CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
FALL 2013
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 Arizona State University2
Bucknell University3
University of California-Davis
4
University of California-Irvine
5
University of California-Los Angeles
6
Carnegie Mellon University
6
University of Cincinnati7
City College of New York
7
Clarkson University8
University of Colorado9
The Cooper Union9
Drexel University9
University of Evansville9
George Mason University
10
Georgia Tech University10
University of Iowa11
University of Kentucky11
Lamar University12
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
12
Louisville University13
Manhattan College14
Marquette University14
University of Maryland15
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
15
University of Massachusetts at Lowell
16
University of Miami16
Michigan State University
17
CHAPTER
University of Mississippi
University of Missouri-Columbia
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Montana State University
New Mexico StateUniversity
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Northeastern University
University of Notre Dame
Pennsylvania State University
Rice University
Rutgers University
San Diego State University
University of South Carolina
University of Southern California
Southern Methodist University
Tennessee Technological University
University of Texas-El Paso
Texas A&M University
University of Toledo
Trine University
University of Utah
University of Vermont
Villanova University
Virginia Polytechnic University
Wayne State University
West Virginia University
University of Wisconsin
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CHAPTER ARTICLES FALL 2013
Arizona State University
The Arizona State University chapter of Chi Epsilon approached the 20122013 school year with a renewed commitment to student involvement, community service, and professional outreach. The chapter welcomed 51 new initiates
in the 2012-2013 school year, with 28 initiates joining in fall of 2012 and 23
initiates joining in spring of 2013. (see photo at left) On April 27, 2012, ASU Chi
Epsilon elevated a new officer board to serve for the 2012-2013 school year. The
2012-2013 officer board is comprised of Nick Partridge, president; Mathew
Watson, vice-president; Melissa Archer, secretary; Travis Dunn, treasurer; Elizabeth Barnes, marshal; Matt
Bartos, associate editor; and Ryan Sariego, student government representative.
ASU Chi Epsilon organized eight general meetings during the 2012-2013 school year. To foster relationships with the engineering community, local engineering professionals were invited to present on disciplinespecific topics. In the fall of 2012, Chi Epsilon hosted presentations by Shawmut Design and Construction,
Cardno Ltd., and Dr. Edward Kavazanjian, recipient of the Karl Terzaghi award in soil mechanics. In the spring
of 2013, ASU Chi Epsilon hosted presentations by a former Hoover Dam engineer Dan Pellouchaud, Enamul
Hoque of Hoque and Associates, Mike Willis of Willis Engineering, Inc., and structural engineer Craig Nelson
of Babbitt Nelson Engineering, LLC. Chi Epsilon also partnered with ASCE to hold two joint ASCE/Chi Epsilon information sessions, both of which featured presentations by Kimley-Horn and Associates. Representatives
from T.Y. Lin International were also invited to discuss roadway, drainage and bridge engineering at a special
information session.
In addition to general meetings, ASU Chi Epsilon maximized student
involvement by hosting a variety of special events. The chapter orchestrated
a private technical tour to the Hoover Dam (see photo at right); hosted a leadership seminar led by CEO of Collegiate Empowerment, Tony D’Angelo; and
sponsored bi-weekly FE review sessions, conducted by ASU engineering faculty.
ASU Chi Epsilon also laid tribute at the pillar of sociability, hosting two semiannual kickball games and a joint ASCE/Chi Epsilon barbecue and volleyball game. The chapter also maintained
a strong record of involvement in community service. Chi Epsilon members volunteered their time at the MESA
(Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement) Regional Competition, the ASU Engineering Open House,
the ASU Engineering Career Fair, and the Fulton Undergraduate Research Symposium.
On April 27, 2013, Chi Epsilon appointed a new officer board to serve for the 2013-2014 school year. The
2013-2014 officer board is comprised of Kingsten Banh, president; Krista Mika, vice-president; Drew Reasor,
secretary; Catalin Dobra, treasurer; Amanda Kerr, marshal; and Nathan Schmidt, associate editor. With guidance from faculty advisor Dr. Chris Lawrence, the new officer board hopes to make the 2013-2014 school year
as exciting, productive, and successful as this one.
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FALL 2013
Bucknell University
Bucknell Chapter’s Community Service Event:
On April 8, 2013 the Bucknell chapter of Chi Epsilon helped a group of local boy scouts earn their engineering badges by hosting a hands-on workshop for the children. Brian Wurster gave a presentation to one group
of scouts about the mechanics of catapults and trebuchets, and explained their historical use. After learning the
basics, the scouts were excited to build their own catapult. With help from the chapter members, the scouts built
a catapult out of only a milk carton, rubber bands, pencils, a plastic spoon, and tape. The scouts were eager to
put their catapults in action. The scouts competed for longest shot and most accurate shoot by launching small
chocolate candies. Meanwhile, incoming President-Elect Will Brennan delivered
a presentation on different types of bridges around the world. Teams of scouts
then constructed their own truss bridges along with the guidance of student chapter members using popsicle sticks and hot glue. (see photo at left) Trusses were a
common theme, and the Chi Epsilon student members provided some comments
to the scouts on different types of trusses and their advantages. Bridges were
tested using a concentrated point load by using scoops of sand in a bucket. The
scouts enjoyed predicting when each bridge was going to break, with one bridge
holding over 10kg of sand. At the end of the night, all scouts as well as their siblings in attendance were presented
with awards to signify their successful completion of the task. The scouts very much enjoyed learning more about
the field of engineering, while the chapter members were inspired by their enthusiasm for learning.
Chapter Initiation Event and Chapter Honor Member Elevation:
On March 21, 2013, the Bucknell University chapter of Chi Epsilon initiated 12 new members, elevated George Pierson to Chapter Honor Member, and
initiated Assistant Professor Michelle Oswald as Faculty Member. (see photo at
right) Current members, faculty, and several Chapter Honor Members were also
in attendance and joined the new initiates for a dinner hosted by the Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Mr. Pierson attended Bucknell University as a member of the Class of
1984, graduating summa cum laude with the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree. He continued his
studies as a Graduate Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, earning the Master of Science in Civil
Engineering degree in 1985. He undertook further studies and earned a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law
School in 1990 and an MBA from St. Mary’s College of California in 1995.
In 2006, he joined Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) as a Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.
In January 2008, he became the President and Chief Operating Officer of PB’s Americas division and was later
elected to the firm’s Board of Directors. In January 2010, he was promoted to President and Chief Executive
Officer of PB and is now responsible for overseeing the efforts of more than 14,000 PB employees working on infrastructure projects from more than 150 offices throughout the world. While at PB he was elected as a Fellow of
the American College of Construction Lawyers and a member of The Moles. He serves on the national Executive
Committee and Board of the ACE Mentor Program of America and was featured on the cover of ENR magazine.
In addition to a long history of involvement with his alma mater, he was most recently the driving force to develop
the Engineering Success Alliance that provides an academic support structure to ensure a common foundation
in math and science for students studying engineering. In 2010, he was awarded the Distinguished Engineering
Alumni Award from the Bucknell Engineering Alumni Association. On the basis of his accomplishments, service, and dedication to our profession, to society, and to Bucknell University, he was initiated in Chi Epsilon and
elevated to the status of Chapter Honor Member.
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FALL 2013
Dr. Oswald joined the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Bucknell University as an
Assistant Professor in 2011. As a transportation engineer, her research interests focus on sustainability and transportation adaption to climate change. Dr. Oswald graduated from The Layfayette College in 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. She then pursued her master’s degree at the University of Delaware in Civil
Engineering and Urban Affairs and Public Policy. In 2011, she earned a PhD from the University of Delaware in
Civil Engineering and received numerous scholarships and fellowships. Her dissertation research involved evaluating adaptation tools for land use and transportation planning in response to climate change. She has continued
to research sustainable transportation planning, transportation adaption in response to climate change, and green
design while at Bucknell. In her time at Bucknell, Dr. Oswald has taught a wide range of courses including: Introduction to Transportation, Sustainable Transportation Planning, and Engineering Planning and Project Management. She was awarded the Gerald R. Seeley Award by the American Society of Civil Engineers for excellence
as a young faculty member.
Other Activities:
During the spring semester, the chapter coordinated the purchase and distribution of review books for the
Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam for the entire college of engineering. Rather than using the sale as a
fundraiser, the chapter sold the books at cost so as to provide a service to the college. Over twenty review books
were purchased by engineering students taking the FE exam in April.
Officers:
Outgoing officers are: Brian Shoener, president; Emily Gladstone, vice-president; Yue Hua, secretary;
Max Pucciarello, treasurer; Matthew Szymanski, marshal; Tom Lisofsky, associate editor; and May Thu Nwe
Nwe, web master. Incoming Officers are: Will Brennan, president; Luke Lombardi, vice-president; Emily
Waksmunski, secretary; Oswaldo Galicia, treasurer; and Brian Wurster, marshal.
University of California-Davis
During the 2012-2013 academic year the University of California, Davis Chi Epsilon (XE) chapter was
focused on promoting growth, laying a solid foundation for future success, and increasing prominence in the community. In November, five of our members attended the 25th annual Pacific District Conference (PDC) hosted by
Cal State University, Long Beach. PDC offered an opportunity for us to exchange ideas on how to promote XE
and create new ways to fulfill the pillars.
