2004 Student Chapter Annual Report
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Calendar Year: January 1 – December 31, 2004
Postmark Deadline: February 15, 2005
Send with $25 ASCE Student Group Annual Dues to:
American Society of Civil Engineers
1801 Alexander Bell Drive
Reston, Virginia 20191-4400
Attn: Student Services
ASCE STUDENT CHAPTER/STUDENT CLUB/INTERNATIONAL STUDENT GROUP
CALENDAR YEAR REPORT INFORMATION
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
PART I – RECORDS
Part I of the report asks for objective records relating to leadership, membership, finances, meetings, and contacts.
A. TRANSMITTAL
School Name: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Faculty Advisor Name: Victoria Mouras
Faculty Advisor ASCE Member Number: 354328
ASCE Student Group Mailing Address: 200 Patton Hall
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24060
Faculty Advisor E-mail Address: vmouras@vt.edu
Faculty Advisor Phone Number: 540-231-7148
Fax Number: 540-231-7532
ASCE Student Group E-mail Address: asce@vt.edu
ASCE Student Group Office Phone Number: (540) 231 – 3145
Month of Officer Elections: February
Practitioner Advisor #1 Name: Mike Biscotte
Practitioner Advisor #1 ASCE Member Number: 196166
(A Practitioner Advisor is a member of the ASCE Section/Branch in your area who has been appointed by the
Section/Branch President to serve as a contact between your ASCE Student Group and the practitioners in the
Section/Branch.)
(Please print & sign names)
Report submitted by:
Contents approved by:
Andrea Jenkins
Secretary of ASCE Student Group
David Avery
President of ASCE Student Group
David Avery
President of ASCE Student Group
Victoria Mouras
Faculty Advisor
Date
Mike Biscotte
Practitioner Advisor #1
1
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
B. ASCE STUDENT GROUP OFFICERS
Please print name of officers during the 2004 calendar year by date of office.
From (date): February 11, 2003 To: February 26, 2004
From (date): February 27, 2004 To: February 21, 2005
President
President
Matthew Hogan
David Avery
Vice President Mark Kacmarcik
Vice President Jenn Zinck
Secretary Jessa Corton
Secretary Andrea Jenkins
Treasurer Kati Drzewianowski (2/10/03 – 9/10/03)
Pam Haldeman ( 9/10/03 - 2/18/04)
Treasurer Matt Shevland
Please list additional officers below:
Publicity Melissa Cook
Publicity Genevieve Smith
Activities Aaron Hacker
Activities Kyle Murphy
Student Engineering Council (SEC)
Representative Stephen Bolin
SEC Representative
Jon Hurff and Amy Lovless
Student Government Association (SGA)
Representative Danny Giordano
Web Page Heather Spencer (2/11/03 - 10/15/03)
Stephen McElroy ( 10/15/03 - 2/18/04)
Web Page Director James Cape
Concrete Canoe Chair Jennifer Howes
Concrete Canoe Chair Andrew Mericle
and Joe Kantor
Steel Bridge Chairs Krista Schuler, Anna Dix,
and Josh Mouras
Steel Bridge Chairs Josh Mouras, Anthony Verdi,
Chris Weaver, and Jon Hurff
Concrete For Kids Chair Sarah Deck and
Alanoud Al-Raqam
Concrete For Kids Chair Lisa Mandigo
Membership Alanoud Al-Raqam
Membership Brett Randolph
VA Conference Chair Sean Kluckman
Intramural Sports
2
Jon Hurff
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
C. MEMBERSHIP
Statistical information below will be used to tabulate a score of the ASCE Student Group activities on page 8.
Is attendance at ASCE Student Group meetings mandatory?
(yes)
X
(no)
ASCE Student Groups will not be penalized if attendance is mandatory. Scoring is adjusted to
accommodate for mandatory attendance – points for attendance will be excluded from the raw score total
and S(I)max will be 80. See review and rating sheet on page 11.
National ASCE Membership is
X
(voluntary)
(compulsory)
Total number of Juniors & Seniors eligible to join ASCE (number of Jr. & Sr. with CE declared major): 324
Total number of Juniors & Seniors in your ASCE Student Group: 188
Number of members of your ASCE Student Group: 305
Number of ASCE Student Group members who are National ASCE Student Members: 248
Please attach two lists of members: 1) List of your ASCE Student Group members and their years in school, and 2)
List of National ASCE Student Members. Membership lists should be included as Attachment A of the ASCE
Student Group Annual Report.
Statistical information (you will use this on page 8):
(Total Jr. & Sr. ASCE Student Group Members)  (Total Jrs. & Srs. Eligible) =
(Total National Student Members)  (Total Local Student Members) =
188/324 = 0.58
248/305 = 0.81
D. FINANCE
Local Membership dues: $ 10
per
Year
(year, semester, quarter, etc.)
National Membership dues: $0 per calendar year
Source of ASCE Student Group income other than dues. List sources and amounts:
Checking Account Initial:
Membership Dues:
Course Pack Sales: Profit:
Virginia Section ASCE Grant:
Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
$4429
$2390
$2441
$1000
$19,555
Financial position as of December 31, 2004:
Cash Balance:
$ 10,265
Accounts Receivable:
$ 29,615
Accounts Payable:
$ 19,350
3
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
E. SUMMARY OF MEETINGS
ASCE STUDENT GROUP MEETINGS
Meetings to which the general membership of the ASCE Student Group is invited should be recorded here. All
meetings reported in this Section must be arranged and sponsored by the ASCE Student Group. Include joint
meetings, technical and professional meetings, field trips and social functions. Do not report attendance at meetings
or functions hosted or sponsored by other ASCE or outside groups.
(Briefly describe program. Include
name of speaker if applicable.)
2/10
PM
NCEES, speaker Mike Shannon
52
1
2/26
PM
Roanoke Memorial Hospital
Addition, speaker Dick Pennock
27
3/2
PM
Martin Marietta Materials, speaker
Ed Merriman
24
3/23
PM
US Navy Civil Engineer Corps,
speaker Lt. Yvonne Lyda
21
3/25
FT
Kent Square Construction, tour
guide Chris Grogan (Tindall)
27
4/15
PM
Anderson and Associates, speaker
Paula Moore and Alan Schuetz
22
4/25
SF
Spring Picnic
135
4/28
Ethics
“Ethics in Civil Engineering”,
speaker Jim Lowe
32
5/4
PM
Structural Group, speakers Don
Kline and Carrie Riddle
22
9/7
SF
9/14
PM
9/28
PM & PP
Fall Icebreaker Event
Dewberry, speakers Tim Belcher,
Jeff Robson, and Sam Bertolino
“Should I attend graduate
school?”, speakers Dr. Plaut and
graduate students
4
144
4
1
53
60
Other
(Use abbreviations
below; list all that
apply.)
Practitioner
Advisor(s)
Program
Faculty
Activity Type
Students
Date
Faculty
Advisor
Attendance
(give numbers)
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
10/12
PM
Waterford Restoration Project
41
10/14
FT
Lane Stadium West Sideline
Expansion, tour guide Peter
Kapsidelis (Turner Construction)
19
10/26
PM
11/9
PM
12/7
PM & SF
Job offers and Career Decisions,
speaker Laura Yu Hickerson
34
1
Leaning Tower of Pisa, speaker
Rob Dean
45
1
US Army Corps of Engineers and
Reconstruction in Iraq, speaker
Vickie Mouras; Holiday Party
62
3
1
Meeting
Abbreviation
PM
Statistical Information:
Number of Professional Meetings (business & technical presentation):
PP
Number of student talks or paper presentations at ASCE Student Group meetings: 1
Ethics
Number of meeting with Professional Conduct (Ethics) programs:
FT
Number of ASCE Student Group sponsored field trips:
SF
Number of ASCE Student Group sponsored social functions:
12
1
2
3
Average attendance at 10 most populated ASCE Student Group meetings (if fewer than 10 meetings
were held, average all meetings):
66
(Average attendance)  (Total student ASCE Student Group members) = 66/305 = 0.22
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
E. SUMMARY OF MEETINGS (continued)
SECTION/BRANCH MEETINGS
Date
Location
Name of Section/
Branch Host
# of ASCE
Students Present
# of Section/Branch
Members Present
2/24
Roanoke, VA
Roanoke Branch
5
unknown
3/24
Blacksburg,
VA
VT ASCE/ Roanoke
Branch Joint Meeting
10
unknown
4/14/3
Morgantown,
WV
West Virginia
University
45
Unknown
5/275/29
Boulder, CO
Colorado School of
Mines
18
unknown
10/15
Blacksburg,
VA
VT ASCE/ Roanoke
Branch Joint Meeting
~50
unknown
10/2210/23
Baltimore,
MD
Civil Engineering
Conference &
Exposition
8
Unknown
Statistical Information:
Did your ASCE Student Group host at least one ASCE Section/Branch/Technical group meeting? Yes
Did your ASCE Student Group attend any ASCE Section/Branch/Technical group meetings as noted above?
