the transit ISSN 0041-1167 Chapter Reports Photo: Courtesy of UT Arlington Engineering Research Building University of Texas at Arlington www.chi-epsilon.org of Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Honor Society Fall 2009 • Volume 81 • Number 2 FALL 2009 1 THE TRANSIT CHAPTER ARTICLES FALL 2009 Chapter articles are published only on-line at this web site www.chi-epsilon.org . Odd numbered chapters, 1,3,5, etc., provide their articles by December 15th of each year to appear in the spring. Even numbered chapters, 2,4,6, etc., provide their articles by May 15th of each year, and they appear on-line in the fall. Please enjoy reading the articles from your chapter and others to find out what is happening locally in Chi Epsilon. * Page numbers refer to Chi Epsilon Website CHAPTER PAGE CHAPTER PAGE University of Alabama 3 Michigan State 24 University of Alaska, Fairbanks 3 University of Mississippi 25 Arizona State University 4 University of Missouri 26 Bucknell University 6 Montana State University 27 University of California, Davis 9 New Jersey Institute of Technology 27 University of California, Irvine 9 New Mexico State University 28 University of California at Los Angeles 10 Northeastern University 31 Carnegie Mellon University 11 University of Notre Dame 32 University of Cincinnati 11 Pennsylvania State University 34 Clarkson University 13 Rice University 35 University of Colorado 13 Rugers University 36 The Cooper Union 14 San Diego State University 36 University of Dayton 14 University of South Carolina 37 Drexel University 15 University of Southern California 38 University of Evansville 16 Southern Methodist University 38 Florida Institute of Technology 16 Tennessee Technological University 39 Georgia Institute of Technology 17 Texas A&M University 39 University of Iowa 17 University of Toledo 40 University of Kentucky 18 Trine University 41 Lamar University 18 University of Utah 42 University of Louisville 19 Villanova University 43 Marquette University 20 Virginia Polytechnic Institute 43 University of Maryland 20 University of Virginia 44 University of Massachusetts, Washington University, St. Louis 45 Amherst 21 Wayne State University 46 University of Massachusetts, West Virginia University 48 Lowell 22 University of Wisconsin, Madison 49 University of Miami 22 THE TRANSIT 2 FALL 2009 Chapter Articles Fall 2009 . University of Alabama The initiation ceremony for new chapter members took place on April 7, 2009. On that date, we also elevated Dr. Daniel Turner to Chapter Honor Member status. In April, our chapter hosted the entire National Council so that we could update them on our progress for planning the 2010 National Conclave. Also in April, our chapter organized and hosted the “2009 Honors and Awards Banquet” for the Civil Engineering Department here at UA. At the dinner, we honored University of Alabama civil engineering alumni and gave awards to current students. Outgoing officers: Drew Waldrop, president; Jessica Taylor, vice-president; Trey Blizzard, treasurer/secretary; and Holly Eriksen, marshal/associate editor. New officers: Wesley Sudduth, president; Taylor Schoel , vice-president; Brian Thach, treasurer/secretary; and Kenneth Anderson, marshal/associate editor. University of Alaska, Fairbanks The University of Alaska, Fairbanks chapter of Chi Epsilon had a decent 2008-2009 school year. In February 2008 and 2009, the chapter participated in the College of Engineering’s annual engineering week open house, where local high school students tour and explore the various engineering departments and their many exhibits. The chapter also teamed up with the local Tau Beta Pi chapter to hold tutoring sessions for all math, science, and engineering students. Throughout the spring2008 semester, a few Chi Epsilon members participated in designing and building a steel bridge for the Pacific Northwest Regional Steel Bridge Competition, which was held at Portland State University. Over the last few semesters, the chapter has been participating in the new student orientation as orientations leaders for the incoming students. The current officers for the 2009-2010 school year are: Chad Odem, president; Thomas Tyler Dyer, vice-president; Larry Mosley, treasurer; Jake Horazdovsky, secretary; David Aaron Morse, associate editor; and Trevor Thomas Hyatt, marshal. Dr. Yuri Shur continues to serve as the chapter’s faculty advisor. FALL 2009 3 THE TRANSIT Arizona State University On May 1, 2009, our chapter initiated 21 new members: Mohd Alyousuf, Timothy Cason, Nathan Coolman, Nathan Dunkin, Lesley Ann Eastlick, Laila El-Ashmawy, Cherith Etsitty, Preston Ford, Skye Gentile, Nick Haws, Canio Hoffarth, Terrin Lane, Kevin Lardner, Errolin Maynes, Adam Rumpf, Alma Brenden Saline, Kyle Sargent, Andrew Schmidt, Elizabeth Weil, Brian Yeary, and Nathan Zigler. During the ceremony we also installed new officers: Cherylyn Henry, president; Taylor Ehrick, vice-president; Rebecca Janney, secretary; Chuan Jiang, treasurer; Jesse Cascio, marshal; and Carmen