In winter quarter four new members: Diana Chen, Kevin Kuei, Alvin
Lam, and Salvador Tena, were initiated. (see photo at left) In January our chapter was in full construction mode for the 2013 EERI Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition. Four members traveled to Seattle, WA to represent our chapter
at the event. Our balsa wood structure was given the name, “IL TREINTA,”
which means “the thirty” in Italian. It was a clever way to honor the coffee drinking community of Seattle and it is also the largest cup size available at Starbucks.
Unfortunately our beloved structure succumbed to the ruthless GM3 earthquake
after a valiant effort.
In April, our chapter had a dinner social at the popular Thai Canteen restaurant in Downtown Davis. Several of our members and pledges volunteered at
the Sacramento Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The month of April was capped
off with an adventurous hike at Lake Berryessa. In the beginning of May, our
chapter was honored to have Jeremy Clemmons, Pacific District Chairman, host
a resume workshop. Our members also went on a weekend cabin trip to Truckee,
CA in order to get to know each other better and become a closer group.
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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FALL 2013
This spring quarter our chapter is proud to initiate 10 new members: Matthew Yan, Brandon Dashwood, Brett Whitchurch, Jesus Gonzalez, Justin Watkins, Sean Schlitt, Alex Chan, Gaddiel Demattei, Joe
Smithonic, and Tracy Heidersbach. In addition to those 10, one more member will also be initiated, UC Davis
Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Ken Loh, who will take the seat as chapter
advisor, currently held by Professor Sashi Kunnath.
Our current officers are: Anna McKenna, president; Kelly Dudek, vice-president; Winnie Lee, secretary; Ashley Tam, treasurer; Brian Lee, marshal; and Noel Crisolo, associate editor. Our chapter is in the process
of officer turnover. We would like to acknowledge Aileen Luo for taking the initiative to get our chapter website
up and running.
We look forward to hosting the 26th annual Pacific District Conference in the fall of 2013!
University of California-Irvine
This past year, the University of California, Irvine chapter successfully led
a variety of events for existing and incoming Chi Epsilon members to professionally grow and enjoy. On April 29, 2013, the chapter initiated 29 civil and environmental engineering students followed by an exciting evening celebration at
BJ’s Restaurant. To gain Chi Epsilon membership, the newly initiated involved
themselves in community service, fundraising, weekly meetings, company tours,
civil and environmental engineering seminars, and much more. These individuals involvement honored the Four Pillars represented by Character, Scholarship,
Practicality, and Sociability, and the chapter is excited to welcome them. (see photo above left)
The chapter kicked off their first social with a pool night where officers casually interacted and met with
existing and incoming members. Ice-skating, going to the movies, hiking, and playing volleyball were all popular
activities that members enjoyed throughout the year. However, the most popular social was the annual bonfire at
Corona Del Mar where Chi Epsilon members along with friends from ASCE gathered for an energetic night.
In preparation for the Fundamental of Engineering Exam, the chapter organized a series of review sessions during the months of October and April. These sessions were led by professors from the Civil Engineering
Department to best prepare students with specific exam topics. Other intellectually stimulating events members
benefitted from included the annual popsicle stick bridge competition as well as research tours of the University’s
soil, structural, and transportation laboratories. The most recent event was an on-campus surveying workshop
hosted by Stantec; professionals displayed and taught participants how to use present-day surveying equipment
and software.
Special thanks to the officers who organized and facilitated this past
year’s events: Mary Danielson, president; Daniel Chien, vice-president; Arthur Chanprakrit, treasurer; Norma Galaviz, secretary; Allison Rodriguez,
associate editor; Michael Wang, marshal; Jose Jimenez, fundraising; Alma
Carrillo, activities; Ivan Magana, corporate affairs; and Melissa Quinonez,
webmaster. (see photo at right)
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FALL 2013
University of California-Los Angeles
On May 21, 2012, UCLA Chi Epsilon elected its 2012-2013 officer board, consisting of Ryan Vanderlip,
president; Dennis Cha, vice-president; Davis Thomas, treasurer; Kyle Nelson, secretary; Wesley Mercado, associate editor; Brian Walz, marshal; Kendra Rusinek, conference coordinator; and Bryan Carpentier, senior
advisor. In September, this cadre met to further refine the chapter’s standards of professionalism for prospective
chapter members. A bylaws challenge was added to the requirements, where candidates participated in a photo
scavenger hunt while simultaneously answering questions testing their knowledge of Chi Epsilon’s rules and history.
Later that season in November, candidate Tandre Oey joined a few of the
officers at California State University, Long Beach, for the annual Pacific District Conference, where chapters met to discuss current issues within the district,
adopt new policies, play games, and bond. (see photo at left) Tandre eventually
joined Chi Epsilon, one of sixteen new members who initiated in December.
On February 9, 2013, the chapter elected its current officer board. Dennis Cha and Davis Thomas became the new president and vice-president, respectively, and Brian Walz, Bryan Carpentier, Kendra Rusinek, and Wesley
Mercado retained their positions of marshal, senior advisor, conference coordinator, and associate editor. New
members of the board consisted of Jacquelyn Gentes, treasurer; Anthony Ambrosio-Meir, secretary; Evelyn
Barkhordarian, events coordinator; and Homa Shahpasand, historian. Without another initiation to prepare
until spring, they turned to fostering community between chapter’s current members. UCLA Chi Epsilon went bowling in Los Angeles, where Dennis surprised
and humbled everyone with his spin mastery. The chapter also visited Culver
City to go ice skating; this time it was Anthony who was master of the rink. (see
photo at right)
The spring quarter began in April, and so did the next initiation process.
New candidates submitted resumes and conducted student-professor interviews;
they also got a chance to meet and eat with current members at a local pizzeria.
Outside of candidate events, UCLA Chi Epsilon also hosted a two-part AutoCAD workshop and coordinated an
engineering company tour with KPFF in downtown Los Angeles. As the spring initiation draws near, UCLA Chi
Epsilon continues to look forward and expect great things.
Carnegie Mellon University
This year, the operations of the Carnegie Mellon University chapter of Chi Epsilon can be classified into
three categories: member initiations, appointment of officers, and general operations.
During the year, an initiation of Chi Epsilon members occurred both in the
fall and spring semesters. Fifteen new members were welcomed to our chapter
during the fall initiation, and three new members were welcomed to our chapter
during the spring initiation. (see photo at left) The previous members of Chi Epsilon are very excited to help facilitate and witness the growth of our chapter.
Immediately following the fall initiation meeting, a new board of officers
was elected. Furthermore, a faculty advisor was selected during April of 2013.
The names of the chapter officers and faculty advisor are as follows: Adara Maroon, president; Tye Lampl, vice-president; Margo Johnson, secretary; Julian Pearlman, treasurer; William
Elmore, associate editor; Christopher Ejiofor, marshal; and Dr. Mario Berges, faculty advisor.
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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FALL 2013
The Carnegie Mellon University chapter of Chi Epsilon also participated
in additional events to display our society’s values. Our major event consisted
of hosting a letter writing campaign to university donors. (see photo at right)
During this campaign, members of our university’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Departments composed handwritten notes to donors thanking them for
their continued support of our institution. Additionally, our chapter possesses
and maintains a database of national civil engineering graduate programs. We
make this database accessible to our department in order to further scholarship
within the civil engineering profession.
Looking forward, our chapter looks to maintain the advancement in member participation, outstanding
leadership, and interaction within our community in the coming semesters. We look to expand on our operations
in order to serve the purpose of our organization at a greater level.
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati chapter was an amazing success during the 2012-2013 year. This year’s
officers were Morgen Schroeder, president; Kevin Mills, vice-president; Matt Menche, treasurer; Jenna Bareswilt, secretary; Naomi Katz, marshal; and Zack Shindledecker, associate editor. Dr. Gian Rassati served as
the sole faculty advisor this year.
In the fall, there were nine new members initiated into our chapter,
and another three students were initiated in the spring. (see photo at left)
Dinners were arranged after each initiation as a celebration for these new
members. Social events were also scheduled throughout the year at local restaurants in order to further develop our sociability skills. Another
achievement this year included placing 4th out of more than twenty teams
that took place in the school’s Engineering-Week activities. Our chapter
also successfully arranged for ten FE Exam reviews to help raise money and prepare students for the exam.
Officers were elected during the spring semester for the 2013-2014 year. These officers were Josh Cones,
president; Elisabeth Martin, vice-president; Matt Menche, treasurer; Naomi Katz, secretary; Michael Flanagan, marshal; and Eric Hahn, associate editor. Our faculty advisor will continue to be Dr. Gian Rassati. A
transition dinner was held at a restaurant in downtown Cincinnati to celebrate and to allow the current officers to
explain the duties of each position to the newly elected officers.
As a final display of this year’s accomplishments, it was announced that Morgen Schroeder had won a
National Chi Epsilon scholarship and Matt Menche was elected for the District Chi Epsilon scholarship. We are
looking forward to what our chapter can achieve next year!
City College of New York
This past semester has been one of rigorous activity for Chi Epsilon
members of the City College of New York chapter. The spring 2013 Chi Epsilon
initiation took place on May 13th (see photo at right) where the following 15
new members were initiated: Nazana Weeks, Johnny Nuñez, Tal Azulay, Jon
Rosen, Callie Siu, Tara Saber-Khiabani, Evin Ye, Elidion Gjoka, Sikha Basnet, Leslyn Prasad, Esther Dornhelm, Nelson Altagracia, Stanley de Jesus
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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FALL 2013
Tineo, Yan Fei Luo, and Kenneth Bekman. The outgoing officers, most of whom will be graduating this June,
include Yanil Rosario, president; Martin Saldarriaga, vice-president/secretary; Ronald Ademaj, treasurer;
Tenzin Getso, secretary; Liza Billings, associate editor; and Ben Conable, marshal. The incoming officers for
the 2013 academic year include Nazana Weeks, president; Johnny Nuñez, vice-president; Tal Azulay, treasurer;
Jon Rosen, secretary; Yanil Rosario, associate editor; and Tara Saber-Khiabani, marshal.