Yes
If yes, what was the total number of students who attended?
6
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
F. IMPORTANT CONTACTS
Contact Name
Phone/E-mail
Mailing Address
Comments
Dr. Ray Plaut
540.231.6072
plaut@vt.edu
200 Patton Hall
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24060
Graduate School Coordinator/
Chi Epsilon Advisor.
Conducts grad. school meeting
every spring sem.
Jim Lowe
540.857.3263
jklowe@hsmm.com
1315 Franklin Road
P.O. Box 13446
Roanoke, VA 24034
Laura Yu Hickerson
540.231.6241
laurayu@vt.edu
Career Services
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Carrie Riddle
703.451.4300
criddle@vt.edu
Structural Group
Speaker for chapter meeting
rdean@hsmm.com
HSMM Engineer.
Speaker for chapter meeting.
Jeff Robson
703.849.0504
jrobson@vt.edu
Dewberry Human Resources.
Speaker for chapter meeting.
John Martin
703.674.1300
Kimley-Horn and Associates
Engineer
Speaker for chapter meeting.
Chris Grogan
804.862.6353 ext. 358
Peter Kapsidelis
540.231.5791
pkapsidelis@tcco.com
Turner Construction Company.
Lane Stadium Expansion field
trip.
Ken Anderson
Anderson@andassoc.com
Anderson and Associates.
Speaker for chapter meeting
Ed Merriman
919.788.4364
Ed.Merriman@martinmar
ietta.com
Martin Marietta Materials.
Speaker for chapter meeting
Lt. Yvonne Lyda
877.805.6791
yvonne@navy.mil
Mike Shannon
864.654.6824
mshannon@ncees.org
Jay T. McInnis
540.344.7939
jmcginnis@fandr.com
Rob Dean
john.martin@kimley-horn.com
Taught Professional and Legal
Issues Course. Conducts
Ethics Presentation
CEE Career Services Rep.
Conducts career related
meetings for ASCE
Tindall Corp: Project Manager
for Kent Square Project
chrisgrogan@tindallcorp.com
6506 Hampton Blvd.
Norfolk, VA 235081278
US Navy Civil Engineer Corps.
Speaker for chapter meeting
Nat'l Council of Examiners for
Engineering and Surveying.
Speaker for chapter meeting
(professionalism & licensure).
30 Vela Circle
Roanoke, VA 24019
7
ASCE Roanoke Branch
President. Contact for joint
meetings, field trips, etc.
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Megan Schuerger
shugz34@hotmail.com
WVU ASCE President.
Hosting 2004 Regional
Conference. Good to ask
questions to that our chapter
might have next year.
Sean Kluckman
540.449.2795
sluckma@vt.edu
VT 2005 Regional Conference
Chairman. 2003 Concrete
Canoe Co-Captain.
Mike Biscotte
703.407.6004
mbiscotte@hsmm.com
1315 Franklin Road
P.O. Box 13446
Roanoke, VA 24034
VT CEE Alumni Advisory
Board Member, our practioner
advisor, and speaker for the
chapter meetings.
SKW-MBT
216.831.5500
www.masterbuilders.com
23700 Chargin Blvd.
Cleveland, OH 44122
Helps to sponsor concrete
canoe.
Ping Wei
703.295.6100
pwei@asce.org
1801 Alexander Bell Dr.
Reston, VA 201914400
The person to contact with any
questions regarding chapter
concerns or questions.
Personal Touch
Catering
540.857.3203
103-A Owens Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24060
Caters our annual spring
banquet.
Blacksburg Parks &
Recreation
Department
540.961.1135
615 Patrick Henry Dr.
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Hold our spring picnic at the
park.
G. ATTACHMENTS
See ATACHMENT B for samples of meeting announcements, programs, and agendas.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
PART II - ACTIVITIES
A. PARTICIPATION IN STUDENT REGIONAL CONFERENCE & WSCL
1.
Did your ASCE Student Group attend a Student Regional Conference during the year?
Name of Conference Virginia’s Conference
Date April 1-3
Location West Virginia University
Number of representatives attending: 45 students, 5 faculty and advisors
Did your ASCE Student Group host or co-sponsor this Student Regional Conference? No
If yes, please attach a “Special Project Report” as described on page 6.
2.
Did your ASCE Student Group attend a Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders (WSCL) during the year? No
WSCL City Dates Number of Representatives:
0
Student(s)
0
Advisory Personnel (Faculty and/or Practitioner)
B. ASCE STUDENT GROUP NEWSLETTER & HOMEPAGE
1.
Does the ASCE Student Group prepare its own newsletter? No, ASCE Student activities are included in the
department newsletter, although sections on ASCE activities are prepared by ASCE student members
Number of issues during Annual Report year: None
Are copies regularly distributed to the following? (Answer YES or NO)
Practitioner Advisor(s): No
Section/Branch President: No
District Director: No
ASCE Headquarters: No
2.
Does the ASCE Student Group maintain a homepage on the Internet? Yes
If yes, what is the address? http://asce.cee.vt.edu/
See Attachment C for a print out of our ASCE Student Group website.
C. PRESENTATIONS OUTSIDE OF THE ASCE STUDENT GROUP
Did any student members of your ASCE Student Group make presentations outside of the ASCE Student Group
meeting?
yes
If yes, how many presentations were made? 1
List student name and presentation title with the date, location, and name of event sponsor below for each
presentation:
Jenny Howes, Jessica Corton, Matt Hogan, Mark Kazmarcik, and Joe Kantor "American Chopper"
3 April 2004, Morgantown, Virginias Conference
D. PARTICIPATION IN ASCE STUDENT MEAD CONTEST
Did a member of your ASCE Student Group submit a paper to the National Daniel W. Mead Student Paper Contest
during the year of this report? No
Author Title of Paper -
9
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
E. ASCE CIVIL ENGINEERING CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION
Was your ASCE Student Group represented at the ASCE Civil Engineering Conference & Exposition held during
the year of this report?
Yes
If yes, how many students attended? 8
Did your Faculty and/or Practitioner Advisor attend? Yes
How were your travel & other expenses covered? (i.e., Chapter funds, civil engineering department, individuals, a
combination of sources) Chapter Funds partially provided by Virginia Tech’s Civil and Engineering Department
F. ASCE STUDENT GROUP ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS
See ATTACHMENT D for brief summaries of meetings and other activities.
G. SPECIAL PROJECTS
See ATTACHMENT E for report on special projects.
PART IV
ASCE STUDENT GROUP OBJECTIVES
See ATTACHMENT E for report on special projects.
10
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
PART VI – STATISTICAL INPUT
The information requested in this section is drawn from the numbers your ASCE Student Group reports in Parts I &
II. A review committee will compute scores using the Review & Rating Sheet located on page 11. Use the review
and rating sheet as a guide to see which direction your ASCE Student Group could develop.
Please refer to Parts I and II of the report to fill in the required information below. The location of the required
information within the report is noted. Also included below are CSA comments (in italics) relative to each
review/rating item. The CSA encourages you to consider these comments when setting goals and planning activities
for your ASCE Student Group.
Recorded in Part I. C. (Page 2)
1. a. (Total Jr. & Sr. ASCE Student Group Members) (Total Jr. & Sr. Eligible) = 0.58
b. (Total National Student Members)  (Total Local Student Members) = 0.81
Membership numbers are impressive but remember that there is always growth potential. Encourage
local members to become National members. National membership allows your members to take
advantage of the same valuable benefits available to civil engineering professionals. Invite local
Section/Branch members, faculty, and practitioners to speak on the importance of professional
membership and what employers are looking for on the resumes of graduates.