Parks, associate editor. Cherylyn, Taylor, and Rebecca are all returning officers, which should help to make this coming year even more successful than the last. Special thanks to our faculty advisor and Chi Epsilon alumnus Dr. Chris Lawrence, and our outgoing officers that will not be returning: Rebecca Hackel, president; Hanna Look, vice- president; Tina Pourshams, treasurer. The 2008-2009 school year consisted of community and campus involvement for ASU Chi Epsilon. The remainder of this report briefly describes the activities that our chapter is proud to be a part of. For the past four years, our chapter has dedicated part of its community service time to volunteering for the Arizona Ironman, which takes place in Tempe, AZ, and consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile marathon run. Many people who compete in the Ironman do the majority of their fundraising to support various charities and non-profit organizations. ASU Chi Epsilon volunteers guide and encourage the competitors along the bike portion of the course by distributing drinks and cheering them on. Robert Saunders, a past president of ASU Chi Epsilon, organizes two large groups of volunteers for this event each semester. For the past few years, our chapter has participated in the Habitat for Humanity community service project, however this past spring, we opted to participate in Devils in Disguise instead. Devils in Disguise is a day where different organizations at ASU get together and participate in various community service events. Our chapter went to Tempe Christian School to help them with maintenance of their playground. The afternoon was spent clearing weeds and removing an old swing set. One of ASU Chi Epsilon’s biggest events each fall and spring is a series of review sessions for the FE exam. We encourage professors to volunteer to review topics that will be covered on the test. This is a large fundraiser for us because we get undergraduates and professionals to come to our sessions where we charge a reasonable fee. Our review sessions are free to active Chi Epsilon members, and we always get a great turnout for this event. They usually start four weeks prior to the exam with about 2 sessions per week. We get great feedback and continue to improve the review sessions year after year. THE TRANSIT 4 FALL 2009 The 2008-2009 academic year was a successful one. We achieved our goals of continuing our chapter’s involvement in community service activities and developing our relationship with ASCE. We had several socials over the course of the year which included kickball games, happy hour, and several BBQ’s. The socials turned out well, with significant attendance from both Chi Epsilon and ASCE. As a result of the success of these events, a positive and friendly relationship is forming between Chi Epsilon and ASCE, one that we hope to continue building in the coming year. This was also the first year that our chapter has had t-shirts made. The shirts were a huge hit, with nearly all that we ordered being bought. Making shirts is definitely something that we plan to do again in the fall. With this past year at an end and the coming year standing in front of us, we are excited for the continuing growth and success of our chapter. Arizona State University Members Bucknell University Community Service Event: This spring, as an opportunity to give back to the Lewisburg community, our chapter hosted an event enabling boy scouts to obtain their engineering merit badge.The event was held on Bucknell’s campus, within the engineering building. The program allowed for a lot of interaction between our chapter members and a local Boy Scout troop. This experience was quite a success and presented a learning experience for all parties involved. FALL 2009 5 THE TRANSIT Upon arrival, the boy scouts were separated into two groups. Several of the scouts had participated in this event last year where they built bridges out of popsicle sticks and hot glue. Those who were new to this event were placed in the bridge- building group, while those who attended last year enjoyed a new challenge involving building catapults. Chapter member Dale Statler led informal presentations to each group. The lecture for the bridge group involved the basics of bridge design, and the scouts thoroughly enjoyed learning about the concepts. The scouts then broke up into pairs, with at least one member of Chi Epsilon assigned to each pair of boy scouts. Each group drew out the design of the bridge they would like to construct. The Chi Epsilon members were instructed to allow the boy scouts to make the important decisions and only to interject with guidance in order to allow the scouts to think independently. Following their designs the scouts began the construction phase. The bridges were constructed from popsicle sticks and glue, with no limit to the amount of materials used. The judging of the bridges focused on the amount of load sustained with respect to the weight of the bridge, so efficiency was critical to the design.