Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania

Location

337 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

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

ESWP’s Engineering Career Fair

ESWP’s Annual Engineering Career Fair was held on Friday, January 31, 2020 at the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania.

28 companies participated in greeting over 100 students from the tri-state area, providing a rare opportunity for students and professionals to meet employers and company representatives. Students also took advantage of the mock interviews, an opportunity for students and professionals to interact and get quick feedback on their resume and interview skills.

Thank you to all the companies and students who participated.

 

Future City Competition Results

The 20th Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition was held on January 19, 2019 at the Carnegie Science Center in the brand new PPG Science Pavilion. 

Congratulations to the following winners of the 20th Pittsburgh Regional Future City Competition!

  • 1st Place: Fort Couch Middle School
  • 2nd Place: St. Edmund’s Academy
  • 3rd Place: West Mifflin Area School District
  • 4th Place: St. Bede School
  • 5th Place: Marion Center Jr./Sr. High School

Future City Pittsburgh Alumnus of the Year – Eric Belski, M.Sc.

 

Also, visit (and like!) our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pghfuturecity for more competition photos.

2020 ESWP Election Results

The election for the 2020 ESWP Board of Directors has officially closed on December 31,

and We are pleased to announce the following results:

For Officers:
President: David W. Borneman, P.E.
1st Vice-President: Tammi A. Halapin, P.E.
2nd Vice-President: James R. McMaster, PMP
Secretary: Cheryl Moon-Sirianni, P.E.

For Directors:
Christopher Hill
Wayne Johnson, P.E.
Patrick Leach, P.E.
Greg O’Hare, P.E.
Suresh Ramanathan
George Robinson II
Thomas Woodrow, P.E., BCEE

Congratulations to all of the newly elected Board Members!

To view the complete list of the 2020 Engineers’ Society Board of Directors please click here

‘Menard Group’ Company News

Seth Pearlman, P.E., D. GE, M.ASCE, the President and CEO of Menard Group USA,

  • will be receiving ASCE’s 2020 Wallace Hayward Baker Award for Ingenious Innovation in the field of ground modification.
  • The prestigious Wallace Hayward Baker award is given by the Geo-Institute in recognition of creative and innovative contributions in the field of ground modification.
  • Pearlman, who earned a BS and an MS in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, has more than 40 years of engineering experience and has worked on some of the most challenging ground improvement projects in the US.

Commenting on the award announcement Pearlman stated, “This is a great honor, and it is humbling to know that my contributions have been appreciated.”

Southern Beltway Tour

Twenty ESWP members participated in a presentation and tour of the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Southern Beltway construction project on December 4. Presenters included Steve Hrvoich of the PATC, and Dale Rosinski and Matthew Steele from CDR Maguire. The tour was sponsored by Trumbull Corporation. During the presentation overview, participants learned some of the many details involved in this 13-mile long mega-project. Participants then boarded a shuttle bus to visit several points along the still-under-construction roadways and bridges, including a drive along a portion of the new roadway, not yet open to vehicular traffic. Big thanks to the PATC, CCDR Maguire, and Trumbull Corporation for hosting this tour.

IWC 2019 Highlights

The 80th Annual International Water Conference was a celebration that took place on November 10-14, 2019 in Orlando, FL. It brought together over 900 end users, researchers, practicing engineers, educators, suppliers and contractors from 25 countries to learn unbiased details about the latest applications available in the industry, get educated on current technology, and hold wide ranging discussions with their peers active in water treatment.

The conference opened on Sunday with an IWC Golf Outing “Scramble” at the Disney Lake Buena Vista Golf Course. Additionally, three Continuing Education Workshops were available for attendees to get one on one instruction from professional instructors. Following these activities, we officially opened the IWC Indoor and Outdoor Exhibits at the Get Acquainted Reception, along with a special “birthday cake” to celebrate the 80th Anniversary IWC!