Recorded in Part I. E. (Pages 3-4)
2. Number of Professional Meetings
12
You can work with your current membership, Department Chair/Head and faculty, local Section/Branch
leadership, and Faculty/Practitioner Advisors to bring in professionals who will be willing to share their
experiences with you.
3. Number of student talks or papers at ASCE Student Group meetings
1
It is always a good idea to have student members discuss their internship/summer work experiences. They
can present design project results as well. Meetings consisting of well prepared student presentations are
usually quite interesting.
4. Number of meetings with Licensure/Ethics programs
2
This is an oft overlooked item. See if you can find someone local that has been faced with a moral/ethical
dilemma in an engineering setting and ask them to speak on the topic. It can really get the students
talking and thinking about ethical behavior. Another suggestion might be to ask a local professional
engineer (PE) to join one of your meetings and speak on the importance of registration and the steps
involved to becoming licensed in your state.
5. Number of ASCE Student Group sponsored field trips 2
Try connecting with faculty that organize class field trips. If you can open a trip up to all ASCE students,
then you can count it as an ASCE field trip. Remember that field trips are an excellent way to tie
classroom knowledge to real-life projects that your chapter members will soon be working on.
6. Number of ASCE Student Group sponsored social functions
3
Social activities are a great way to introduce your current members and ASCE Student Group activities
to faculty, Section/Branch members, new freshman, and community college transfer students. Always
remember that a primary objective of your ASCE Student Group should be to have fun!
7. (Average Meeting Attendance)  (Total Local Student Members) =
66/305 = 0.22
A key to a successful ASCE Student Group is getting as many people involved as possible. The ASCE
Student Group officers are often relied upon to do a bulk of the work. The more members you have
attending meetings, the greater opportunity for committee development and sharing of responsibilities.
11
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
8. Did your ASCE Student Group host at least one ASCE Section/Branch/Technical group meeting? Yes
A partnership between your ASCE Student Group and the local Section/Branch is a great way for your
membership to meet local professionals with common career interests. This activity could involve a social
activity (i.e. BBQ, softball game, etc.) to attract more attendees.
9. Number of students who attended an ASCE Section/Branch/Technical group meeting
5
If you show up at Section/Branch meetings, all sorts of good things can happen. Section/Branch members
will likely feel more kindly about providing funding, speakers, field trips, and other forms of support.
Students can also make contacts that will lead to employment. You should consider hosting!
Recorded in Part II. A. (Page 5)
10. Number of representatives that attended the ASCE Regional Conference
45
Remember that there is more to regional conferences than the competitions. It is a great place to trade
ideas with other schools and to make friends that may have an influence on your career in the future. It is
good to send as many members as possible. Many schools have student members pay some or all of their
travel expenses so that they can take even more team members.
11.a. Did your ASCE Student Group send student representation to the WSCL? No
b. Did your ASCE Student Group send Advisory (Faculty or Practitioner) representation to the WSCL?
No
The WSCL is an extremely valuable ASCE National event that benefits your program directly. Send as
many of the officers as you can, and make sure that your faculty and practitioner advisors understand the
importance of their participation as well. This is where you learn what ASCE is all about and gain tools
for making your ASCE Student Group the most effective that it can be.
Recorded in Part II. B. (Page 5)
12.a. Number of ASCE Student Group Newsletter issues published 0
b. Does the ASCE Student Group maintain a homepage? Yes
Newsletters and web sites work together to keep your members and benefactors informed as to what you
are doing. Newsletters help remind people to check out your web site. Your web site, if well maintained,
can provide the latest information about activities. The combination can really make a difference.
Recorded in Part II. C. (Page 5)
13. Number of presentations by an ASCE Student Member made outside an ASCE Student Group
meeting
1
Check into making presentations to your local Section/Branch or to local civic groups. You can talk
about your performance at regional conference, special projects, etc. Also, sharing your ASCE Student
Group activities with local elementary, middle-school, and high school youth is a great way to share
information on your college and future profession. Many opportunities exist – investigate! Remember
that speaking outside the ASCE Student Group represents an excellent marketing/promotion opportunity.
Plus, the individual speakers learn and practice valuable communication skills.
Recorded in Part II. D. (Page 6)
14. Did a member of your ASCE Student Group submit a Mead Paper to National ASCE? No
This is a wonderful opportunity to explore engineering ethics topics that are overlooked by the vast
majority of the ASCE Student Groups. Check out the paper competition rules and topic on the ASCE web
site at http://www.asce.org/inside/stud_chapacts.cfm.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Recorded in Part II. E. (Page 6)
15.a. Number of student members attending the ASCE Civil Engineering Conference & Exposition
8
b. Did your Faculty Advisor attend? Yes
The National Conference and Exposition is an excellent opportunity for ASCE Student Group members to
participate in technical sessions, field trips, and Younger Member activities while meeting and networking
with students, faculty, and industry professionals from around the world.
13
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
SAMPLE – DO NOT COMPLETE!
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
STUDENT GROUP REVIEW AND RATING SHEET
ASCE Student Group Name:
Numbers recorded in Part VI (Statistical Input) should be placed in the first blank of the computation column for the respective category.
Multiply this number by the indicated value to produce the score. A maximum is given for every category score.
Category
Computation
Maximum
1. Membership
a.
b.
10
x 5=
x 5=
2. ASCE Student Group Meetings (Professional)
x 1=
10
3. ASCE Student Group Meetings (Student Talks/Papers)
x 1=
6
4. ASCE Student Group Meetings (Professional Licensure / Ethics)
x 1=
3
5. ASCE Student Group Meetings (Field Trips)
x 1=
6
6. ASCE Student Group Meetings (Social Functions)
x 1=
2
7. ASCE Student Group Meetings (Attendance)
x 10=
10
4 points for YES
4
9. Section/Branch Meetings (Attendance)
x 0.5=
9
10. Regional Conference Attendance
x 1=
8
Score
(Enter 0 if attendance is mandatory)
8. Section/Branch Meetings (Host)
11. Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders
4 points for a. or b. YES
6 points for a. and b. YES
6
12. Newsletters & Web Site
a.
x 2=
b. 2 points for YES
4
13. Presentations outside of ASCE Student Group
x 2=
6
14. Mead Paper
2 points for YES
2
15. ASCE National Civil Engineering Conference & Exposition
a.
x 1=
b. 2 points for YES
4
PART I – RAW SCORE TOTAL
PART I SCORE (Percentage)
Raw Score=
Adjusted Score = Raw Score * (90 / S(I)max)
S(I)max = 90 for schools w/o mandatory attendance
S(I)max = 80 for schools with mandatory attendance
90
S(I)=
PART II SCORE (For Special Projects)
Subjective Rating (0 to 40 points)
GUIDE: 0 pts No Project
10 pts Minor Project(s)
20 pts Average Projects(s)
30 pts Above Average Project(s)
40
S(II)=
PART III SCORE (For Report Presentation)
Subjective Rating (0 to 3 points)
3
S(III)=
PART IV SCORE (For ASCE Student Group
Objectives & Fulfillment)
Subjective Rating (0 to 7 points)
7
S(IV)=
TOTAL SCORE
S(I)x{[90-S(II)] / 90} + S(II) + S(III) + S(IV)=
100
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
ATTACHMENT E (use additional pages if necessary)
SPECIAL PROJECTS REPORT COVER SHEET
Project Title:
Number of Students Who Worked on the Project:
Number of Person-Hours Spent on the Project:
Percent of ASCE Student Group Membership Who Worked on the Project:
Student group goals and objectives that were addressed during the course of this project:
Project Abstract:
Table of Contents:
15
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Report Attachments
Table of Contents
Please attach additional information requested throughout the report in an organized manner. Attachments A-G
should consist of the information stated below. Please fill in the page number of the report where the information is
located.
Attachment
Description
Page
A
Local & National Member List(s)
18
B
Sample Meeting Announcements, Programs, Agendas, etc.