Chi Epsilon, along with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter, organized six
workshops and seminars for students this past year, hosted by the Civil Engineering Alumni Group (CEAG).
Workshops focused on civil engineering career paths, finding a job, interview skills, tunnel design and construction, the value of communication, and seminars illustrating career opportunities in civil engineering. The alumni
group also planned two field trips to a construction site with Skanska at the 2nd Ave Subway project. We conducted tutoring sessions for the most difficult class in the department, Mechanics of Materials (CE 33200) for this
academic year, continuing with last year mission.
Chi Epsilon also took a leadership role in organizing the City College of New York First Annual Civil
Engineering Banquet along with ASCE. This event was a total success with the attendance of Civil Engineering
Alumni, Faculty, and Students, and we received positive feedback as well. We had over 80 plus attendees, and
everyone got to network. During the banquet, we recognized our student leaders and scholarship recipients and
showcased some of the events that the Civil Engineering Department organizes throughout the year. We recognized the Concrete Canoe Club who placed second overall in the regional competitions.
We look forward in the next year to improving our Peer Mentoring Program by involving the professors
from our first year civil engineering courses and improving scholarship application volume from the Civil Engineering students.
Clarkson University
The 2012-2013 academic year proved productive for the Clarkson University chapter of Chi Epsilon. Two initiation ceremonies were held; one in the fall
for an outgoing senior, and one in the spring for the majority of the new initiates.
(see photo at left) After the spring ceremony, new officers were elected from the
initiates: Audrey Degnan, president; Luke Christiantelli, vice-president; Kaitlyn Diehsner, secretary; Evan Douglas, treasurer; Natalie Worley, marshal; and
Thomas Haynes, associate editor. These officers replace Christopher Krushinski, president; Scott Berend, vice-president; Margueritte Ngami, secretary;
Jacob Earl, marshal; Eric Moody, treasurer; and Mark Bayer, associate editor.
Clarkson’s chapter members participated in numerous service projects including an Adopt-a-Highway
roadside cleanup, various church programs, and chapter service hours. One of the hallmark events to which the
chapter contributed was Clarkson’s the first annual National Engineers Week. For this event, the Chi Epsilon
chapter members helped to organize programs showcasing civil engineering and its related disciplines to underclassmen and undecided students.
In addition to community outreach, our chapter worked diligently to develop the image of the Chi Epsilon
chapter on campus. This entailed participation in the annual student activities fair, three open houses, and the
first annual campus-wide honor society fair. One of major goals of the coming year is to increase the pride that
students feel when they are invited to this prestigious society.
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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FALL 2013
University of Colorado-Boulder
The University of Colorado chapter of Chi Epsilon began spring 2013 by initiating new members and
electing all new officers. New officers for the 2013 year are as follows: Kent Cohen, president; Liz Johnson,
vice-president; Stefan R. Johnson, secretary; and Jordan Burns, treasurer. The new officers and members are
encouraging new membership within the University. The incoming initiates kept the chapter population constant.
The officers coordinated the FE exam reviews for the College of Engineering. In the fall, the chapter plans to
organize more events and participate in campus affairs outside of the engineering school.
The Cooper Union
In the 2012-2013 academic year, The Cooper Union chapter of Chi Epsilon under the advisement of
Professor Vito A. Guido held its initiation during May 2013. Six new members were initiated: Ilan Griboff,
president; Kevin Lee, vice-president; Sarah Grand, treasurer; Jake Chaimaa Mak, secretary; Sheldon Klein,
associate editor; and Michael Luke, marshal. Outgoing officers from the 2011-2012 school year have graduated
from The Cooper Union and are pursuing careers and further education in their respective fields. They include
Jozef Syta, president; Amanda Yuan, vice-president; Dominik Goj, treasurer; Jake Hughes, secretary; Alyki
Malliaros, associate editor; and Kyle Ng, marshal.
Drexel University
During the 2012-2013 academic year, 7 new members were initiated in Feb, 2013, and 8 new members
were initiated in May, 2013. New officer selections for the 2013-2014 year took place during the spring initiation
ceremony. Those officers are: Antonio G. Alaimo, president; Samantha E. Cowan, vice-president; Tom BenDavid, treasurer; Sean M. Flynn, secretary; Alexander B. Newhart, associate editor; and Glenn R. Santulli,
marshal. The following members held leadership roles during the 2012-2013 academic year: Jaclyn M. Raciti,
president; Marissa N. Zaporta, vice-president; Tom Ben-David, treasurer; Glenn Santulli, secretary; Andrew
King, associate editor; and Jared M. Hurwich, marshal.
The Drexel University chapter of Chi Epsilon desires to continue increasing campus involvement, as well
as strengthening its participation in Chi Epsilon. Some examples of initiatives promoting these goals include:
hosting the Order of the Engineer ceremony for Drexel University in June of 2013, hosting fellowship workshops
for civil engineering students, partnering with ASCE or AEI to initiate student-run review sessions for the FE
Exam, and promoting the attendance of Conclave 2014 for some Chi Epsilon members.
University of Evansville
During each academic year, the University of Evansville is proud to uphold the great tradition of initiating
new members to its local chapter of the prestigious National Civil Engineering Honor Society, Chi Epsilon. On
December 10, 2012, four juniors: Jamie Johnson, Heather Passey, Chris Kuester, and Kilian Sweet, and one
senior, Jariah Besing, were quietly led into a dark room in the UE’s library for their initiation. New members
were asked to uphold their responsibilities, and all agreed respectfully. By the end of the ceremony, the new members expressed their gratitude toward their old mentors and peers for the opportunity to be a part of Chi Epsilon.
On April 9, 2013, the chapter met to elect new officers. The old officers: Dylan Kleemann, president;
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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FALL 2013
Katelyn Spainhour, vice-president and associate editor; Max Kitten, treasurer; Chris Lasley, secretary and
marshal, passed their positions on to the new junior members. Chris Kuester was named the new president;
Kilian Sweet, vice-president/associate editor; Heather Passey, treasurer; and Jamie Johnson, secretary/marshal.
During the academic year of 2012-2013, members of the Chi Epsilon University of Evansville chapter
were active in both national and local activities. Our chapter members took leadership roles in our local chapter
of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Kilian Sweet was elected ASCE vice-president in December 2012.
Jamie Johnson and Heather Passey kept their positions of co-chairs of our annual balsawood bridge building educational community outreach. In addition,
Katelyn Spainhour, Jamie Johnson, and Heather Passey aided in the proctoring and grading of exams on University of Evansville’s annual Engineering
Scholarship Day. In March 2013, Jamie Johnson and Heather Passey attended
the Great Lakes District Conference, gaining valuable information and ideas for
this coming year. In April 2013, Jamie Johnson, Heather Passey, and Chris
Kuester led the University of Evansville’s concrete canoe team to victory at the
ASCE Great Lakes Conference and will be attending the 2013 National Concrete Canoe Competition.
George Mason University
The
George
Mason University chapter of Chi Epsilon has completed another exciting year, which
included the initiation of new members. The initiation ceremony was held on
December 9, 2012. The ceremony consisted of member pledges, the giving of the
symbolic transit pins, a banquet reception, and the bestowing of Chi Epsilon certificates. The inductees have demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement, academic
integrity, and leadership. The inductees will exemplify the Four Pillars of Chi Epsilon of
scholarship, character, practicality, and sociability.
The new GMU officers for the 2013-2014 academic year are: Sathya Mathavan,
Carmen Bere, Zachary High, Christopher Evans, and Khanh Pham. (see photo above
left)
Sean Lindenmuth, president of the GMU chapter of Chi Epsilon for the 2012-2013
year, was awarded the Olin K. Dart, Jr. National Chi Epsilon Scholarship for his outstanding academic achievement and significant involvement in extracurricular activities. Sean
was also named the 2012-2013 Volgenau School of Engineering Student of the Year at
George Mason University. (see photo at right)
Georgia Tech University
The Georgia Tech chapter of Chi Epsilon has made excellent progress over the past year. Biweekly
chapter meetings with guest speakers have helped increase the awareness and involvement of members with the
chapter’s activities, in addition to providing opportunities and exposures to students with companies outside of
the realm of academia. Each semester, the officers also organized review sessions conducted by faculty for the
civil engineering sections of the FE exam, to great success.
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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FALL 2013
In March, the Georgia Institute of Technology chapter also held a community building session by attending the local Atlanta Hawks versus 76ers game. (see
photo on left) A generally great time was had by all. It served as a way of introducing students to one another who may have not had much contact beforehand.
Because of the success of this game, the officers for next year are already planning on establishing more community events in order to strengthen ties within our
chapter.
Officers for the past year were Paul Son, president; Michael Wong, vicepresident; Jerome Sin, secretary; Julius Doan, treasurer; Chris Forehand, associate editor; and Samuel Harris,
marshal. One of the incumbent officers, Samuel Harris, was elected and installed to be president for the coming
year, fostering a smooth transition for the new leadership team. The new officers are John Jung, vice-president,
Angela Phung, associate editor, Luis Hasbun, treasurer, and Steven Slaughter, marshal.
