We had a great meeting last month with a Technical Tour of Bush Intercontinental Airport followed by an Update of the Houston Airport System by Eric Potts, P.E. The tour took the group onto the runways and container area of the airport. It was an informative tour and interesting to have the planes land around us. Now that we know how the runways work, we need to go into the “belly of the beast” and see how the luggage system operates.
In highlighting one of ASCE goals to “Facilitate the advancement of technology to enhance quality, knowledge, competitiveness, sustainability, and environmental stewardship”, this month’s meeting will focus on sustainability. As many of you may know, the Low Impact Development Competition was held in January. This competition focused on three areas, Green Roadway, Urban Redevelopment and Suburban Residential. The purpose of the competition was to prove that Low Impact Development “practices can be adapted to Houston area conditions.” The benefits include “improving water quality in our streams, bayous and bays; reducing rainfall runoff flows that contribute to flooding; creating and restoring natural habitat; enhancing the natural aesthetics of our surroundings and improving quality of life in a variety of other ways.” Since ASCE Houston Branch sponsored the Low Impact Design competition’s “Green Roadway”, the meeting will feature the winners of each division for the technical sessions and Mr. John Blount, P.E., Harris County Deputy Director, will be the main speaker discussing why Harris County supported the competition and what will happen to the “Green Roadway “project.
In continued support for technical education, we have several technical seminars scheduled. In April, “FEMA 55: Coastal Construction Manual (for Residential Construction) is scheduled and in May a HEC-RAS seminar is being planned. Watch the ASCE calendar for upcoming events. Also, the Texas Section Meeting will be April 11-13 and early bird registration is open.
ASCE Houston Branch Board has been discussing the need to educate the public on infrastructure. The recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and Taiwan have brought engineers to the spotlight. Unfortunately, it takes tragedy for the public to understand the importance of infrastructure. The Board is committed to supporting education efforts and if you have an opportunity for us to present, let me know.
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