27
C
Sample Newsletter and/or Print-out of Web site
26
D
Activity Highlights (One-page Write-ups of Activities)
27
E
Special Projects Reports
31
F
Objectives
43
G
Advisor Award Nomination(s)
16
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
ATTACHMENT A
Local ASCE Member List
Last Name
Adamchak
Antell
Antony
Avci
Avery
Axson
Backus
Bahrami
Bailey
Baltazar
Barrar
Bayse
Beaver
Beckley
Bert
Bhatt
Billingsley
Blackwell
Bliss
Bluhm
Bolding
Bolin
Bonetti
Bosso
Boyles
Brienza
Britton
Brown
Burde
Burnett
Burstein
Cain
Call
Cape
Causarano
Cerva
Chen
Cherundolo
Cole
Cook
Cotter
Cotton
Craig
Cresswell
Critchfield
First Name
Steven
Aaron
Alfred
Onur
David
Daniel
Lindsay
Malak
Rachel
Jennel
Christopher
Timothy
Austin
Franklyn
Stephen
Sheetal
Tyler
Nathan
Michael
Brian
Michelle
Stephen
Rodolfo
Doran
John
Robert
Paul
Jonathan
Adrian
Larry
Jonathon
Samuel
Doug
James
James
John
Qian
John
Brandon
Melissa
Patrick
Robert
Cassandra
Amy
John
Year
Graduate
Senior
Graduate
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Junior
Junior
Sophomore
Graduate
Junior
Sophomore
Graduate
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Junior
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Senior
Sophomore
Graduate
Graduate
Sophomore
Senior
Junior
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
17
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Last Name
Cusick
De
Deary
Deck
Decker
Defazio
Denbow
Devoti
Dickerson
Dix
Dominitch
Dorairajan
Doss
Dotson
Dowell
Drzewianowski
Dubose
Duman
Dymond
Eden
Ellis
Endrikat
Evans
Evans
Farzaneh
Fedrowitz
Fessler
Fickes
Firch
Fkiaras
Fox
Fuerst
Gagen-Cheeney
Gallagher
Gallagher
Galvis-Sterling
Gandhi
Garland
Garstang
Geiger
Geiman
Genzlinger
Gibson
Gingras
Gins
Giordano
Glass
First Name
Christopher
Samrat
Ryan
Sarah
Jeramy
Thomas
Steven
Paul
Thomas
Anna
Karlyn
Sunil
Derek
Tanner
Scott
Kati
Matthew
Benjamin
Benjamin
Jamie
Wade
Sarah
Jaimi
Kathryn
Mohamadreza
Walter
Michael
Michelle
Katie
John
Julia
Brian
Lauren
Neal
Patrick
Alejandro
Mehul
Mark
Fae
Lauren
Christopher
Nina
Candice
Tyler
David
Daniel
Seth
Year
Junior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Graduate
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Junior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Junior
Junior
Graduate
Junior
Sophomore
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Junior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Last Name
Gleason
Godbole
Gokhale
Gorski
Gower
Gramajo
Grandizio
Greenfield
Gregory
Gwaltney
Hacker
Haldeman
Hamlin
Harris
Harris
Hartsook
Hassan
Hastings
Haydo
Hays
Hazel
Heath
Hendrick
Hensley
Hickey
Hill
Hoernig
Hoffman
Hogan
Hole
Howes
Hoyt
Hurff
Hurt
Hurt
Husted
Ibrahim
Imtiaz
In
Ingle
Jackson
Jaffery
Jenkins
Jones
Joo
Joseph
Kacmarcik
First Name
Courtney
Mayur
Purva
Alex
Todd
Carlos
Brian
Michael
Rachel
Matthew
Aaron
Pamela
Richard
Jonathan
Brandon
Bryan
Sajid
Matthew
Joshua
Tyler
William
Elizabeth
Joshua
Gregory
Lucas
Aaron
Jared
Michael
Matthew
Sean
Jenny
Kyle
Jonathon
Kevin
Elizabeth
Jack
Aniza
Zulfia
Jae
Anthony
Ben
Nasirali
Andrea
John
Ae
Joshua
Mark
Year
Sophomore
Graduate
Graduate
Junior
Sophomore
Graduate
Junior
Junior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Junior
Senior
Sophomore
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Junior
Graduate
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Junior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Graduate
Graduate
Graduate
Sophomore
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Graduate
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Last Name
Kalbach
Kalbhor
Kamer
Kantor
Kassner
Keen
Kelbaugh
Kelleher
Keller
Kerrigan
Killar
Kim
Kluckman
Koper
Kowalehuk
Kroboth
Kunkel
Kunze
Lane
Lankford
LaRocque
Lawson
Layman
Leacock
Lester
Lijeron
Liu
Liu
Louie
Loveless
Lucko
Luetkemeier
Lumbantoruan
Mandigo
Manzione
Marrow
Marshall
Martin
Martin
Martin
Maslaney
Mayers
Maynard
McBride
McElroy
McGough
McPherson
First Name
Robert
Abhijit
Katherine
Joseph
Bernard
Jordan
Kevin
Andrew
Wesley
Gregory
Myles
Kyusang
Sean
Brian
Emily
Chris
Eric
Stephanie
Jarrett
Aubrey
Eric
Bob
Benji
Jesse
Joshua
Cintia
David
Ning
Brenda
Amy
Gunnar
Andrew
partahi
Lisa
Christopher
Devin
Jason
David
James
Katherine
Shawn
Chad
John
Daniel
Stephen
Daniel
Joseph
Year
Sophomore
Graduate
Sophomore
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Junior
Graduate
Graduate
Graduate
Sophomore
Graduate
Graduate
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Junior
Graduate
Senior
Sophomore
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Graduate
Graduate
Graduate
Junior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Graduate
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Last Name
Meehan
Mehta
Mericle
Micho
Middleton
Mikula
Miller
Monaldo
Monty
Moore
Moran
Morris
Morris
Mouras
Mullins
Mullins
Munoz
Murphy
Murphy
Murphy
Nacey
Nam
Nester
Nester
Newbold
Newcomb
Newland
Newman
Nguyen
North
O'Kelly
O'Neill
Osborne
Osowshi
Ovelar
Pantelias
Patel
Peltier
Penry
Perry
Peters
Peterson
Phillips
Pillai
Pollock
Porsche
Price
First Name
Christopher
Swapneel
Andrew
Russell
Joshua
Mollye
Christopher
Peter
Joseph
Thomas
Jessica
Justin
Justin
Joshua
Joseph
Richard
Brian
Kyle
Paul
Sean
Bridget
Soonkie
Jessie
Roy
James
Ryan
Andrew
Michael
Thang
Timothy
Kyle
Jonathan
Chris
Mark
Lia
Aristeidis
Hardik
David
Carolyn
Eric
Jonathan
Andrew
Kimberly
Girishwar
John
Kimberly
Katie
Year
Graduate
Graduate
Junior
Senior
Graduate
Junior
Sophomore
Junior
Junior
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Sophomore
Junior
Sophomore
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Senior
Sophomore
Graduate
Senior
Junior
Sophomore
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Junior
Senior
Junior
Junior
Senior
Senior
Junior
Graduate
Graduate
Sophomore
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Junior
Graduate
Graduate
Junior
Junior
Senior
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Last Name
Price
Protonentis
Quarterman
Rafalko
Ramniceanu
Randolph
Rang
Raup
Revitsky
Rich
Rumley
Saeed
Sagaya
Salido
Sandhe
Sawchuk
Schamel
Scholz
Schulze
Shah
Sharma
Sharp
Shevland
Sirchio
Sirvole
Smith
Smith
Smith
Snyder
Snyder
Spannhake
Spence
Spencer
Stanford
Stewart
Strickhouser
Sturgill
Subramaniam
Surber
Suther
Tam
Thomas
Thompson
Towne
Trent
Turpen
Umberger
First Name
David
Jennifer
Richard
Susan
Andrei
Brett
Russell
Lauren
Steven
Daniel
William
Sarah
Lanre
Aaren
Hrushikesh
Michael
Marian
Donald
Kristin
Rahul
Alok
Steven
Matt
Ben
Kirshore
Brett
Genevieve
Edward
Brian
John
Kristian
David
Heather
Ashley
Andrew
Amanda
Roy
Mallika
Cory
Rebecca
Rene
Matthew
Thomas
Matt
Justin
Nicholas
Nathan
Year
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Senior
Graduate
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Sophomore
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Junior
Graduate
Graduate
Senior
Senior
Senior
Graduate
Junior
Senior
Senior
Sophomore
Junior
Junior
Junior
Graduate
Sophomore
Senior
Sophomore
Graduate
Graduate
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Junior
Senior
Senior
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Last Name
Utterback
Uzzo
Vail
Vosnock
Wallenfelsz
Wallo
Weaver
White
Whittington
Wilkins
Williams
Williams
Williamson
Wilmoth
Wolfe
Worley
Worrall
Wriston
Yakim
Yanik
Yates
Ye
Zellers
Zimmer
Zinck
First Name
Brian
Michael
Andrew
Nikolas
Joseph
Michael
Christopher
Barry
Levi
Fred
James
Shantelle
Bradley
David
Richard
Gavin
William
Adam
Matthew
Mark
Keith
Xuerui
Jeffrey
Brandon
Jenn
Year
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Sophomore
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Senior
Junior
Sophomore
Senior
Senior
Sophomore
Graduate
Senior
Sophomore
Senior
Junior
Graduate
Freshman
Senior
Senior
Senior
Junior
Senior
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
NATIONAL MEMBER LIST
See following pages
24
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
ATTACHMENT B
SAMPLES OF MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS
See following pages
25
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
ATTACHMENT C
WEB SITE PRINT OUT
See following pages
26
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
ATTACHMENT D
ASCE Student Group Activity Highlights
Chapter Meetings and Social Events:
NCEES, speaker Mike Shannon
Mike Shannon came to speak to our chapter about the importance of becoming licensed as a professional engineer.