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa Chi Epsilon chapter has been active and successfully growing over the past year.
Five new members were initiated in fall 2012, including: Andrew Constant, Anna Flessner, Michael Hepner, Adrianna Jarosz, and Daniel Watson. In the spring of 2013, Gregory Annis was initiated. This year’s
activities included several pizza socials with our faculty advisor, Dr. Richard Valentine, and organizing review
sessions for those students taking the FE Exam. In order to fund the social activities held, Chi Epsilon participated in an arena clean-up at Carver-Hawkeye
arena after a woman’s basketball game. Volunteer activities included conducting a waste audit for the State Hygienic Lab, where it was found 45% of a day’s
garbage could be recycled. Eight University of Iowa Chi Epsilon members also
participated in a house remodel for Habitat for Humanity. (see photo at right)
This shows an increase in local volunteer activities for this chapter as we strive
towards more community involvement. Future goals include increasing membership and awareness, sponsoring or co-sponsoring events within the College,
and potentially starting K-12 outreach activities.
Outgoing officers from 2012-2013 include: Tyler Beduhn, president; Ryan Posluszny, vice-president;
Tyler Olson, treasurer; Andrew Constant, secretary; Heidi Ranschau, associate editor; and Emery Waterhouse, marshal. Incoming officers for 2013-2014 include: Andrew Constant, president; Emery Waterhouse,
vice-president; Daniel Watson, treasurer; Gregory Annis, secretary; and Michael Hepner, marshal, with the
position of associate editor to be determined in the fall once new recruits are added to the ranks.
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky chapter followed through on its objective of becoming a more active and
visible organization in 2013. A revised invitation process led to the initiation of eleven new members: Barry
Bishop, Leeann Gottuso, Christopher Hahnel, Heather Hunt, Yuxia Li, Osamah Mahmood, Taylor Menard, Jordan Miller, Brendan O’Bryan, Macy Purcell, and Douglas Tyler. Eleven meetings over the previous
two semesters included officer elections, UK E-Day youth outreach and program planning, initiate information
sessions, initiation board “labs” for new members, and formal initiation ceremonies. E-Day was particularly exCHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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citing, with the debut of the new Lego® Bridge Contest. Over 75 children participated in the event, which made all the hard work developing contest rules and
sorting blocks (see photo at left) extremely worthwhile.
Three incoming officers were elected in September: Stacey Shal, vicepresident; Lindsay Russell, treasurer; Allen Combs, marshal. Mike McHenry,
Ann-Marie Harik, and Jonathan Scheibly were re-elected as president, secretary, and associate editor, respectively. Mike and Jonathan are outgoing officers
at the end of the spring 2013 semester; elections are scheduled for fall 2013. Dr.
Jimmy Fox has returned from sabbatical and resumed his duties as the chapter’s faculty advisor; we wish to thank
Dr. Scott Yost for filling in during this time.
Lamar University
The Lamar University chapter of Chi Epsilon gathered in the Cherry Engineering building of Lamar University in December 2012, to initiate six new
student members. The initiated students are as follows: Amber Huddle, Kaiming Yan, Daniel Ward, Kathryn Osborn, John Kirk, and Lacey Atkins. On
May 1, 2013, the chapter met once again to initiate six new student members, one
new faculty member, and one honorary member in the 2013 spring semester. (see
photo at right) The new initiated students are as follows: Laura E. Hernandez,
Lyann E. Castillo, Lauren E. Combs, James M. Bourne Jr, Michael C. McDaniel, and LaDonna M. Waters. The new initiated faculty member is Dr. Xing Wu. This initiation ceremony
was extra special because we were able to initiate Mr. Alan Plummer as a Lamar University Chi Epsilon Chapter
Honor Member. In addition, the Lamar University chapter elected the following officers for the 2013-2014 term:
Garret Duhon, president; Trace Thurgood, vice-president; Michael Delloma, treasurer/secretary; Kathryn
Osborn, associate editor; and Daniel Ward, marshal.
In 2012, the Lamar University Chi Epsilon chapter was involved in the design and production of the steel
bridge which competed in the ASCE Tex-Mex regional competition held in El Paso, Texas. Lamar’s steel bridge
placed 3rd in construction, 3rd in design, and 5th overall out of 12 schools. Lamar’s chapter also lent a hand in
the production of the concrete canoe which competed in the ASCE Tex-Mex regional competition held in Corpus
Christi, Texas in 2013.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Chi Epsilon chapter has participated in various university projects. In the fall 2012 and spring 2013 semesters, Chi Epsilon members were responsible for hosting high school
seniors and their families through an event called Preview Day. The members gave a presentation about the Civil
Engineering Department at UL, as well as a tour through the various labs.
The fall 2012 Chi Epsilon initiation ceremony occurred on Friday, November 30, 2012, at the Auditorium
of Madison Hall on the UL campus, with nine members initiated: Aimee Duhon, Andrew Omondi, Bradley
Morein, Leia Kagawa, Michelle Campbell, Bradley Lambert, Callie Coulon, Mark Saliba, and Roshan
Sharma. A reception followed the initiation in the Civil Engineering student lounge. The fall 2012 officers were:
Clint Simoneaux, president; Neil Schneider, vice-president; Sarah Richard, secretary; Nicholas Helminger,
treasurer; Charles LeBoeuf, associate editor; and Jacob Benton, marshal. Four Chi Epsilon members received
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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their bachelor’s degree at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette fall 2012 commencement on December 15,
2012: Charles LeBoeuf, Andrew Molitor, Andrew Omondi, and Sarah Richard.
The spring 2013 Chi Epsilon initiation ceremony occurred on Saturday,
May 4, 2013, with five initiated members: Lauren Carlino, Bliss Kelley, Hong
Le, Abdullah Nur, and Desmond Sam. Also, our chapter inducted a Chapter
Honor Member, Dr. Russell C. Hibbeler. (see photo at left) The spring 2013
officers, elected on February 4, 2013, are: Aimee Duhon, president; Bradley
Morein, vice-president; Michelle Campbell, secretary; Nicholas Helminger,
treasurer; Charles LeBoeuf, associate editor; and Jacob Benton, marshal. (see
photo at right) Six Chi Epsilon members will receive their bachelor’s degree at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette spring
2013 commencement on May 18, 2013: Callie Coulon, Nicholas Helminger,
Bradley Lambert, Mark Saliba, Neil Schneider, and Clint Simoneaux.
Chi Epsilon and ASCE joined together in organizing the 2013 banquet,
which was held on Saturday, May 4, 2013, immediately following the spring
2013 initiation, at the Petroleum Club in Lafayette. Over seventy students, faculty, and staff from the Civil Engineering Department, as well as professionals
from the area, attended the event.
University of Louisville
In the spring 2013 semester, five new members are to be initiated into the
University of Louisville (U of L) chapter of Chi Epsilon: Thomas Arnspiger,
Emily Hann, Wayne McGrath, Greg Morreau, and Ian van Lierop. Additionally, the chapter has elected a new faculty advisor: Dr. J. P. Mohsen, PE.
The elected officers for the 2013-2014 school year are as follows: Kevin McKeel, president; Stephanie Coffey, vice-president; Marcella Kennedy, secretary
and associate editor; Tom Hebbeler, treasurer; and Matt Rhoads, marshal. (see
photo at left) These officers are each serving their second term, with the exception of president and vice-president, who are trading positions.
The U of L chapter is very involved with the ASCE student chapter, participating in outreach events, as
well as social events. Each year, Chi Epsilon members volunteer with ASCE members to host a K-12 Balsa Wood
Bridge Competition, in addition to other fun, civil engineering-related activities. Chi Epsilon members also participate in ASCE service events, such as Repair Affair, an event which is similar to Habitat for Humanity. Many
of our members are also involved in ASCE student competitions, such as the Steel Bridge Competition.
U of L Chi Epsilon members are represented in not only ASCE, but also in the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), Engineers Without Borders (EWB), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the U of L
Speed School Student Council (SSSC), and other organizations.
Many of our members have received recognition for their extensive professional involvement. Marcella
Kennedy was named one of the top three 2013 New Faces of Civil Engineering - College Edition. Members have
also received various scholarships related to civil engineering. These include the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Civil Engineering Scholarship, the Chi Epsilon Eugene A. Glysson National Scholarship, the ASCE Kentucky
Section Scholarship, the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers Scholarship, and many more.
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Manhattan College
On April 19, 2013, the Manhattan College chapter held its new member initiation for the 2013-2014
academic year. The outgoing officers are as follows: Anthony Coppola, president; Stephen Cole-Hatchard,
vice-president; Gianpiero Carovillano, treasurer; Kristen Walker, secretary; Alberto Morgante, associate editor; and Steven Lotti, marshal. The new chapter officers are: Robert Tassey, president; Kaitlyn Parlow, vicepresident; Anthony Gallo, treasurer; Vincenzo Gerbino, secretary; Brian Krieger, associate editor; and Laiara
Cerri, marshal.
