Articles for ASCE - Houston Branch

Welcome to the ASCE - Houston Branch Newsletter of upcoming events, articles, jobs and more from our membership.

Our May lunch meeting turnout was great. Special thanks to Peter Key, Deputy Director of HCTRA, who shared a little history on when and how the Toll Road Authority got its start and where they are at today with SB792. He stressed HCTRA’s vision and commitment to remain focused on improving the local region’s mobility. He explained that the toll road revenues fund the majority of Harris County’s infrastructure improvements on their five-year plan. The ASCE Houston Branch conducted a... [More Info]

Shay Shafie, P.E. Vice President, Community Development for Southern Land Company Mr. Shafie has been with Southern Land Company since October of 2007 and is currently in charge of the residential development and all infrastructure-related activities in support of the Imperial Redevelopment Project located on the former Imperial Sugar Refinery site and the State of Texas General Land Office Tract 3. Prior to joining Southern Land Company, Shafie served as vice president of... [More Info]

Carol A. Ellinger, P.E., CFM, MPA Senior Assistant Director, City of Houston The City of Houston is at an interesting time in relation to water quality in our area creeks and bayous. Currently TCEQ has published draft bacteria TMDLs covering most of the City for comment, renewal of the City's joint MS4 permit (with the County, HCFCD, and TxDOT) is imminent, and the state triennial water quality standards review is in process. The City's responsibility to protect and, where possible,... [More Info]

Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc. is a multi-discipline civil engineering firm with offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Mission and San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 1980 Cobb Fendley provides the following services: geographic information systems, hydraulics and hydrology, land development, public works, right-of-way acquisition, site development, subsurface utility engineering, surveying, telecommunications, transportation, utility coordination and design. More information about Cobb... [More Info]

Fellow Younger Members, The YMF Graduation Party was a huge success! The event took place on Saturday, May 10th at Hermann Park Conservancy and festivities began at 11 am. We had about 20 people show up to the park, half of which were students! We BBQ’d a ridiculous amount of food, played some football, and hung out with each other. We would like to thank everyone who helped either with the fundraising or with participation. We can’t wait until next year! PAST EVENTS: ... [More Info]

Currently, adjusted assignments to the Houston Branch include 2958 members. 66% of all National renewals (1751 members) elected to pay their Texas Section Dues. Thank you for your strong ASCE participation! Please see the ASCE Houston Branch Membership Report for June 2008 for more details and info on how to win prizes.

On April 26th, 2008 The University of Houston ASCE Student Chapter won 1st place in the ASCE Texas/Mexico Region 6 Concrete Canoe Competition in Corpus Christi, Texas. The team will now be representing the Region in the 21st Annual National Concrete Canoe Competition held in Montreal Quebec, Canada.

Total Accounts are $107,324.82 as of May 23, 2008.

How long would it take you to count 1 billion orally if you could count 200 every minute and were given a day off every four years? Assume that you start counting on 1 January 2001.

The Committee on Younger Members is pleased to solicit nominations for the 2008 Younger Member Employer Recognition Award.

Hello [firstname], ... [More Info]

Stephen Blakesley, Managing Partner, GMS Talent L P presented an interactive discussion on IQ versus EQ. Managers attain a certain level of intelligence and use good management skills in their roles. However, Mr. Blakesley explained what elevated a manager to a great leader - using vision, self esteem, communication, optimism, intrapersonal skills and interpersonal skills. Engineers are trained and can handle processes and formulae with little effort, but intermingling the emotional skills for... [More Info]

HCTRA and Greater Houston's Mobility The Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) improves mobility in the Greater Houston area through excellence in the operation of urban toll highway systems, while upholding a commitment to leadership, public service, and quality of life. Mr. Key's presentation will provide an overview of HCTRA's existing infrastructure as well as discuss future plans to improve and expand Greater Houston's mobility options to better serve the public. As... [More Info]

Private Airport Development: Houston Executive Airport and Austin’s Bird’s Nest Airport Andrew D. Perry is an airport executive with more than 13-years of experience in airport management. He brings his passion for aviation and broad business experience to his position as Executive Director for Houston Executive Airport and Vice President of Development for Austin Executive Airport located in Austin, Texas. Perry joined the HEA team in March 2006 to direct the construction and... [More Info]

Overview of SaniTite HDPE Sanitary Sewer Pipe ADS has maintained an ongoing commitment to environmental solutions for more than a century. That commitment has resulted in a new top performing High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) corrugated pipe for the sanitary sewer market. SaniTite Sanitary Sewer HDPE Pipe delivers the features that engineers, contractors and municipalities demand – durability, performance, handling, toughness during installation and simplified field fabrication. Gary... [More Info]

Established in 1975, Brown & Gay Engineers, Inc. provides a comprehensive range of civil engineering and surveying services for municipal, drainage, transportation, traffic, and land and site development projects throughout Texas. Each project is managed by a principal engineer to provide responsiveness through leadership. Brown & Gay Engineers has been ranked in the Top 500 Design firms in the country by Engineering News-Record for the past 5 years, as one of the top 10 Civil and... [More Info]

Fellow Younger Members, A special thanks goes out to everyone who participated in our 2008 NCAA March Madness Bracket Fundraiser! YMF was able to raise enough funds to throw our local student chapters a fantastic graduation party this May. Congratulations to Sean Merrell and Jared Bowlin for winning 1st and 2nd place, respectively, in the tournament! The YMF Graduation Party is open to all YMF members and all civil engineering majors within the University of Houston, Rice University, and... [More Info]

Currently, adjusted assignments to the Houston Branch include 2924 members. Sixty-six percent of all National renewals (1739 members) elected to pay their Texas Section Dues. Finally, 20 members received their Life Membership certificates at the April 15th Dinner Meeting. Thank you for your strong ASCE participation! Please see the ASCE Houston Branch Membership Report for May 2008 for more details and info on how to win prizes.

By Amee Patel After graduating from Texas A&M University in 2002, I immediately entered the “real world” as an enthusiastic, young engineer. I was excited about working for a large corporation and the contributions that I would make. To supplement the next phase in my life, I asked to receive emails from the Engineers Without Borders—Houston Chapter. A friend had mentioned it to me, and the goals of the organization seemed to match my personal ones, as I was eager to make a difference in... [More Info]