He also spoke about the Fundamentals of Engineering and Professional Engineering Exams.
Roanoke Memorial Hospital Addition, speaker Dick Pennock
The Roanoke Memorial Hospital Addition is one of the most expensive additions to any facility in the Roanoke
Valley. Dick Pennock of Hayes, Seay, Mattern, & Mattern spoke about the difficulties the firm addressed during
design and construction.
Martin Marietta Materials, speaker Ed Merriman
Martin Marietta Materials is in the industry of aggregate production. Ed Merriman spoke to our chapter about the
company structure and their Management Associate Program, an orientation program for engineers starting out in
their company.
US Navy Civil Engineer Corps, speaker Yvonne R. Lyda
Yvonne Lyda came to speak about her experiences in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps. Yvonne Lyda’s speech gave
the students a perspective on engineering in the military and government sectors.
Field Trip to Kent Square, guide Chris Grogan of Tindall Corporation
Our chapter visited the construction site of the Kent Square building located in downtown Blacksburg during midconstruction. The building was designed for apartments, parking garage, retail space, and office space. The
majority of the building was constructed of precast, prestressed concrete and the group watched as one of the floor
slabs was placed with a crane.
Anderson & Associates, speakers Paula Moore and Alan Schuetz
Anderson & Associates is a local engineering consulting firm and Paula Moore and Alan Schuetz came to speak to
out chapter about the difference between government work and consulting firms and also what to expect when you
first begin in the consulting industry.
Spring Picnic
This social event provides the students of the civil department a relaxing get together before the upcoming finals.
The main attraction is the students/faculty softball game, where this year, once again, the faculty has unfortunately
beat the students. Grilled food and drinks are provided, along with a bucking bull ride and the fun “Moon Bounce”
machine. It’s a nice way to enjoy the warmer days at the end of the semester with friends.
Ethics in Civil Engineering
Jim Lowe, Jr. P.E., who is an Attorney for Hayes, Seay, Mattern, & Mattern, came to discuss the importance of
ethics when working in the profession of engineering. He discussed the difference between morality and ethics and
then presented specific cases. The attendees openly discussed possible resolutions to each case before he revealed
the conclusions. This meeting enlightened students on the importance of ethics due to the situations that engineers
have to deal with on a daily basis.
Structural Group, speaker Carrie Riddle
Structural Group focuses on structural repairs and strengthening. They have restored famous buildings such as
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water along with many others. When they visited, they spoke about innovative beams
and new cutting edge applications of structural engineering.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Fall Icebreaker Event
Each year a social function is held so that students and faculty become aware of what our student chapter of ASCE
has to offer. The attendees have the opportunity to get to know officers, other ASCE members, and faculty at this
function while eating food and playing pool. This also presents time to sign up for activities, intramural sports
teams, and membership, if applicable.
Dewberry, speakers Tim Belcher, Jeff Robson, and Sam Bertolino
Dewberry spoke about the traffic engineering projects they have been working on such as the Pentagon Secure
Bypass and the local Rt. 460 Blacksburg Interchange. They also touched on what they thought were the most
helpful classes to take in college and how professionalism and a good attitude can take you far in the engineering
industry.
“Should I Attend Graduate School?” speakers Dr. Plaut and graduate students
Dr. Plaut advised students to go onto graduate school and further their education. He discussed the measures one
must take to apply to departments within Virginia Tech’s Civil and Environmental program. Graduate students from
each department their described personal experiences within each area.
The Waterford Restoration Project, speaker John Martin
Waterford is a village established in 1733 in Loudon County, Virginia that underwent a renovation to “bury the
wires and tame the traffic.” John Martin of Kimley-Horn told of his experiences in the project and most importantly
how civil engineers interact with community citizens, politicians, and other people that do not have an engineering
background.
Lane Stadium West Sideline Expansion, Peter Kapsidelis
An addition to Lane stadium at Virginia Tech is underway and Peter Kapsidelis of Turner Construction Company
(project general contractor) gave our chapter a tour of the construction site. The students were interested in hearing
about the plans for the expansion and its indication for the future.
Job offers and Career Decisions, Laura Yu Hickerson
Laura Hickerson from Career Services came to a meeting to speak about job offers and career decisions. She gave
advice on how to compare job offers and how one should handle accepting and declining offers. She also gave other
advice on how to prioritize goals in life to make the best career decisions
Leaning Tower of Pisa, Rob Dean
Rob Dean works for Hayes, Seay, Mattern, and Mattern as a bridge engineer and came to our meeting to talk about
one of his passions, The Leaning Tower of Pisa. He spoke about the history and construction of the tower as well as
the reasons for the leaning and the measures taken to reduce the leaning.
US Army Corps of Engineers and Reconstruction in Iraq, Vickie Mouras
Vickie Mouras, our chapter’s faculty advisor, spent several months in the winter of 2003 in Iraq for reconstruction
when she was called from the reserves. During her presentation, she spoke of her experiences in Iraq and the US
Army Corps of Engineers. It was very enlightening to hear of someone’s experiences in a current global situation.
Holiday Party
After the presentation by Vickie Mouras, we held our holiday party. The party was a good opportunity for members
to relax and have a good time before exam week began. We also collected nonperishable food items for a local food
pantry at the door.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Other Activities:
Intramural Sports
Each year members of ASCE student body participate in sports on the intramural level including flag football,
basketball, softball, and volleyball. These activities preformed together create a bond between fellow ASCE
members and by the joint efforts from being on a team, they gain skills that will help them with important problem
solving skills.
Concrete Canoe
Virginia Tech’s Concrete Canoe team had another busy year – complete with new ideas and many hours out at the
lab. This years design was one of the innovative in all the years of the competition.
The rules were for the 2003-4 year remained much the same as they were for 2002-3. With limited resources in the
way of people, and money, the canoe team came up with an innovative idea to build the American Chopper,
completing it in middle of March.
The team focused major amounts of time and effort were spent on completing a mix design and on hull design.
With the increase in teams in our region the canoe felt an innovative design would help the team stand out at the
regional competition. To do this the canoe team decided to use a flow able mix or self consolidation concrete.
Using this type of mix required the team to build two forms both a male and female form. This would allow the
team to place the concrete in between the two forms as opposed to placing the mix by hand. To our knowledge this
is the first time this has ever been attempted. Much of the teams time was spend working to create these two forms
with the most work going into the female form that fit on the outside of the male form. This required the team to
precisely measure and cut the wood pieces to fit over the male form with only a ½” of clearance.