The Manhattan College chapter participated on campus in the “Safe Halloween” event on October 26, 2012. The event is organized by student activities
to provide children from the surrounding Riverdale community a safe and fun
trick-or-treat experience. Each club and honor society has its own classroom
and theme. The Chi Epsilon theme was construction and engineering. All of the
members participating wore construction costumes and work stations were set up
for children to build objects with candy. (see photo at right) This was Chi Epsilon’s first time participating in “Safe Halloween” and, due to success, we hope to
participate for years to come. It allowed the chapter to be recognized on campus and become familiar with the
community’s families.
Through connection with the former associate editor, Joseph Saunders, the chapter also took a trip to the
top of the George Washington Bridge for a tour. The officers and other members of the chapter who attended the
trip were given an extensive history of the bridge as well as the many engineering specifications of the bridge.
Members were also provided a tour of the bridge’s towers. The membership feels that it is important to actually
go out into the world and see the impact engineers have on society. Also, it allows one to get a feel for the applications of our field and experience what it is like to work in this industry.
Through the guidance of Dr. Hourani, the chapter will continue to participate in events in the civil engineering profession and beyond in order to become compassionate and open-minded human beings.
Marquette University
Over the course of the past year, the Marquette University chapter of Chi Epsilon completed two initiation
ceremonies, one in November for the fall semester and one in April for the spring semester. Between the two
ceremonies, 13 new undergraduate students joined Chi Epsilon.
The chapter was also active in doing a variety of activities. After the fall
initiation, new initiates, officers, and fellow members gathered at a local restaurant to welcome the new members and watch the school’s basketball team play
the first game of the season. (see photo at left) After the spring initiation, the initiates and current members attended a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game. (see
photo at right) Also, the chapter organized a technical tour of Miller Park (home
of the Milwaukee Brewers) where attendees were able to have an up-close look
at the structural and HVAC elements of the stadium. Many of the chapter members were also active with the Marquette chapter
of ASCE where they participated in the annual conference and in ASCE chapter
meetings.
The outgoing officers for this year include: Sara Zongolowicz, president; Javier Porras, vice-president; Ryan Mahoney, treasurer; Mike Pirlott,
secretary; Patrick Barnhouse, associate editor; and Rebecca Sutton, marshal.
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For the upcoming year, Dr. Baolin Wan will continue to serve as the faculty advisor with the following officers:
Kelsey Welch, president; Javier Porras, vice-president; Pat Owens, treasurer; Mike Pirlott, secretary; Laura
Switzer, associate editor; and Kurt Wagner, marshal.
University of Maryland
The past year at UMD included both traditional and unique events for Chi
Epsilon. The fall semester saw the return of our ever successful and popular
engineering career fair, and the first time Chi Epsilon went ice skating! The fall
initiation was an unusual one, which we labeled as Chi Epsilon Celebration. In
addition to the initiation of 22 students into the University of Maryland chapter
of Chi Epsilon, we bore witness to the elevation of Dr. G. Wayne Clough as the
62nd National Honor Member. (see photo at left)
For many members, our spring semester focused on the ASCE Mid-Atlantic
Student Conference. Each year there are two primary competitions, one for concrete canoe and one for steel
bridge. The canoe team took first or second place in five different races, and also assembled a formidable second
place technical report. The bridge team did similarly well, with second place in the efficiency and stiffness categories, and third place overall. Other events included several general body meetings with different employers,
student-faculty bowling, and the initiation of 12 new members. The executive board positions of president, vicepresident, secretary, marshal, and associate editor saw themselves changed from Katie O’Brien, Keven Fries,
Laken Ensor, Amanda Boehmlein, and Christopher Binkley to Zoe Ledbetter, Emily Kriz, Caite Barr,
Haley Carpenter, and Catherine Birney, respectively.
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst chapter grew this year with initiation of 11 new members this
past December. In the spring, the chapter organized FE review sessions to help fellow CEE students prep for the
gruesome exam. Organization of the sessions included coordinating times and locations for professors to give a
review on the various topics tested in the FE. Along with the review sessions Chi Epsilon was also responsible
for course evaluations held at the end of the semester. Members delivered and distributed the evaluations to classrooms. These evaluations are used to provide feedback to the engineering staff and professors on the class so that
the department can continue to grow and excel.
As the officers this year were all graduating seniors, elections were held to find members to take on the
leadership roles. The chapter would like to commend our outgoing 2011-2012 officers for their efforts over the
past year: Andrew Gradeski, president; Tyler Swift, vice-president; Zhiren Zhu, secretary; Christina Dube,
treasurer; Derek Roach, marshal; and Gabriel Carmona, associate editor. We extend our congratulations to
our new officers for the 2012-2013 academic year: Stephanie Benoit, president; John Jermyn, vice-president;
Jessica Boakye, secretary; Lisa Kristiansen, treasurer; Angela Berthaume, marshal; and Matthew Caracciolo,
associate editor.
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University of Massachusetts Lowell
Special Activities
Accepted Students Welcome Day (April 6, 2013)
Chi Epsilon members volunteered their time on a Saturday to welcome
students to the University of Massachusetts Lowell. (see photo at right) Members
participated in demonstrations of surveying, structural dynamics, and other civil
engineering activities. The purpose of the event was to give potential students a
student’s perspective of life at UMass Lowell. We successfully ran demonstrations for over 100 visitors.
Special Meetings
Mid-Semester Officer’s Meeting (February 27, 2013)
Officers discussed plans for the end of the semester. (see photo at left) Topics included the end of semester initiation, stoles for graduation, and funding
the chapter in the coming months. Officers decided to rent stoles to graduating
seniors to save the chapter money and to ensure the stoles would be available for
future members.
General Meeting (May 3, 2013)
New initiates attended and learned about the officer’s positions. Elections were held to choose officers
for the 2013-14 academic year. All positions were filled with new members. Procedures for running the chapter
were also discussed, and stoles were loaned to graduating seniors.
Spring Initiation (May 1, 2013)
More than 30 students were initiated into the UMass Lowell chapter representing the largest initiation
in chapter history. Current officers informed the initiates about the procedures for running the chapter and gave
information about the officer positions that needed filling in the coming academic year. A general meeting was
planned for May 3 to elect new officers and discuss graduation procedures.
University of Miami
The 2012-2013 academic year saw the University of Miami chapter continue towards its goal of becoming the most recognized and prestigious honor society at the University. This year the chapter once again served
the College of Engineering community in new and valuable ways. Every student society is only as good as the
members that constitute its chapter so it is with great excitement that we initiated a new group of members.
We were honored to initiate into the society: Reem A. Abdullah, Kyle A. Gater, Zachary D. Otten,
Gavin A. Good, Ana Camila Cohen, Brendan Brzoska, Elena Gonzalez, Hannah McKool, Pedro Schnell,
Caroline Schwartz, and Zachary Seed. We eagerly anticipate facilitating these exceptional students’ growth in
the civil engineering profession and are excited about the contributions they will surely make to our chapter.
As another school year winds down, we sadly bid adieu to our graduating seniors. As for our graduates,
Zahra Karim, Allyson Porges, Damon Campbell, Kevin Schwartz, Steven Verbovsky, Laura Balboni, Laura Vogel, Ryan Goolabsingh, Shuai Xiao, Garrett Moore, Diego Romero, and Felipe Mejia, we would like to
wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors and thank them greatly for the way they have helped shape
our chapter and make it what it is today. We would also like to recognize our officers who served us faithfully
this year: Zahra Karim, president; Wyatt Krapf, vice-president; Kim McDonald, treasurer; Caitlin Lundell,
secretary; Melissa Barona, associate editor; and Henry Kreh, marshal. Our installed officers for 2013-2014 will
be: Kim McDonald, president; Sabina Rakhimbekova, vice-president; Melissa Barona, treasurer; Hannah
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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McKool, secretary; Reem Abdullah, associate editor; and Kyle A. Gater, marshal.
This year our chapter continued two-established partnerships we had with the College of Engineering.
We once again reached out to freshmen to provide tutoring services as well as come alongside them to provide a
model of a successful engineering student. Also the department again privileged our society by choosing to hire
Chi Epsilon members as homework-graders for select freshman classes. This is a mutually beneficial partnership
that we hope to see continue for semesters to come. A new way in which we served the engineering community
was by beautifying the college. Years ago the CAE department had installed an elaborate sculpture that portrayed
the complexities of engineering by intertwining multiple structural elements. This statue was set on a platform
surrounded by a railing that was in need of a makeover. Chi Epsilon oversaw the cleaning and repainting of this
railing as well as a much needed cleaning of the platform. As a chapter we continue to look to serve our College
and our University as a whole in new and innovative ways.
Michigan State University
This Chi Epsilon chapter at Michigan State University (MSU) was pleased
to initiate 13 new members on November 18, 2012, and 11 new members on
April 14, 2013. All initiates posses the esteemed qualities necessary for Chi Epsilon membership. This fall semester initiates are: Cole Cavalieri, Roberto De
Silva Reguera, Fang Gong, Alex Guyon, Jacob Holda, Morgan Hoxsie, Kyle
Jasina, Tyler Jones, Hisham Nasr, James Smith, Jacob Stepp, Aric Thorne,
and Robert Weir. Dr. Susan Masten was also initiated as a Chapter Honor
Member. (see photo above) This spring semester initiates are: Thomas Bahmer,
Zachary Jelened, Rachel Norman, Brandon Hasso, Charifa Hejase, William
Seegar, Joshua Curtis, Jacob Stepp, Matthew Callaghan, Steven Tate, and
Casey Bonner. The Chapter Honor Member initiate for the spring semester was
Mr. Chuck Gemayel. (see photo at left) The current members and officers extend contratulations to the new initiates.
