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Michigan Engineering Conference
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 The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) are working together to host a comprehensive, educational engineering conference on May 9 & 10 at the MSU University Club in Lansing. These groups represent over 5,000 Michigan engineers and over 100 Michigan engineering companies. The Michigan Engineering Conference offers attendees ample opportunity for obtaining professional development hours (PDH's) while gaining knowledge on various engineering topics and networking with peers. It will also offer exposure to new products and services from exhibitors on May 9 as they will be located in the Heritage Room for maximum exposure to attendees from the opening session to the evening reception. ACEC and ASCE will present outstanding project and individual awards during the event on Thursday, May 9. On Friday, May 10, a scholarship golf outing will also be held at the Forest Akers East golf course. A panel of Industry leaders will discuss the state of Michigan's infrastructure and strategies for making improvements. Members of the panel to include: Kirk Steudle, PE Director, MDOT
Bill Creal, Chief Water Resources Division, MEDQ
Dan Wyant, Director, MDEQ (invited)
Dan Gilmartin, Executive Director & CEO Michigan Municipal League
For more information and to register, view and complete the form and return to the Michigan Engineering Center by April 19th. There are special rates for employees of government agencies. |
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MSPE 2013 Annual Conference
| The MSPE Annual Conference has been designed to allow working engineers and
their families a chance to get-away-from-it-all, gain professional development hours, network with colleagues, and enjoy Northern Michigan. The conference will be held June 6-8 at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City.
MSPE has concentrated the education sessions into two days, one weekday and one weekend in order to accommodate members' busy schedules. There are daily opportunities to network with fellow engineers and to earn professional development hours required for license renewal in many states. Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs is currently finalizing the administrative rules for implementation of the continuing education requirement. Michigan's regulations are expected to go into effect starting with this fall's renewals.
MSPE has also negotiated excellent room and golf rates at one of Michigan's premier resorts overlooking Grand Traverse Bay and Traverse City.
For more information and to register, please view and complete the form.
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The MDOT & ACEC Partnering Workshop a HUGE Success! | |
Close to 500 attended the 2013 MDOT-ACEC Partnering Workshop held Thursday, January 31 at the Lansing Center. ACEC/Michigan President Keith Swaffar (NTH Consultants) kicked off the event by highlighting the successes of the ACEC-MDOT partnership and introduced MDOT Director Kirk Steudle.
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MDOT Director Kirk Steudle
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Director Steudle provided the packed house with an update on transportation funding and shared new data that compared how much Michigan invests in their transportation infrastructure compared to other Midwestern states. Michigan invests less money per person on
transportation than all the other Midwestern states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana & Ohio), highlighting why our roads tend to be in poorer condition as well.
Nineteen different educational breakout sessions took place in the morning with teams from MDOT and consultants putting on the presentations. Peter Anastor (MEDC) and Laura Mester (MDOT Chief Administrative Officer) provided a presentation during the general session on Michigan's Statewide Transportation Distribution and Logistics Strategy. Debra Bezzina (U of M Transportation Institute) gave an update on the largest ever national study on Safety Pilot Model Deployment (connected vehicles) taking place in Ann Arbor.
Five roundtables were held in the afternoon to continue discussions from the morning breakout sessions covering finance & contracts, design, construction administration, operations, and planning/multimodal.
Networking took place all day long and continued with a popular ice cream social at the end of the day. Project boards submitted for the 2013 Engineering & Surveying Excellence competition were on display, and the top winners were announced on February 23 at the Engineering & Surveying Excellence Awards.
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Keith Swaffar, ACEC President
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From Left: ACEC Executive Director Ron Brenke, Debra Bezzina, Laura Mester, and Peter Anastor.
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The Block Kids Building Program |
On Saturday, January 26, 2013, at Gilkey Elementary School in Plainwell, Michigan, the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek Chapter #302 of the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) held its Annual "Block Kids" Building Program with assistance from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Southwest Michigan Branch. The Block Kids Building Program is a national building competition that introduces students to the construction and engineering industries, as a way to peak their interest in possible careers, and is supported by the NAWIC Education Foundation.
The program is open to all elementary school students in grades one through six. Each student has one hour and is provided with 100 "Lego" type building blocks, and the option to choose three other items (rock, string, aluminum foil, or poster board), to incorporate into building a structure of their choice (people and animals were not allowed). Volunteer judges from the construction and engineering industry view each student's project and discuss with them what they have constructed with evaluations being recorded on a point system.