The 2004 Virginia’s Conference was both rewarding and a disappointment. The team broke from tradition and
performed a skit as opposed to a technical presentation in the regional competition. The skit paralleled the
American Chopper series on the Discovery Channel with the canoe as the “chopper” the guys from West Coast
Choppers was working on. The team was able to place second in the presentation portion of the competition and
second in the overall competition, but was unable to race the canoe due to the fact the current on the river the races
were to be held on was too strong. Although missing out on a little less than half the competition at the Virginia's
Conference, the team was able to take the knowledge they gained from last year and try to perfect the design for the
next year.
The rules for the 2004-5 year were much the same as the previous year’s rules which allowed the team to carry over
much of the knowledge it gained the year before. The work previously with self consolidation concrete will make
this year much easy to build the canoe, due to the fact that the team has worked with it before. One of the main
changed for this year will be the form construction. The team will still use a male and female form but this year the
form will be constructed with the male form resting inside the female form, the opposite of last year. This should
allow for a better finish on the outside of the canoe. Another change this year will include the materials used to
construct the form. This year square edge foam will be used instead of wood and plastic. The mix design has also
been lightened up this year to allow it to swamp test better.
Concrete Canoe is a great way for civil engineering students to learn about civil engineering outside of the
classroom and meet their fellow engineers no matter what year they are in. The competition allows for everyone on
the team to become involved with something for everyone from design, construction, to research and technical
writing, and being involved truly creates a well-rounded, educated civil engineer that will be an asset to his or her
future employer. Contacting local professionals helps to create contacts for the future, but also promotes Virginia
Tech’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and ASCE as a an involved organization that companies
are proud to be associated with.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Steel Bridge
2004 has been a year of continued growth and success for the Steel Bridge Team. The team opened 2004
with the fabrication of the bridge designed in the fall semester of 2003. A major milestone in fabrication was the
donation of all steel in the bridge by Irongate, Inc., a steel fabrication and erection shop based in Winchester,
Virginia. The company’s donation was very generous, especially considering the then current price of steel, which
was beginning to make its rapid 2004 climb.
The team at the beginning of the year was composed mostly of newer members, primarily juniors and
sophomores, who had little or no past experience in bridge fabrication. In spite of this, these newer members put
forth a tremendous amount of initiative and effort, in excess of 150 man hours of work, to get all of the cutting,
grinding, drilling, and welding done. The process was expedited by two of the new initiatives the team was taking:
multiple team captains to help distribute and oversee work, and complete AutoCAD drawings of the bridge to
communicate clearly how it is to be fabricated and erected. The result of all this effort was finishing the bridge a
full three weeks before competition. The team used this time to perform a series of full load tests, 2500 lb, of the
bridge. At first the bridge performed well, but during one test it suffered a near catastrophic failure of the arch.
While this was a major blow to morale, the team pushed through and had the damage repaired within two days.
After another successful load test the construction team was assembled and spent the remaining time practicing
bridge erection.
In early April, with everything finished, practiced, and ready to go, the team traveled to Morgantown, West
Virginia, where West Virginia University was hosting the 2004 ASCE Virginias’ Conference. The team performed
well in competition, placing first in the structural efficiency category and first in the overall field of eight schools.
This victory permitted the team to advance to the National Student Steel Bridge Competition, hosted by Colorado
School of Mines, in late May. The team fine-tuned a few outstanding details on the bridge, then traveled to Golden,
Colorado and proceeded to give an even better performance then at the regional competition, with the fastest
construction time and best deflection score of the year. In spite of two small penalties assessed during erection, the
team placed 25th in the overall competition out of the 44 schools attending. This represented a vast improvement
over the team’s performance from nationals the year before, and established the team’s presence at nationals as a
recurring event. Attending nationals, and the success there, became motivators for the next year’s performance.
The success in May had a major positive effect on the team for the fall school semester: the retention rate
of members was very high, with most of the pervious year’s students returning. Recruitment was still done in the
major sophomore civil engineering classes, resulting in a new group of students that, while smaller than last year’s
group, was just as motivated. This mix of experienced and new members provided new insights for both tried
concepts and new ideas and resulted in a superior fall semester design process. The 2005 rules, released in August,
were a departure from the previous years’. The shape, size, and load distribution of the bridge were all changed
dramatically, presenting new challenges to the team. In addition to this, the team also set its own challenge: built a
bridge that would place in the top three in one of the seven major categories at the national competition.
After introducing the team to the new rules and performing some initial brainstorming sessions, a smaller
group of the team’s most experienced members was assembled to be the design team. The design team was the
continuation of the new initiatives from the 2003 year, and helped organize the whole design process. The design
team took the ideas generated by the group as a whole and performed the detailed numerical analysis using
structural design software, with the involvement of the faculty advisor. It then took the results and informed the
team of what worked and what did not. This setup allowed the team to systematically examine concepts. By the
end of November a design had been chosen and volunteers were taken for the AutoCAD team, which will make full
drawing of the bridge in the spring semester. Steel has been ordered, and once again will be donated by Irongate,
Inc. This puts the team in an excellent position to begin fabrication in the spring semester, and be ready for the 2005
ASCE Virginias’ Conference, hosted at our own Virginia Tech, in April and, optimistically, for the national
competition in May.
30
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
ATTACHMENT E
SPECIAL PROJECTS REPORT COVER SHEET
Project Title: Concrete for Kids
Number of Students Who Worked on the Project: 8
Number of Person-Hours Spent on the Project: 35
Percent of ASCE Student Group Membership Who Worked on the Project: 87.5%
Student group goals and objectives that were addressed during the course of this project:
This project addressed the goals of increasing involvement in the community and
increasing the involvement of members in the chapter.
Project Abstract:
This year, Concrete for Kids worked with two classes of students at Blacksburg
Middle School to teach children in the local area about the basic principles of
concrete and about what civil engineers do. We helped the students make
concrete beams with different kinds of reinforcement of their choosing. After the
beams cured, we strength tested each one to see how the different kinds of
reinforcement effect the mode of failure. Making the beams is always fun, and
everyone loves to guess how much weight the beams will be able to hold. This
year a seventh grade group came up with the strongest reinforcement. They used
a threaded rod and two metal coat hangers. Their beam held over ninety pounds
and had to be taken into a lab at Virginia Tech to be broken. We're looking
forward to this year's program and hope to find other groups to share the fun with.
Table of Contents:
Narrative Description
Picture from Blacksburg Middle
p. 1
p. 2
31
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Narrative Description:
Concrete for Kids is an outreach program run through Virginia Tech's ASCE student chapter. We
look for groups in the community that we believe would benefit from our educational and fun
concrete program. The program consists of three parts, each lasting about an hour. In the first
part, we teach the students about what civil engineers do, what concrete is used for, and why
reinforcement is needed. After this brief introduction, we assign them homework: to think about
what would make good reinforcement, and to bring in something from home to use as
reinforcement the next day. The only limit that we impose is that the diameter of the
reinforcement must be less than a quarter of an inch. In the second part, the kids each get to
make their own concrete beams (1in by 1in by 2ft) using different kinds reinforcement that they
brought from home. The third part is done after the beams are wet cured for a week. We break
each beam to see how the different kinds of reinforcement affect the beam's strength.
The day we place the beams, each participant is given a pre-made kit with sand, water, and
cement all already measured out, along with a mixing pan, a spoon and a form. We also bring
some superplasticizer with us and add a few drops to each of their mixes, when needed, so that
their concrete is a bit more workable. We have them all wear gloves and goggles. We spray the
forms with cooking spray for a releasing agent and walk them through each step of mixing,
placing a thin layer of concrete, placing their reinforcement, and then placing the rest of the
beam. The beams are then allowed to wet cure for a week.
After a week, we go back and break each beam one at a time by hanging weights from the center.
The beams are supported at each end. If we are unable to break the beam in the classroom (the
hanger we use can hold up to ninety pounds) we take the beam into the lab and break it there.
We record how much weight it took to break each beam along with what reinforcement was used
so that the students can see how the different kinds of reinforcement affect the strength of the
beam.
32
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Pictures from Blacksburg Middle School
A seventh grade class mixes and places concrete beams (fall of 2004.)
One group of seventh graders decided to use lots of overlapping nails to reinforce their beam
(fall of 2004.)