The MSU chapter of Chi Epsilon held its bi-annual book sale as a fundraiser. The chapter members would
like to thank the MSU faculty and staff who donated books. In the fall semester, a few Chi Epsilon officers volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing Giving Tree for the winter holidays. In the spring semester, the
chapter provided maintenance of the Civil and Environmental Engineering trophy case. Next year, the chapter
plans to get more involved with the community, planning some additional volunteer opportunities as well as other
social events.
During the fall semester initiation, the chapter elected Joe Gorman, president; James Rice, vice-president; Morgan Hoxsie, marshal; and Tyler Jones, associate editor. Danielle Walley, Ashley Roberts, and Karen
Wood continued as secretary, treasurer, and SEC Representative, respectively. The chapter recognized Erik
Easterly and Jack Potterack as its outgoing officers and wishes them success in the future.
During the spring semester initiation, the chapter elected four new officers: Morgan Hoxsie, president;
Cathering Nyombe, SEC Representative; James Smith, marshal; and Hisham Nasr, secretary. James Rice,
Ashley Roberts, and Tyler Jones continue as vice-president, treasurer, and associate editor, respectively. The
chapter bids farewell to outgoing officers Joe Gorman, Karen Wood, and Danielle Walley and wishes them
success in the future.
This year, the annual Conrad Award was proudly awarded to Ross Simons due to his outstanding scholastic achievement. Also, Samuel Jablonowski was selected to receive the NTH Consultants Chi Epsilon scholarship due to his demonstration of adherence to the principles of Chi Epsilon. In addition, the chapter had five
scholarships that were awarded to the following randomly selected members: Joseph Gorman, Karen Wood,
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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Joshua Curtis, Robert Weir, and Casey Bonner. This year’s regional Chi Epsilon teaching award was awarded
to Dr. Susan Masten. The chapter would like to thank our faculty advisor, Dr. Gilbert Y. Baladi for another year
of service and guidance.
University of Mississippi
During the 2012-2013 school year, the University of Mississippi’s Chi
Epsilon chapter welcomed 9 new undergraduate members who participated in the
chapter’s initiation ceremony on April 19, 2013. Those members are Ms. Haley
L. Sims, Mr. Trey R. Powell, Ms. Madeline M. Costelli, Mr. William L. Rogers, Mr. David M. Austin, Ms. Diana Kapanzhi, Mr. Joshua G. Frierson, Ms.
Christian R. Taylor, and Mr. Joseph White. (see photos, with officers)
The members and initiates have been very
active with the American Society of Civil Engineers for the Deep South Conference Competition. The new initiates helped on
both the concrete canoe and the steel bridge for the competition. Dr. Cristiane
Surbeck continued to serve as the chapter’s faculty advisor. The newly elected
officers for the 2013-2014 academic year are as follows: Diana Kapanzhi, president; Gary Bell, vice-president; Rachel Tutor, secretary; Joey White, treasurer;
Will Rogers, associate editor; and David Austin, marshal.
University of Missouri-Columbia
In the fall 2012 semester, the University of Missouri chapter of Chi Epsilon initiated eight new members.
The new members were initiated on Tuesday, November 27 in Lafferre Hall at the University of Missouri. They
were: Zachary Brinker, Andrew Pelikan, Pedro Ruiz Fabian, Logan Forsythe, Sital Raj Uprety, Cassandra Supak, Anne Ahlvers, and Austin Stake. A service project, cleaning up Chi Epsilon’s section of “Adopt a
Highway,” was done on Saturday, October 6 prior to their initiation.
The officers for the fall semester were Elizabeth Mayfield, president;
Eric Trupiano, vice-president; Jessica Bales, marshal; Allison Morris, associate editor; William Omastone, secretary; and Austin Ratzki, treasurer. (see
photo at right)
The newly initiated officers for the spring 2013 semester were Eric Trupiano, president; Tyler Horn, vice-president; William Omastone, marshal; Anne
Ahlvers, associate editor; Logan Forsythe, secretary; and Zachary Brinker,
treasurer.
The spring semester initiation was held on Monday, April 29, in Lafferre Hall
on the University of Missouri campus. Our chapter initiated six new members:
Aaron Begley, Josh Garton, Tyler Lacy, Paige Martz, Hannah Mitchem, and
Jiaman Xu. Our service project was completed on March 16, 2012. During the
service event candidates for initiation volunteered to clean our section for “Adopt
a Highway”. (see photo at left)
The new officers for next semester were elected, at the initiation, to be Austin Stake, president; Aaron Begley, vice-president; Logan Forsythe, marshal;
Tyler Lacy, secretary; Jiaman Xu, associate editor; and Zachary Brinker, treasurer. At the dinner following
initiation, Paige Martz won the best transit award.
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University of Missouri-Kansas City
The fall 2012 induction ceremony of 1 senior and 8 juniors took place on November 29th. Ian O’Leary
was the senior inductee and the juniors consisted of: Alberto Kang, Erik Yotter, Tuan Nguyen, Brock Worthley, Timothy Cambron, Philip Ziegler, Habtamu Yeshaneh, and Ashlee Warnke.
The spring 2013 induction ceremony of 3 juniors, 1 senior and 1 Chapter Honor Member took place on
April 26th.. Initiates from the junior class were: Dirk Hudson, Jonathan Lamanes, and Levon Saiyan. Joshua
Frank was the initiated senior, and Mr. Larry Frevert, P.E., was elevated as a Chapter Honor Member.
With seniors graduating and moving on in life, the UMKC chapter saw the exit of its previous officers:
Taylor Christmas, president; Justin Daugherty, vice-president; Jason Regina, secretary; Nicholas Borchert,
treasurer; Meagan Malloy, marshal; and Josh Arnold, associate editor. The initiation ceremony concluded with
the swearing in of the following new officers: Brock Worthley, president; Alberto Kang, vice-president; Philip
Ziegler, secretary; Dirk Hudson, treasurer; Ashlee Warnke, marshal; and John Lamanes, associate editor.
In the spring 2013 semester, the UMKC chapter and Pi Tau Sigma hosted an engineering social at a local
park. The event brought students together and a total of 40 canned items, which were donated to Harvester’s.
The chapter is looking forward to new adventures in the coming year and to those who are fortunate
enough to be new initiates in this year’s Chi Epsilon class.
Montana State University
The Montana State University chapter of Chi Epsilon (MSU chapter) has enjoyed serving our fellow
students and community over the past year. We volunteered for several community events and hosted numerous
gatherings for members to get to know each other and accomplish our goals.
Our chapter is well known for providing our fellow engineering students with free weekly tutoring in engineering mechanics courses and running review sessions for the FE exam. To compliment this, we sell review
manuals for the FE as one of our major fundraisers each semester. We also encourage our members to volunteer
for various events for the community. This year we had members volunteer with Science Olympiad, Engineerathon, and MATHCOUNTS, all of which are great events designed for younger kids in the community to get
excited about science and math. At Science Olympiad, volunteers assisted with the Boomilever competition, a
bridge-building challenge for middle and high school students. At Engineerathon, volunteers presented a simulation of how buildings behave in earthquakes to middle school students. At MATHCOUNTS, volunteers helped
grade math tests for the middle school competition.
The MSU chapter initiated thirteen new members in the spring of 2013.
These new members are Samuel Baker, Andrew Benson, Lindsey Bosworth,
Jenna Delwiche, Jacqueline Frank, Logan Hodgskiss, Michael Masters,
Patrick McGunagle, Kelcie Nice, Leigh Sutton, Scott Taylor, Herve Wa
Kitambo, and Brian Zirbel. (see photo at right, with officers)
All of our activities were coordinated with a strong officer team led by
our president Tim Kienitz. The rest of the team consisted of Aubrey Yerger,
vice-president; Cooper Krause, secretary; Kevin Marsh, treasurer; Brady
Lassila, associate editor; and Tyler Hessler, marshal. The upcoming 2013-2014 year will have a change in leadership. Patrick McGunagle will take over as president with the following crew: Kelcie Nice, vice-president;
Brian Zirbel, secretary; Lindsey Bosworth, associate editor; Andrew Benson, marshal; and Kevin Marsh will
remain the treasurer.
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New Mexico State University
The 2012-2013 academic year was busy for Chi Epsilon NMSU, as the chapter participated in several
university and community events. The chapter held a welcome back barbeque for the Department of Civil Engineering in the fall, and served lunch to fellow engineers taking the FE and PE exams in both the fall and spring.
The chapter was also honored by the presence of Dr. Robert L. Henry, PE, Southwest District Councilor, at our
fall initiation and banquet.
The officers for fall 2012 were as follows: Devon Gijsbers, president; Maximo Argo, vice-president;
Lucas Guaderrama, treasurer; Robert Selph, secretary; Mark Manning, associate editor; and Pietre HamblinHatchell, marshal. The officers for the spring 2013 semester were as follows: Maximo Argo, president; Mark
Manning, vice-president; Daniel Robillard, treasurer; Daniel Montoya, secretary; Alonzo Martinez, associate
editor; Jose Moreno, marshal.
Community service for the fall semester was carried out through outreach programs in the Las Cruces
community in cooperation with other civil engineering student organizations. Members participated in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) club outreach held at a local high school, as well as at a local elementary
school with the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) student chapter. Both programs were developed to foster interest and awareness in the opportunities presented by a career in civil engineering. Also, the
chapter volunteered helping students at a MATHCOUNTS competition held at the NMSU Engineering Complex.