A total of 125 students participated, 42 judges from the community volunteered, and 8 parent volunteers assisted. In addition, 40 companies donated goodies, gift certificates, aprons, refreshments, and cash to make the event a success. If you have any questions regarding the Block Kids Program or other K through 12 ASCE outreach programs, please contact Myndi Bacon, PE, at bacon@sme-usa.com. |
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 The annual Architects, Engineers, and Surveyors Legislative Day was held on March 13, 2013 where a total of 132 attendees (79 engineers, 41 architects, 12 surveyors) came to Lansing for face to face meetings with their representatives and senators. Several guest speakers, including MDOT Director Kirk Steudle, LARA Director Steve Arwood, House Fiscal Agency Director Mary Ann Cleary, along with Bureau of Construction Codes Director Irvin Poke and Representative Wayne Schmidt, Chair of the Transportation/Infrastructure Committee, addressed the group in between the meetings. Topics for discussion with legislators included: Transportation Funding, Certificate of Merit, Electronic signatures & seals, and Remonumentation.
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Michigan's Top Engineering & Surveying projects Recognized at Annual ACEC of Michigan Excellence Awards Banquet
 The American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan (ACEC/M) recently honored firms for engineering and surveying excellence during the association's 48th annual Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards Ceremony.
On February 23, engineering professionals and guests gathered at the historic Fillmore Theatre in Detroit to recognize outstanding Michigan engineering and surveying projects from the past year, as well as engineering professionals who have significantly contributed to the profession. The ACEC/M Engineering & Surveying Excellence Awards Program recognizes outstanding efforts of professional design firms to solve clients' needs through exceptional projects, and offers the opportunity to showcase the year's best engineering and surveying achievements to an audience of peers, clients, and decision makers at all levels.
"All of the projects entered in this year's awards program were top-notch projects that positively impact the lives of their users," said Ron Brenke, PE, ACEC Michigan Executive Director. "We are pleased that for nearly five decades, ACEC Michigan has recognized the efforts of firms around the state for their great work."
This year's engineering Eminent Conceptor Award winner was Moore & Bruggink, Inc., Grand Rapids, for the Grandville Clean Water Plant Expansion & Renovation Project. The $23 million project used a first-of- its-kind egg-shaped anaerobic
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Representatives accepting the award from Moore & Bruggink and the City of Grandville
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digester to stabilize biosolids that can be later used as fertilizer.It also captures methane gas that is produced to be used for heat and power, saving the city energy costs. The project was completed six months ahead of schedule, within budget, and kept the existing plant running without interruption during the expansion. The Eminent Conceptor Award is ACEC/M's top honor.
Six firms were honored with the Engineering Honorable Conceptor Award: CDM Smith for the Oakwood Combined Sewer Overflow Facility (Detroit); Greeley and Hansen for the Ann Arbor Residuals Handling Improvements (Ann Arbor); Harley Ellis Devereaux for the Wayne State University Chemistry Building project (Detroit); Wilcox Associates for the M-85 Viaduct Reconstruction (Detroit); URS Great Lakes for the Wadhams Road Bridge over Black River (St. Clair County); and Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber (FTC&H) for the South Haven Water Filtration Plant (South Haven).
 Surveying Honorable Conceptor Awards were presented to Rowe Professional Services Company for the West Oakland Pipeline (Oakland County) and to Spalding DeDecker Associates for the Sewer Investigation Survey for the SRF Segment 3 Repair Program (Waterford).
Engineering Merit Awards were presented to Hubbell, Roth & Clark for the Paint Creek Dam Removal and Stream Restoration (Oakland Twp.); URS Great Lakes for the Mackinac Island Airport (Mackinac Island); FTC&H for the MTU Great Lakes Research Center (Houghton); Wade Trim for the Van Buren Township Water Systems Improvement (Van Buren Twp.); NTH Consultants for the NSO Bell Building Renovation (Detroit); Prein&Newhof for the City of Allegan Water Treatment Plant (Allegan); Wightman & Associates for the Pokagon Community Center (Benton Harbor); C&S Companies for the Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport Ground Run-up Facility (Detroit); Wade Trim for the Allen Park SSO Tunnel and Relief Sewer (Allen Park), and Hubbell Roth & Clark for the Wayne County Interceptor System Rehabilitation.
The Judges' Choice Award for Board Design was given to FTC&H for the project board designed to 'tell the story' of the MTU Great Lakes Research Center project in Houghton, MI.