33
2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
SPECIAL PROJECTS REPORT COVER SHEET
Project Title: Blitz Build: Habitat for Humanity
Number of Students Who Worked on the Project: 21
Number of Person-Hours Spent on the Project: 168
Percent of ASCE Student Group Membership Who Worked on the Project: 95%
Student group goals and objectives that were addressed during the course of this project:
This project addressed the goals of increasing involvement in the community and
increasing the involvement of members in the chapter.
Project Abstract:
The VT ASCE chapter worked on the Blitz Build Project with Habitat for Humanity in
the Roanoke Valley. For a typical Habitat house it takes three to four months for
construction to be completed; however, for Blitz Build, six houses in Roanoke, Virginia
were built in two days. The foundations for the houses were poured several weeks prior
to the actual Blitz Build event. On the day of the event, preassembled wall frames were
installed in order of sequence and then the roof trusses were positioned. With trusses in
place, plywood sheets could be installed and shingles could then be placed. During the
shingling, windows and doors were installed and vinyl siding was hung. Our group
helped with all aspects of the project during the two day event. Approximately 600
volunteers and professionals helped make this event possible. After the completion of
Blitz Build, a mini-blitz took place several weekends later to install mechanical and
electrical work as well as to finish the interior. Our group really enjoyed this project and
we know Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley appreciated our help. The
undertaking of this project helped our chapter in reaching its goals to help the community
and get members involved in the chapter. Some of the participants in this event did not
have regular attendance at our meetings; however, they joined us in this event because it
offered them a different role in the chapter. We hope this program continues to be a fun
experience for our chapter.
Table of Contents:
Pictures from Blitz Build
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Figure 1: One of the six houses in mid-construction.
Figure 2: During siding installation, this team poses for a picture.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Figure 3: Two students working on siding and two working on the roof.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
SPECIAL PROJECTS REPORT COVER SHEET
Project Title: Extension of Pedestrian Foot and Bike Path
Number of Students Who Worked on the Project: 2, Jessa Corton and Matt DuBose
Number of Person-Hours Spent on the Project: 300 person-hours
Percent of ASCE Student Group Membership Who Worked on the Project: 100%
Student group goals and objectives that were addressed during the course of this project:
This project addressed the goals of increasing involvement in the community and the goals of
the project included the following:




To provide a safe and convenient pedestrian path from the Hethwood Community to
the Huckleberry Trail and Virginia Tech campus.
To minimize the amount of Virginia Tech agriculture land used for the
To minimize the environmental impact the new trail has on Strouble’s Creek, with
stream bank stability being the paramount environmental concern.
To minimize cost of construction
Project Abstract:
The extension of the Huckleberry Trail has been determined by Jessa Corton and Matt
DuBose in order to provide a safer and more convenient path for users. This pedestrian
path parallels Strouble’s Creek, from the Route 460 underpass at Plantation Road, and
ends at the small footbridge that leads into the Hethwood Community. The current
alignment of the path presents several concerns that have been eliminated by the new
positioning. One design was recommended to provide a practical and aesthetically
pleasing pedestrian path, which included the material used for the trail and their
locations; distance from the creek; estimation of the possible cost; and problems that may
be encountered.
Table of Contents:
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Narrative Description:
This project grew out of a concern of the existing condition of a pedestrian path. Hethwood is a
large community hosting families, professors and students in the close vicinity of the Virginia
Tech campus. A frequently used pedestrian foot and bike path provides a convenient connection
between the two. Currently, the area’s rails-to-trail path, the Huckleberry Trail, is in the process
of being extended towards the Hethwood Community and the trail’s committee had planned to
utilize the path as an extension. The poor quality of the existing Hethwood pedestrian path is
unsafe, inconvenient and unsatisfactory. Jessa Corton and Matt DuBose, two civil engineering
students at Virginia Tech, evaluated the possibility of realigning the pedestrian path over a
course of four months.
Jessa and Matt presented to a committee of adults regarded as the “stakeholders” once a month
that guided them in their work and ultimately decided the outcome of this project: Bill
Ellenbogen, President of Friends of Huckleberry Trail; Kim Watson, Program Coordinator of
Landscape Architecture at Virginia Tech; Dean Crane, Director of Parks and Recreations at the
Town of Blacksburg; and Dr. Michael Vorster, professor at Virginia Tech. The project was
broken into three main phases of design. In the initial phase, the two students established a
number of potential trail locations and presented them to the stakeholders and receive feedback
on which option would be the best alternative. Phase two allowed Jessa and Matt to determine
the definitive shape, location, and length of the trail along Strouble’s Creek. Finally in the third
phase all of the details of constructing the trail in the chosen location were determined. Three
main materials were selected for different areas of the trail: asphalt, a wooden boardwalk, and a
geosynthetic fabric underlying asphalt. The boardwalk would be placed in areas to avoid bodies
of water or high risk saturated soils. The students also planned to use the boardwalk in areas to
maintain relatively level pathways as the users approached the unavoidable intersection with the
road encountered. The geosynthetic fabric would help to reduce erosion in storm situations by
providing filtration, separation, and stabilization processes.
The nature of the study did not reasonably allow soil tests to be preformed, so it was impossible
to determine if each option is feasible in the recommended zones due to subsurface conditions.
There is a possibility that the presence of wetlands exists in the area planned for the trail, which
would require additional attention before it could be determined as so. One of the stakeholders
mentioned a concern on the amount of water runoff that might occur. The students preformed a
hydrologic analysis of the area with a unit hydrology model program (VTPSUHM) created by
Matt and Jessa’s professor. They were able to determine that runoff would not be a significant
issue.
By talking to subcontractors in the local area, the students researched material and labor costs for
everything including the necessary cow fences. While the exact price could not be met, Matt and
Jessa provided a range of possibilities to the stakeholders at the final meeting as a conceptual
design. With the new alignment of the trail, users were determined to be safer; less Virginia
Tech farmland would be used; and the trail would take a more straightforward route than it
currently does. The final project has been passed on to a local engineering firm, Anderson &
Associates, to produce drawings for the trail.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
SPECIAL PROJECTS REPORT COVER SHEET
Project Title: Huckleberry Pedestrian Trail Farm Road Crossing Independent Study
Number of Students Who Worked on the Project: 2
Number of Person-Hours Spent on the Project: 65
Percent of ASCE Student Group Membership Who Worked on the Project: 50%
Student group goals and objectives that were addressed during the course of this project:
This project addressed the goals of increasing involvement in the community.
Project Abstract:
Currently, the Huckleberry Pedestrian Trail passes under US Route 460 Highway
and runs adjacent to a Virginia Tech gravel farm road. A proposed extension to
the trail would require the trail to cross the VT farm road on the opposite side of
the tunnel. VT Farm Operations Staff sees the road crossing as a safety hazard
and liability and will, therefore, only permit an easement for the trail if it crosses
over the Farm Road. This Independent Study required that the student(s) study
the crossing between the Huckleberry Trail Extension and the VT farm road and
develop 2-3 conceptual designs and/or possible bridge/tunnel extension scenarios
that provide a practical and aesthetically pleasing solution to the expressed safety
concerns.
Table of Contents:
Narrative Description
Picture of Location
p. 1
p. 2
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Narrative Description:
This project was completed through the Virginia Tech Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department as an Undergraduate Independent Study during the Spring Semester of 2004. The
students involved were required to study the surrounding area in sufficient detail to develop
several conceptual designs, produce sketches, drawings and calculations necessary to support
and present the conceptual designs, and arrange several meetings with the project stakeholders,
which included representatives from the Virginia Tech Community Design Assistance Center,
the Friends of the Huckleberry Trail Organization, and the Parks and Recreation Department of
the Town of Blacksburg. The first phase of the project included investigation of architectural
drawings of the current tunnel structure and the current trail and farm road alignment. Also
during this phase, other portions of the trail with pedestrian bridges were studied. After the
initial investigation, the following conceptual designs were developed:
1. Realigning the trail to pass along the small portion of slope above the tunnel, between the
tunnel exit and the highway.
2. Constructing a long wood bridge that would allow the trail to pass over the farm road at the
tunnel exit.
3. Backfilling the area around the tunnel exit and constructing an abutment system for a small
prefabricated bridge.