Fundraising for the fall semester consisted of a dodge ball tournament held at the university activity center.
The tournament was highly successful, receiving an impressive turnout of students, and was conducted in a round
robin fashion with teams of five members each to afford everyone an equal amount of competition.
In spring 2013 the chapter kept strong ties with partner organizations ASCE and EERI; participating in all
previous community outreach programs with such groups. The chapter also participated in The Big Event. This
is an event at New Mexico State in which students are motivated to clean around campus and promote a healthy
environment for the surrounding community.
Spring fundraising was accomplished through t-shirt sales. T-shirts were designed by a fellow civil engineering classmate and then printed and sold. Throughout the department the design and the t-shirts themselves
have received great feedback.
Chapter Honor Member and Advisor
In fall 2012, the chapter elevated Mrs. Debra Hick, PE/LSI, who graduated with a BSCE from NMSU
in 1984. She then joined Pettigrew & Associates full time, a firm where she had been an intern during college,
and subsequently purchased the company in 1990. As sole owner, president & CEO, and principle engineer,
Mrs. Hicks has led her company to regional prominence by way of painstaking hard work to provide trustworthy
engineering services. In addition, the chapter initiated Dr. Brad Weldon, Assistant Professor, as the new faculty
advisor.
Initiation
Fall 2012 saw the initiation of seven members (see
photo at right), and in spring 2013 the chapter initiated eight members. (see photo at left) They were great
initiates, their initiation project was flawless and they
seem very motivated to be full members of the chapter. Both semesters the initiates were tasked with redesigning the lounge; we are currently in the works for
funding of the project. These initiates were recognized at the end of the year banquet
where they also presented the initiate project.
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Banquets and Awards
The fall 2012 banquet was held at the Ramada Palms de Las Cruces Hotel and honored the new initiates
and chapter honor member. Two students were chosen to receive the Chi Epsilon Chapter Endowed Scholarship.
They were president Devon Gijsbers and associate editor Mark Manning.
The spring 2013 banquet was at La Posta de Mesilla, recently named one of the top ten Mexican restaurants in the nation. At the banquet a couple scholarships were presented to two outstanding students. Erin Wosick
was presented with the Gene Braithwaite Memorial Scholarship, and associate editor Alonzo Martinez received
the NMSU Chapter Chi Epsilon Scholarship.
New Jersey Institute of Technology
In the spring 2013, the NJIT Chi Epsilon Chapter held their spring initiation for new members. The members initiated included: Alexander Barish, Michael Felicetta, Erica Freeman, Jorge Garcia, Sarah Hersom, Tahir Hissein,
Masroor Khan, Seyed Mohammad Reza Mousavian, Yosef Portnoy, Oruba
Rabie, Renz Reyes, Daniel Rondon, Pedro Santos, Silvia Santos, Victoria
Scala, Zafar Syed, and Lee Zhou. (see photo at right)
Officers for the 2013-2014 academic year were also elected. The officers
elected include: Silvia Santos, president; Victoria Scala, vice-president; Jorge
Garcia, treasurer; Daniel Rondon, secretary; and Michael Felicetta, marshal.
Northeastern University
The Northeastern University chapter of Chi Epsilon has continued its strong presence during the 20122013 academic year with an increase in membership and active involvement of its members. This year also marks
the second year with Dr. Luca Caracoglia as Faculty Advisor.
As in previous years, Chi Epsilon continued offering an outstanding tutoring service to fellow undergraduate peers in civil engineering at Northeastern. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, members of the chapter
served as pro-bono tutors and covered topics including Statics and Strength of Materials, Structural Analysis 1,
Fluid Mechanics, Soil Mechanics, and Concrete Design; also general open office periods were scheduled to assist students with specific concepts that are at the core of the civil engineering curriculum. This service greatly
benefitted many students in our program and was well received by both the students who frequented it and the
department faculty.
Chi Epsilon also organized its semi-annual FE review sessions. In order to prepare for the October and
April exams, chapter members arranged for civil engineering faculty to instruct evening review sessions in civil
subjects including Soil Mechanics, Materials, Surveying, Transportation and Highway Design, Hydrology, Fluid
Mechanics, Environmental Engineering, Steel Design, Probability and Engineering Economy, Differential Equations, and Construction Management. Students found the review sessions extremely helpful and accommodating,
so this tradition will be sure to continue into the future.
This year, our Chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Northeastern, Dr. Jerome
Hajjar, continued to provide his Graduate School Information Session for undergraduates. This information session is organized through Chi Epsilon. This discussion offers a perspective on the graduate school application
process, degree programs, grant applications, and career connectivity. A new addition to the sessions was a graduate student panel representing all fields of civil engineering, where questions could be answered in a discussionCHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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type setting. Students who attended the event were extremely impressed with the session, having indicated that
the combination of student and faculty perspectives was informative and insightful.
For the fourth year in a row, the Northeastern University Chi Epsilon chapter
was very excited to give back to the local community to help fight hunger through
the Boston CANstruction competition, held in October of 2012. (see photo at
left) This year’s structure consisted of a football in the act of being “kicked”
towards a large football goal post. The design was constructed and displayed at
the headquarters of the Boston Society of Architects (Waterfront area of Boston)
from October 15 to November 2. The activity helped to raise awareness of food
shortages around Boston food banks and was eventually donated to charity. The
challenge teaches students engineering concepts like structural capability, constructability, material estimates, and
cost analysis. Although The Northeastern chapter did not place first in the CANstruction event for aesthetics, the
chapter was very proud since the students were able to donate the 2nd largest amount of cans. Also, as a result of
the growing success of XE participation to CANstruction, Dr. Caracoglia served as one of the judges for the 2012
Boston competition. The jury was composed of various civil engineering and architecture professionals from this
area.
The chapter participated in this event, benefitting from the generous donation from Northeastern’s Richard
Scranton Fund (originally awarded in 2011), which honors the long-time Northeastern University civil engineering professor. This award was used to fund 2011 and 2012 CANstruction as well as future years’ projects.
The annual initiation ceremony was held on April 6, 2013, in front of parents, faculty, and current XE
members and alumni. The day included the initiation of 33 new members, an increase from last year, and a barbecue, which served to celebrate the successes of the new initiates and current members and promote member
participation. The event was a success, well organized by the 2012-2013 officers, and very well attended. The
newly initiated members are: Moises J. Cohen, Samuel Gartner, Patrick T. Finnell, John H. Arnott, Meghan
E. Debski, Kelsey A. Munns, Kayla S. Arruda, Ayad A. Alfareed, Hamad A. Alroumi, Zhiyong Zhao, Kelsey
A. Dunn, Olivia C. Deterling, Christopher J. Suess, Edward B. Dowd, Thomas D. Adinolfi, Danielle A. DiDomizio, Maria E. Proulx, Erin E. Regan, Xue Yang, Lina M. Juozelskis, Katherine E. Dougherty, Edwin
Mejia, Melissa Ellis, Stephen J. Bibinski, Lucas N. Troup, Drew M. Vagnini, Amanda M. Devereaux, Mary
K. Penny, Mohamad . El Sayed, and Brendan T. Shannon.
In May, the chapter also saw the graduation of five of its former officers: Andrew Childs, Kathleen
Keen, Sarah Keenan, Rochelle Willis, Steve Earl, and Insiyah Lightwala. The chapter thanks them and all the
other graduating members of Chi Epsilon, as they now become alumni, for their commitment to the chapter and
wishes them all the best of luck in future endeavors. Current officers have risen to higher positions in the coming
year, and a significant number of new members have also joined with officer roles. The new officers installed for
the 2013-2014 academic year are as follows: Michael Littman, president; Jessica Lizza, vice-president; Sarah
Keenan, secretary; Frank Xia, treasurer; Meghan Debski, associate editor; Kayla S. Arruda, marshal; Erin Regan, program coordinator; Stephanie Burger and Lina Juozeleskis, CANstruction coordinators; Mary Penny,
fundraising committee chair; and Edwin Mejia, webmaster. Since 2012-2013, the number of coordinators has
been increased to two to meet the growing success and desire for involvement in CANstruction.
In the upcoming year, activities intend to expand the group on several horizons and include: exploring
again the possibility of hosting upcoming CANstruction competitions on campus; holding training sessions in
CAD and other engineering software; hosting general review sessions for the FE in addition to the civil-specific
offerings; preparing for the upcoming 2014 National Conclave to improve leadership and administration; enhancing group cohesion through social gatherings, and possibly, community service events; and exploring more
avenues to reach out and support the community and encourage engineering as a profession. The group looks
forward to an exciting year for 2013 - continuing our community service projects throughout the Greater Boston
Area and competing once again in CANstruction.
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University of Notre Dame
The Notre Dame Chi Epsilon chapter was very busy during the 2012-2013 school year. This year the
chapter sent two representatives, President – Eric Herbert and Advisor – Dr. Tracy Kijewski-Correa, to the
42nd National Conclave held at LAX. The group was awarded the Susan C. Brown Outstanding Chapter Performance Award this year as a result of Notre Dame Chi Epsilon chapter’s dedication to excellence in following
administrative procedures.