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OHM Advisors, ACEC Firm of the Year
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This year's ACEC/M Vernon B. Spalding Leadership Award was presented to
Douglas Watson, PE, President & CEO of Wade Trim to honor his outstanding leadership roles in ACEC and several community organizations. The ACEC Felix A. Anderson Image Award was presented to Kirk Steudle, PE, State Transportation Director for his actions and contributions to enhance the image of the profession. Livonia-based OHM Advisors was named 2013 ACEC/M Firm of the Year.
For more information on the projects and award winners, please contact ACEC/M at (517) 332-2066 or visit their web site at www.acecmi.org
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ASCE Networking Dinner
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The Lansing-Jackson Branch of the ASCE Michigan Section will be holding a networking dinner in Lansing on April 3. This is an exciting opportunity to meet new and upcoming engineers, experienced professionals, soon-to-be graduates, and potential employers! Details as follows:
Radisson Lansing
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2013 ACEC Scholarship Winners | Scholarship recipients were also honored during the Engineering & Surveying Excellence banquet on February 23. ACEC of Michigan's Scholarship Program was created to promote the profession and to provide financial support to those pursuing careers in engineering and surveying. On an annual basis, the Council awards scholarships to deserving college students who are enrolled in an ABET accredited engineering or surveying program. Recipients of the awards are evaluated in the following areas: work experience, extra-curricular and community activity, references, grade point average, and a written essay. Applicants must also have worked for a private engineering, architectural, or surveying firm to be considered for a scholarship award. Congratulations to the 2013 ACEC Scholarship winners!
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From Left: Thomas Stroup, Souzan Hanna, Julie Roberts, and Shay Irving.
Not Pictured: Logan Praay
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Scholarship winners:
Shay Irving, ACEC's top scholarship winner of $5,000, attends Michigan State University where he studies Civil Engineering.
Thomas Stroup, winner of $3,000, studies Civil Engineering at Michigan Technological University.
Souzan Hanna, winner of $2,000 in scholarships, attends Lawrence Technological University majoring in Civil Engineering.
Julie Roberts, scholarship winner of $2,000, attends University of Detroit-Mercy where she majors in Civil Engineering with a minor in Leadership.
Logan Praay, winner of the Professional Concepts Insurance Agency $1,000 scholarship, majors in surveying engineering at Ferris State University.
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2013 ASCE Scholarship Information & Section Award Nominations |
Scholarship Information:
The Michigan Section of ASCE encourages the advancement of the Civil Engineering profession by qualified and interested students. ASCE offers financial support through two scholarships, the Mackinac Scholarship and Zuidema Scholarship. The Mackinac Scholarship, named in honor of Michigan's #1 Civil Engineering Project of the 20th Century, is intended to recognize a premier civil engineering student from Michigan. The scholarship recipient will receive a two year grant of $5,000 each year totaling $10,000. The Zuidema Scholarship, named in honor of an outstanding Past-President of the Michigan Section and the Western Michigan Branch of ASCE, Marvin L. Zuidema, is presented annually to a student member of ASCE who has made a contribution in the advancement of the student engineering activities. This award will consists of a one time grant of $1,500. The scholarship application deadline is Memorial Day, May 27th. For more information and to apply for scholarships, please click here.
Section Awards Information:
The Michigan Section of ASCE also presents annual awards including the Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Award, Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award, Quality of Life Award, Young Civil Engineer of the Year Award, and the Franklin D. Meyers Civil Engineer of the Year Award.
For more information and the award requirements, please click here to view the form. The deadline for each award application is April 20th,and all awards will be presented at the annual Michigan Engineering Conference on May 9th.
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2013 SAVE THE DATES! |
April 3 - ASCE Lansing Jackson Branch Networking Dinner, Radisson, Lansing April 9 - Health Care Reform Act Seminar, Fleis & VandenBrink, Grand Rapids April 24 - Fraud, Risk & Prevention for Consulting Firms, Crystal Gardens Banquet Center, Howell May 9-10, 2013 - ACEC & ASCE Michigan Engineering Conference, University Club, Lansing June 6 - 8, 2013 - MSPE Annual Conference, Grand Traverse Resort, Traverse City |
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Engineering Center | Questions about engineering?
Please contact:
Ron Brenke, PE Executive Director ACEC & ASCE 517-332-2066
Nancy McClain, PE
Executive Director
MSPE 517-487-9388 |
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