After the three designs were developed, an extensive cost analysis was performed to determine
cost estimates of each design. The final report was presented to the stakeholders and an ASCE
student chapter representative and recommended design 3, backfilling the area and constructing
abutments for a small prefabricated bridge. This option was chosen for several reasons. The
design best fit the natural landscape of the tunnel area, it would not be located in the state
highway department’s right-of-way, and it provided the most stable structure at the required
height.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Location of proposed pedestrian bridge over gravel farm road. (Spring 2004.)
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
ATTACHMENT F
OBJECTIVES
Our chapter holds officer elections in February and soon after taking our new positions, the officers had a meeting to
plan out the year. Most of the spring activities were already set and planned by the previous officers; however, we
established some of our own goals for the chapter near the beginning of our term. After our first executive officer
meeting, we had four main goals with many ideas on how to achieve them.
Goals:
1. Increase involvement in the community
2. Increase membership and student involvement
3. Increase attendance at chapter meetings
4. Plan field trips
We felt that it was very important to get our chapter involved in the community. For one of our projects we decided
to get involved with the organization Habitat for Humanity. In April, our chapter worked with Habitat for Humanity
in the Roanoke Valley on their Blitz Build Project, where six houses were built in two days. We also continued our
involvement in Concrete for Kids at the Blacksburg Middle School. Concrete for Kids allows our chapter to teach
children in middle school about concrete and civil engineering in a way that is both fun for the children as well as
the chapter members involved. Our chapter also undertook two projects to improve a local walking trail, The
Huckleberry Trail, which passes through one of the biggest apartment complexes in the area. The first project
explored improving and redesigning several sections of the trail. The second project researched and proposed
placing a pedestrian bridge across Farm Road when a trail extension is built. Both of these projects help the
community with the students’ use of engineering in designing each of these modifications. In addition, our chapter
collected canned goods at our holiday party for the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank.
Increasing membership and chapter meeting attendance was another high priority on our list. One method of
increasing membership was to increase awareness of the chapter. As in previous years, we spoke to the Introduction
to Civil Engineering class (taken by all CEE sophomores) to make new civil engineering students aware of our
organization and to let them know what we are about. As another attempt to bring in new members, students in the
introduction class were given an opportunity to receive extra credit by attending ASCE chapter meetings. This both
boosted membership as well as the attendance at chapter meetings. We also held membership drives during the
course pack sales and offered an incentive to join by giving members a discount on their course packs. In 2003,
membership was 153 members and this year it increased to 305 members. Attendance at last year’s chapter
meetings averaged 27 people and this year it increased to 38 people. We believe we were very effective in
increasing membership and attendance.
We attempted to increase student involvement with intramural sports and other activities. We have always had
some involvement in the intramural sports program at Virginia Tech; however, this year we increased the amount of
participation and number of sports played. Intramural sports are a great way to meet other students in civil
engineering and it also builds camaraderie and team work within the chapter. Other areas of involvement with
growth in participation were the Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe teams. Early in the fall semester students on the
teams speak at several civil engineering classes to promote the teams and encourage participation.
In 2003, field trips were not planned, so this year we made a point to plan field trips. The previous officers planned
a field trip to the Kent Square building that was under construction in downtown Blacksburg. The building is multiuse and constructed mostly of precast, prestressed concrete. The current officers planned a field trip to the Lane
Stadium Expansion construction. Both of these field trips gave members an opportunity to see engineering from a
new perspective. We also planned a field trip to the New River Valley Gorge Bridge for the coming spring to help
the new officers continue to reach the goal of providing field trips.
As officers we felt these four main goals were important in continuing a successful chapter and we met these
challenges to the best of out ability.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
ATTACHMENT G
ASCE FACULTY/PRACTITIONER ADVISOR
AWARD NOMINATION FORM
I. General Information
Who is being nominated? Faculty Advisor
X
Faculty Advisor or Practitioner Advisor’s Name
School
or Practitioner Advisor
Victoria Mouras
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Advisor’s Address
Civil and Environmental Engineering, 200D Patton Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Student Nominator(s):
Name
Genevieve Smith
Phone # & E-mail
(540) 951-4301 gesmith2@vt.edu
Name
Andrea Jenkins
Phone # & E-mail
(540) 951-4301 anjenki1@vt.edu
II. Advisor Information
How many hours a week does your Advisor work with your ASCE Student Group (approximately)?
Does your Advisor....
YES
Attend Workshops for Student Chapter Leaders?
NO
10
Date/Location
X
Attend Student Regional Conferences?
X
Morgantown, WV
Attend the ASCE Civil Engineering
Conference & Exposition?
X
Baltimore, MD
Belong to any National ASCE Committees?
If so, please list the committees:
III. Advisor Activities
Please tell us in detail why you are nominating your advisor. Describe how your advisor contributes to the professional
development of your ASCE group and to individual students. Maybe your advisor is a planner and leader of the ASCE
Student Group, spends time with your ASCE Student Group in social settings, is easy to talk to, or provides career guidance
assistance.
This nomination will be reviewed with the annual report, so you may wish to reference specific projects that are described in
the report. It is not necessary to detail projects and activities in this nomination if they are described in the annual report.
Please limit the nomination (including this form) to three pages.
If you have any questions, contact ASCE Student Services (student@asce.org).
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
Our Virginia Tech ASCE Student Chapter was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work
with an outstanding advisor this past year. Victoria Mouras has served our ASCE student chapter as an
excellent advisor: she contributed to the development of our chapter by both committing time to the
group and to individual students.
Not only did Vickie participate in bi-monthly chapter meetings, but she also attended
conferences and competitions which our students took part in. At meetings she helped students with any
setup, takedown, or administrative tasks with which they needed assistance; and helped student officers
find and contact guest speakers for meetings. She took time to talk to individual members to get to
know them on a personal level. Vickie also participated during the meetings by asking the presenters
questions, adding her personal knowledge and experience when she could, and engaging the students in
constructive conversations with the guest speakers. She also always stayed for the social part of the
meeting following the presentations to spend time talking with students.
In addition to meetings, Vickie attended both the ASCE Civil Engineering Conference and
Exposition in Baltimore this past year and the Virginias Conference in Morgantown, WV. At the
conference in Baltimore, she made sure to connect with the students from our chapter who attended, and
even went out to dinner with everyone after the daytime sessions. In Morgantown, Vickie supported our
chapter by attending many of the events and cheering on our competition teams.
Back at campus, Vickie provided all kinds of academic and career support for students in the
department. She left her office door open so students were welcome to approach her with any questions
they may have had. She worked with students to figure out their schedules for future semesters and
advised seniors on the paths they could take for careers or graduate school. She also knew who to send
students to for further information on classes, graduate school, or careers.
While excelling in all the ways she contributed to the development of the students of our ASCE
chapter, Vickie shared her knowledge with an amicable attitude and open smile. She was easy to
approach and welcoming to students who visited her office. She genuinely cared about the welfare of
students, which was readily apparent in the amount of time she put aside for them. As a truly committed
advisor to our student chapter, Vickie promoted the professional and personal growth of the chapter;
encouraged the academic and occupational success of individual students; and maintained a welcoming,
amenable quality throughout the duration of her position as advisor.
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2004 ASCE Student Group Annual Report
EVALUATION OF ADVISORY PERSONNEL
This evaluation form is required. Complete this form and send directly to ASCE Student
Services. Do not include this as part of your annual report.
SCHOOL NAME: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Check all that apply to your ASCE Student Group’s Faculty Advisor:
X


tenured
not tenured
X
appointed to the ASCE
Student Group
X Volunteered to be Faculty
Advisor



Instructor
Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Professor
Please rank your advisory personnel regarding their contributions toward the effectiveness of your ASCE Student
Group.
Name, E-mail, &
Phone Number
Superior
Good
Faculty
Advisor
Victoria Mouras
X
Practitioner
Advisor #1
Mike Biscotte
X
Fair
Poor
We Don't
Know
This
Person
# of
Years
Served as
Advisor
2
Practitioner
Advisor #2
Other
Comments:
Our faculty advisor for the first half of the year was Dr. Mike Vorester. The primary faculty advisor was changed
mid year to accommodate the faculty workload and preparation for hosting the Virginia’s Conference in April 2005.
Note: Please contact ASCE Student Services if any significant difficulties occur with Advisory Personnel
anytime throughout the year. Confidentiality will be maintained; we want you to have effective advisors.
45