SAME PGH Post Golf Outing

Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Pittsburgh Post Announces Allegheny Arsenal Memorial Scholarship for 2021/2022 Academic Year

The SAME Pittsburgh Post created the Allegheny Arsenal Memorial Scholarship last year when SAME and the Pittsburgh Post both reached the 100-Year milestone. With a vision for the next 100 years, the Post expanded its Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) support long provided to primary and secondary education students, to include college students pursuing a STEM related degree.

The Pittsburgh Post has always recognized the importance of strategic collaboration between civilians and the military, both for national defense and homeland security. Therefore, in establishing the Post’s college scholarship fund, the Post wanted to honor those civilians who perished in Lawrenceville at the Allegheny Arsenal while preparing ammunition for the Union troops. On September 17, 1862, a series of explosions at the Allegheny Arsenal killed seventy-eight people, mostly girls (some believed to be as young as 14), rolling cartridges for Union soldiers. With men off fighting the Civil War and concerns of horseplay among boys in a dangerous work environment, girls and young women were relied upon to roll ammunition for the troops in a true civilian-military partnership. In recognition of the tragic loss of these young arsenal employees, the SAME Pittsburgh Post, as part of its centennial observance, established the Allegheny Arsenal Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The Post is offering a scholarship to assist college students who are pursuing careers in STEM fields including: engineering, architecture, mathematics, technology, computer, or related science (chemistry, biology, physics, environmental) degree programs. A $1,500 scholarship will be awarded each year (subject to future Board revisions), based on applications received for the academic year. Students enrolled full-time as a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior in college for academic year 2021-2022 can apply. Anyone receiving the Allegheny Arsenal Memorial Scholarship may reapply in subsequent years but will be considered among the full pool of applications received for that academic year.

Full details and the application form are available on the Post’s website at www.SAME.org/Pittsburgh.

Applications will be received from August 18, 2021 through midnight, September 7, 2021 via email at: pittsburghpost@gmail.com

APRIL 2021

“Coming together is a beginning; Keeping together is progress; Working together is success.” – Henry Ford

Hello UESI Members and Friends,

I am happy to announce that the Pittsburgh Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI) Chapter has officially launched! And what a time to start this endeavor! I am Alma Rettinger and I will be serving as the UESI Pittsburgh Chair in the upcoming year.

We are starting our Chapter at a time when infrastructure initiatives are in the spotlight with last week’s release of President Biden’s proposed national infrastructure spending bill. ASCE Pennsylvania is also gearing up to grade the condition and performance of the Commonwealth’s infrastructure this year, which received a C- grade in 2018 due to the poor conditions of aging drinking water mainlines, deteriorating bridges and roadways, and the severe conditions of the sewer and wastewater systems. The discussion of how to improve our infrastructure remains not just relevant but important. So this is an opportune time for our Chapter to focus not only on the current condition of our infrastructure, but also to highlight the transformation in the way our industry has been addressing infrastructure projects with innovation, and with improved risk and asset management tools.

Members across different organizations and professions have been adapting over the years to deal with the urgency of replacing aging infrastructure, responding to damages from natural disasters, and doing so with limited funding. As a whole, we are working towards improving the way we deliver projects, building towards resilience, and ultimately putting funding to better use.

ASCE’s Civil Engineering magazine Editor in Chief Laurie Shuster said last year that “the future is going to be increasingly integrated, with one field informing and influencing another.” And I believe that these coordinated efforts among multiple disciplines will continue to be a critical aspect of UESI and for the successful planning, positioning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and management of utility infrastructure. With the goal of working together with the diverse group UESI represents and with our founding officers, Vice Chair Kate McKinley, PLS, and Secretary-Treasurer Ashwin Ranna, EIT, I am thrilled to be bringing UESI’s mission to our region!

In the short-term, we have already gained positive momentum. During the recent months, we have been planning our upcoming kick-off event scheduled for May 13, 2021. We are partnering with NUCA-PA and several co-sponsoring organizations to deliver a virtual symposium on “Leading the Way to Smarter Utility Engineering Design & Construction Damage Prevention”. This event will bring together stakeholders to discuss Utility Conflict Management, subsurface utility engineering in accordance with ASCE 38, and the future and direction of the industry. We invite you to Join Us at our upcoming event and be part of the discussion.

We hope to continue the momentum throughout our future Chapter activities! I encourage you to join the Pittsburgh Section (if you are not a current member), follow us on LinkedIn, and check for updates on our website. We will use these platforms to inform our members of upcoming events, activities, and relevant news. I also invite you to share your unique perspective on the industry as we plan for the future of our Chapter.

Whether virtual or in-person, I look forward to seeing you soon! And when we can gather again, we hope we get a chance to meet you all and say hello.

Happy spring and let’s enjoy this fresh outlook!