innovations, but the “how.” How do you get people to actually change their perspective about sustainability? How do you create a climate where such changes can be successful?  Read the full article here…..

IWC Merit Award Announced!

On behalf of the Executive Committee of the International Water Conference®, it is our pleasure to announce that William Kennedy from Duke Energy Corporation has been selected to receive the 2019 Annual Merit Award.

Each year, the International Water Conference® presents the Annual Merit Award to honor outstanding individuals in the field of industrial water technology. William Kennedy was selected because he is recognized as a leader in a water-related field of activity and his contributions to the IWC and industrial water industry are considered to be outstanding achievements.

We also acknowledge his efforts to inspire others to make major contributions in pertinent water-related technology or its application and his active contribution to the advancement of the International Water Conference® in the form of committee papers, discussions, and committee participation.

Attendees are invited to join us during the Opening Session on Monday, November 11 at the Hilton in Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL at 11:15 am during this year’s conference to see William Kennedy receive this award. Congratulations, William Kennedy!

IWC Committee News!

Congratulations to Ivan Morales from Integrated Sustainability, Inc. and Randy Turner from SWAN Analytical USA on their election on the International Water Conference (IWC) Executive Committee.

Mr. Morales is the Water Manager at Integrated Sustainability Inc in their Houston, TX office. Mr. Morales is currently managing the operation in the USA, focus on the oil shale market (Produced Water). He has over 22 years’ experience consulting in water treatment services for different industries: Oil Refinery, Upstream Oil Extraction, Power Generation, Chemical Process Industry, Pulp and Paper, Food and Beverage, and worked in four different countries: Venezuela, Mexico, Canada and most recently in the USA.

Mr. Turner was a plant & corporate chemist for Southern Company for 33+ years. He became Technical Director for Swan Analytical USA in January 2012. Randy was chairman of EPRI’s Cycle Chemistry Program and awarded the Technology Transfer Award in 2010.  He was awarded the Paul Cohen award for the best technical paper at the International Water Conference in 2017. He is past chairman of the Power Plant and Environmental Chemistry Committee. He is Chairman of ASME PTC 19.11 Committee, International Properties of Water and Steam Committee, International Water Conference Advisory Council, AWWA Online Monitoring Committee, and Water and Environment Federation.

Both Ivan and Randy were on the IWC Advisory Council for more than more than five years before being elected to the IWC Executive Committee. The IWC Advisory Council is supported by over 60-member companies. These companies represent the leading water treatment service companies, OEMs, engineering firms, consultants, and chemical suppliers in the industry.  For a complete list of IWC Advisory Council companies, visit here: https://eswp.com/water/leadership/.

We are pleased to welcome each of these candidates to IWC Executive Committee and we look forward to their assistance in the planning for the 80th Anniversary of the International Water Conference, which takes place on November 10-14, 2019 at the Hilton at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL, USA. For more information on the event visit, https://eswp.com/water/overview/.

IWC Announces Cohen Award Winner

On behalf of the Executive Committee of the International Water Conference® (IWC),

it is our pleasure to announce that Kevin Brown of U.S. Water has been selected as the winner of our 2018 Paul Cohen Award for his presentation IWC 18-32: Decreasing Filterable Iron Levels in an Air-cooled Condenser at a Combined Cycle Power Plant.

As a memorial to Paul Cohen and his contributions to the power generation industry, the IWC recognizes the author of the most precise and innovative presentation in the field of power systems water technology that was presented at the most recent IWC.

We hope that you will be able to join us during the Opening Session at the 2019 International Water Conference taking place on Monday, November 11 at the Hilton at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, USA to see Kevin Brown receive his award. To view a complete list of past award recipients, visit, https://eswp.com/water/awards/

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/.