The Conference program officially opened on Monday morning with four early morning technical sessions. The morning concluded with the IWC Keynote Session, featuring keynote presenter Charles Fishman, author of The Big Thirst, who delivered an interesting address to more than 300 attendees. In addition, the IWC Annual Awards were presented (for full details, visit: https://eswp.com/water/awards/). Following the Keynote Session, a strolling buffet luncheon was provided throughout the IWC Exhibit Hall,  then four technical sessions filled out the afternoon. On Monday evening, attendees traveled to the Wyndam Hotel at Lake Buena Vista for the 80th Anniversary Dinner. IWC Executive Committee Member Mike Soller, serving as Master of Ceremonies for the Dinner, invited three IWC Alumni to share what the IWC means to them. To end the night, the comedy improv group “We Bring the Funny” entertained the crowd by bringing IWC attendees to the stage to entertain the audience.

Technical Sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday morning were filled with 48 additional presentations; all carefully peer-reviewed for quality and to ensure they are non-commercialism. Presentations at the IWC are followed by a Prepared Discussion-a thoroughly considered, different perspective on the topic. Each session would end with an open floor discussion when all audience members and presenters can fully interact-ask questions, seek clarification, and raise alternative viewpoints. Along the way, luncheons and receptions gave attendees additional opportunities to network with one another and visit with Exhibitors to continue the learning experience. Following the conference proper, attendees could stay on for 18 additional Workshops offered on Wednesday afternoon thru Thursday. To view the Technical Program and Workshop content, visit: https://eswp.com/water/overview/)

Overall, we want to thank all the attendees, sponsors, and committee members for contributing to a successful conference and we hope to see you for the 81st Annual International Water Conference taking place on November 8-12, 2020 at the Marriot Rivercenter in San Antonio, TX.

 

Parsons News!

In September of 2019, the Goethals Bridge was recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in Pittsburgh, PA. for the 2019 Project Excellence Award in the Large Project category. The Project Owner, Port Authority of NY/NJ used a P3 project delivery model for this $1.5B Project. The new Goethals Bridge is a dual cable-stayed bridge with a 900-foot main span and roughly 7,000-foot-long prestressed concrete girder approaches. The new bridge carries westbound and eastbound traffic independently and with built-in structural and operational redundancy. The bridge accommodates a future mass transit corridor that can be created by stitching together the eastbound and westbound spans by way of steel framing to accommodate either light rail transit or bus rapid transit without additional in-water work or foundations for the main bridge. The Developer was NY/NJ Link – MacQuarie Infrastructures Real Assets.  The construction joint venture was Kiewit/Weeks Marine and Massman.  The lead designer for the project was Parsons Transportation Group Inc. with Design Manager, Seth Condell, PE, LEED AP and Bridge Engineer of Record, Thomas Spoth, PE.  Accepting the award on behalf of the project team was Joseph DiFiore, PE.

Subject to copyright ©Photoflight Aerial Media

 

Trumbull News

Trumbull Project Executive John Nemmer recently rappelled down 22 stories as part of Over the Edge, an event that raises money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Western PA & WV Chapter. The Society offered John a spot as a “thank you” for providing a special project tour for a 3-year-old leukemia patient back in August. Although John has rappelled before, this event was different — something tells us he’ll go back Over the Edge in 2019!  (Photos provided by PJ Dick, Trumbull and Lindy Paving)

Civil Engineering Professor Kent Harries Named ASCE Fellow

Civil Engineering Professor Kent Harries Named ASCE Fellow

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 18, 2019) — Kent Harries, PhD, FASCE, FACI, P.Eng., associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering, was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) this month. The Fellow status, FASCE, signifies members of the organization who have made celebrated contributions to the field and developed creative solutions that have enhanced lives. Fellows make up just three percent of ASCE’s members.

The election recognizes Harries’ work on international standards-writing committees and on the use of nonconventional materials, like carbon and glass fiber-reinforced polymers, for structural repair, the structural application of full-culm bamboo, and his design-oriented teaching that teaches students to use both conventional and nonconventional materials.

Harries’ research interests also include the seismic design and retrofit of building structures, the design and behavior of high-rise structures, applications of full-scale structural testing and the history and philosophy of science and technology. He received his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD in civil engineering – structures from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Harries currently serves as a vice-president of IIFC, Senior Editor of Journal of Construction and Building Materials, chair of ACI Committee 440F (Repair of Concrete with FRP) and on numerous other U.S. and international codes and standards development committees including ASCE FCAPS. Harries is presently leading the effort to revise ISO 22156 Bamboo Structural Design. A Fellow of both ACI and IIFC, Harries is a professional engineer in Ontario, Canada, and was Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the University of Bath (UK) in 2018.