1 Volume 73 Issue 1 Spring 2009
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Volume 73 Issue 1 Spring 2009 1 A Message From ... Dr. Christopher Silver, Dean Dr. Abdol Chini, Director We are back from a much needed Greetings BCN Gators! I am holiday break, and with a great pleased to present the spring 2009 deal of unfinished, but exciting, issue of the Orange and Blueprints business to attend to in the Col- that serves as a vital link between lege. We have launched internally the Rinker School and its alumni a new Web site that will soon be and friends. We continually strive available to the outside world once to strengthen and broaden ties to our the finishing touches have been ap- constituency and promote the excel- plied. We hope you’ll like the new lence and prestige of our program. look, but more importantly, we hope it will give you easier access In the pursuit of excellence, we ded- to the rich array of our programs, icate ourselves to providing students activities and accomplishments. with the highest quality academic training and preparation to meet the One of our College’s most ambitious new undertakings is par- challenges of a rapidly changing world. The integration of Build- ticipation in the Solar Decathlon Europe, an initiative head- ing Information Modeling (BIM) in the BCN curriculum and offer- ed by the Rinker School’s Dr. Robert Ries but also including ing a new undergraduate course in high performance buildings are building construction professors Dr. James Sullivan and Dr. among the most recent additions to the BCN program. The Holder Russell Walters, architecture professors Mark McGlothlin, Construction Company has graciously agreed to provide financial Ruth Ron and Bradley Walters, interior design professor Mar- support to develop a BIM laboratory to facilitate BIM training. uja Torres and doctoral student Dereck Winning. This proj- ect will engage students from all of our disciplines, as well as The Rinker School’s 70th anniversary celebration and fund- some from other UF colleges, to design, build and operate a raiser for an endowed professorship in Jacksonville on Oc- marketable dwelling which can function off the power grid. tober 18, 2008, was an exciting event and a successful fund- And then, somehow, we need to get that product to Madrid, raiser. I would like to thank the hard work and efforts of the Spain, by summer 2010 to participate in the competition. planning committee and generous support of the sponsors. We’ll keep you posted about our progress on our Web site. The celebration generated more than $100,000 for the 70th anniversary endowed professorship. The fundraising for the Even with the ongoing fiscal challenges we face here in Endowed Professorship for Construction Services also had Gainesville, we are still seeking to strengthen our education- a successful year. Thanks to generosity of our industry lead- al offerings. With funding provided by the Provost’s office, ers (see the list on page 9) more than $400,000 was raised. we are recruiting a new faculty member to teach in our ever popular sustainability course, and to support our new Bach- Our students should be recognized for their achievements at the elor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment. 2008 Southeast ASC/AGC Regional Competition in Jacksonville. This complements the existing graduate-level concentrations The Construction Management Team emerged with the 2008 in sustainable construction, sustainable architecture and sus- Regional Championship and will travel to San Diego in March tainable design. In addition, DCP faculty are working through to compete in the national competition. The Heavy/Civil team a campus committee to develop a graduate concentration ranked second. Congratulations to the team members and their in sustainability that is likely to be housed in our College. faculty coaches, Professor Mike Cook and Dr. Edward Minchin. Finally, it is worth mentioning that we are developing new inter- I would like to express my deepest regret about the passing of national opportunities for our students, one being an exchange Bill Lassiter, a member of the BCN Construction Hall of Fame, program with the building construction program at National in January 2009. Bill and his wife, Aneice, have been very gener- University of Singapore, and another with the University of ous supporters of the Rinker School, but far more important is the Technology, Jamaica. By providing our students with oppor- loss of an absolutely fine person whom we all will miss greatly. tunities to complete at least some of their course work within distinctively different quality environments, we will produce Finally, I would like to express my most sincere appreciation to all graduates even more prepared to make an impact in the field. our loyal alumni and friends for their generous financial support of the Rinker School. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the Of course, we are excited in DCP about the Gators’ latest tri- support of our Advisory Council Executive Committee members. umph in football, but we are just as excited about triumphs They are indeed excellent friends and advisors. In these times to come as we continue to lead on the academic and profes- of diminishing resources from the State, your continued assis- sional fronts. Thanks for your support and encouragement. tance is essential to maintaining the high quality of our program. 2 Orange & Blueprints M.E. Rinker, Sr. a bi-annual publication School of Building Construction 304 Rinker Hall Table of Contents PO Box 115703 Executive Committee.............................. 4 Gainesville, FL 32611-5703 In Memory of Bill Lassiter ....................... 5 Phone: (352) 273-1150 Industry Focus Group ............................. 5 Fax: (352) 392-9606 Alumni in Higher Education .................... 6 www.bcn.ufl.edu Lessons Learned..................................... 6 Friends and Donors................................. 7 Major Donors ......................................... 8 Dr. Christopher Silver Endowments........................................... 9 Dean of the College of Design, Construction & Planning Alumni Updates...................................... 10-13 Dr. Abdol Chini Regional Clubs ...................................... 13-14 Director of the Rinker School of Building Construction In Memoriam.......................................... 15 Dr. Paul Oppenheim Homecoming.......................................... 16 Director of Undergraduate Programs Construction Hall of Fame...................... 16 Dr. Raymond Issa Distinguished Alumnus........................... 16 Director of Master’s Programs 1983 Class Reunion............................... 17 Dr. Ian Flood Fall 2008 Career Fair.............................. 18 Coordinator of Ph.D. Programs Fall 2008 Welcome Reception................ 18 Dr. Kevin Grosskopf Fall 2008 Convocation............................ 19 Director of the Center for Collective Centers................................................... 20-21 Protection in the Built Environment Workshops............................................. 21 Dr. Charles Kibert Conferences........................................... 21 Director of the Powell Center for Guest Lectures....................................... 22 Construction and Environment Sponsorships......................................... 23 Dr. Robert Stroh Scholarships.......................................... 24 Director of the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies BCN Field Trip........................................ 25 Dr. Jimmie Hinze BIM......................................................... 25 Director of the Fluor Program for Construction Safety Student Exchange Program................... 26 Student Competition Teams................... 27 Student Club Activities........................... 27-28 Editors: Faculty News.......................................... 28-29 Ginny Hoyle & Kim Stanley The Charles R. Perry Construction Yard. 30 [email protected] or [email protected] Front cover photographs: Correction: Top left: BCN Construction Management Team page 27 On page 14 of the Fall 2008 edition of Top right: Construction Hall of Fame Induction page 16 the BluePrints [Volume 72, Issue 2], Middle: BCN graduates listen during the Fall 2008 Convocation page 19 the title for Mr. Kevin Bowen of Bovis Bottom left: BCN Class of 1983 Reunion page 17 Lend Lease, Inc. should have read “SVP Bottom right: The BCN 2008 Homecoming parade float page 16 Principal in Charge.” SHOW YOUR RINKER SCHOOL PRIDE To purchase items, contact Daphne Choice by phone at (352) 273-1150 or by e-mail at [email protected] BCN Polo Shirts (S, M, X, XL, XXL) BCN Coffee Mug BCN Portfolio Blue and White $5 $20 $30 3 BCN Advisory Council Executive Committee The BCN Advisory Council Executive Committee held its bi-an- Chip Reid, John Sofarelli, Ray Southern, Kim Stanley, Wayne Wad- nual meeting on October 24, 2008, at Rinker Hall. The Commit- sworth, Karl Watson, Jr., Breck Weingart, and Louie Wise. tee discussed current efforts toward fundraising for the Endowed Professorship for Construction Services. Other topics of discus- sion included an update of the curriculum review, other fundrais- ing activities, and BCN Regional Club updates. The Committee implemented the “Class Challenge Gift,” which will be a competi- tion between each graduating class to get the highest percentage of alumni donating to the school annually. The Executive Committee is proud to announce the addition of John Gooding and Karl Watson, Jr. John is President of Deerbrook, Inc. and is a BCN 1984 alum. He has 25 years of commercial and residential