During the fall semester, all of the Chi Epsilon members took shifts to laminate cards for the Kat Epay
program. This initiative is run by Engineering2Empower at Notre Dame. Their goal is to provide a permanent
solution to the housing crisis in Haiti by empowering the people to become self-reliant by providing low-cost
housing that is both hazard resilient yet sustainable. The Kat Epay program allows families to text the savings
they have every month towards new homes. It gives them information about how to construct affordable new
homes. It provides a roadmap and budget to bring the families from shelters toward permanent, safe housing.
Members also worked at a concession stand for a home football game weekend. They cooked and served
food to raise money for the Notre Dame chapter of Chi Epsilon. After hurricane Sandy hit, members of a number
of organizations, including Chi Epsilon, collaborated to raise money by selling buttons. The money Chi Epsilon
raised by working at the concession stand was donated to this cause. Additionally, the Notre Dame chapter had a
spring fundraiser at a local Five Guys.
Our year concluded by inducting 14 new members and initiating new
officers. (see photo at right) The new officers include: Elizabeth Andrusziewicz, president; Kevin Fink, vice-president; Claire Sieradski, secretary; Emily Palmer, treasurer; Paul Wojtal, associate editor; and John Reilly, marshal.
Family and friends of the initiates attended the formal induction ceremony which
was followed by a reception.
Pennsylvania State University
During the 2012-2013 academic year, the Penn State chapter of Chi Epsilon initiated 24 new members for
lifetime memberships. New members were recruited in both the fall and spring semesters. The fall initiation was
held on December 5, 2012, at the Atherton Hotel in State College, inducting 19 new members. Those initiated
included: Kyle Foster, Santiago Perez, Matt Golub, Gary Gabor, Thomas Heromin, Priscilla de la Guardia, Justin Janezic, Michael dePierro, Jen Kearney, Sachet Abrol, Travis Frey, Annie Hepner, Tim Kerley,
Chelci Mannarino, Brian Tomiczek, Shawn Hurst, Will Huber, Katie Koontz, and Geoffrey Warholak. The
initiation ceremony was followed by dinner and a speech by Dr. Jeff Laman, a professor specializing in Structural Engineering. Dr. Laman spoke about his research on the modern windmills and their foundations.
The spring semester initiation was held on April 17, 2013, at the Atherton Hotel in State College, initiating 5 new members. Those initiated included: Sean Brennan, Stephen Dillon, Jikun Lian, Chris Connelly,
and Omar Hamad. The initiation ceremony was followed by dinner and a speech by Dr. Martin Pietrucha, a
professor specializing in Transportation Engineering. Dr. Pietrucha spoke about the various directions one can go
with a degree in civil.
Chi Epsilon members continued to host high school visitors touring the department with their families
throughout the school year. This past year there were approximately seventy student and family combinations
that benefitted from the visits. Chi Epsilon members presented our activities within the Civil and Environmental
Engineering Department to the Industrial and Professional Advisory Committee on March 20, 2013. Chi Epsilon
also arranged the review sessions for the FE exam, successfully scheduling faculty support for review problem
sessions prior to both the fall and spring FE exams. In addition, our chapter facilitated making review manuals
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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for the FE exam available at a discount to students leading up to both exams.
New officers for the upcoming academic year were also inducted. Tom Ross was selected as the new
president. Assuming the duties of vice-president will be James Dell; Jen Kearney, secretary; Chris Connelly,
treasurer; Stephen Dillon, marshal; and Sean Brennan, associate editor. The entire Penn State chapter would
like to wish the outgoing officers all the best as they pursue their futures beyond graduation, and thank them for
a wonderful year.
Rice University
The 2012-2013 Rice University chapter of Chi Epsilon was led by Christina Hughes, president; Ruthie
Halberstadt, vice-president; Chris Chan, treasurer; Christian Mier, secretary; Ran Chen, associate editor; and
Curtis Feronti, marshal. At the beginning of the past school year, our chapter welcomed new faculty advisor, Dr.
Leonardo Duenas Osorio. In our first meeting, we decided to initiate new members during fall semester and to
elect new chapter officers in the spring semester.
We initiated 8 new members after voting, on October 8, 2012: Dan
Campbell (2013), Ashley Devitt (2014), Caroline Gutierrez (2014), Truc
Huynh (2014), Nick Irza (2014), Alexander Lange (2014), Shelley Reese
(2014), and Brian Strasters (2014). (see photo at right, with officers & FA)
Before course registration for spring semester began in early November,
the team organized an academic planning session for all civil and environmental engineering majors offering suggestions on course selection and planning, as
well as on plans of studying abroad or double-major. We were glad to meet many freshmen who were considering
majoring in civil and environmental engineering, besides large numbers of junior and sophomore attendants.
Since the beginning of the spring semester, our chapter organized a series of activities helping seniors prepare for the upcoming FE exam in April. We invited graduate students who have taken the test to talk about their
exam experiences and to give current seniors some advice on exam preparation. Later on, we arranged review
sessions with professors for several subjects, including soil mechanics, engineering economics and ethics, fluid
mechanics, and transportation.
On Wednesday, April 10, Chi Epsilon and ASCE co-hosted the annual Honors Banquet to be held at Rice University in the Farnsworth Pavilion. We recognized new chapter officers on that evening: Alex Lange, presi-dent; Truc
Huynh, vice-president; Brian Strasters, treasurer; Shelley Reese, secretary;
Ashley Devitt, marshal; and Caroline Gutierrez, associate editor. The Professor of the Year Award goes to our faculty advisor, Dr. Leonardo Duenas Osorio.
(see photo at left)
Rutgers University
This was a great year here at Rutgers University, as we added 16 new
members to our chapter here in New Brunswick. This includes the newly elected
executive board, consisting of Zubia Mallick, treasurer; Carolyn Loudermilk,
secretary; Dave Fahim, marshal; Yarissa Subervi, associate editor/vice-president; and Lucas Jaramillo, president. We also received much assistance from
our faculty advisor Dr. Eric Gonzales. (photo is of outgoing officers)
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Our chapter was especially active this year, hosting multiple events among other things. Members participated in the freshman mentorship program, guiding first year students through the rigors of freshman year. We
also hosted an FE exam review course with Rutgers University professors. In addition to those events we also
hosted a t-shirt design competition, undergraduate advising session, and held regular general body meetings. We
also attended the Metropolitan District Conference hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New
Jersey. There we attended lectures about the George Washington Bridge and received interviewing tips from a
human resources professional. We also were given a tour of athletic fields damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
Our chapter was able to create connections with the surrounding community, including invites to tour various construction sites. In the fall members were given an opportunity to tour the Runyan water treatment plant in
Old Bridge, New Jersey. We also toured boardwalk reconstruction in Belmar, New Jersey, which was damaged
as a result of Hurricane Sandy.
Most recently we inducted our new members and our executive board, and we are all very excited about
some of the ideas they have for the future. We are confident Chi Epsilon’s impact will grow in the surrounding
community going forward.
San Diego State University
Our chapter prides itself in the benefits and opportunities we provide for
our initiates and members. Every semester, we strive to grow as an organization and ensure a close-knit relationship between our alumni, members, initiates
and local professionals. This year, we focused on fostering our prestige through
events such as our bi-annual Kick-Off Barbeque (see photo at left), the Pacific
District Conference, EIT tutoring sessions, professional guest speakers, campus
open house, community volunteer events, and attendance in our affiliate organizations’ events such as ASCE, SWE, YMF, ITE and MEP.
This year, our chapter initiated a total of twenty-one new members: ten in the fall and eleven in the spring.
Under the direction of fall 2012 president Christopher Grajo, accompanied by vice-president James Flannigan
and marshal Michael Agcolicol, seven initiates and six members attended the 2012 Pacific District Conference
Where our chapter won first place for our display. During this fun filled weekend, members were able to get to
know their new initiates in a more personal setting and initiates were able to gain a personal appreciation for Chi
Epsilon. As a result, five initiates took on an officer role the following semester. Also, we are proud to say that
all of our fall initiates remain active in our organization today. PDC, as the major event of the fall semester, successfully created a stronger bond between our old and new members alike.
These close-knit friendships led to numerous successful events during
the spring semester. Adam Caroon, spring 2013 president, with the help of his
officers (see photo at right), Christine Reynolds, vice-president; Anthony Salvani, secretary; Joseph Fallon, treasurer; Raul Sierra, marshal; Janine Khrista Andres, associate editor; and Jeremy Clemmons, our 2012 Chapter Honor
Member, booked professional guest speakers for every meeting held during the
semester. Each spoke about different aspects of the professional world from
resume building and networking to choosing between private and public firms.
These speakers proved to be very beneficial for everyone and, thus, kept many members active throughout the
semester. Also, as our major fundraising event of the semester, Chi Epsilon held EIT tutoring sessions with the
help of Phillip Patague, alumni, who tutored tirelessly. These sessions were open to all engineering students in
SDSU and covered all subjects needed for the exam. Seven Saturday sessions later, we raised about $1,000! In
addition, we were able to publicize our organization, and the benefits we provide our members attracted more inCHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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terest in our organization. The spring semester proved to be a semester full of networking. We continue to encourage our initiates to attend other organizations’ events to create a positive relationship with other professional
groups on campus. Through these events, we hope to continue to gain more member interest and ultimately create
a lasting impact in our campus and our community. In the next year, we look forward to keeping our momentum
and strive to better our organization each and everyday – one event at a time.
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina chapter of Chi Epsilon held several events during the fall 2012 and
spring 2013 school year. Tutoring sessions were held by the chapter monthly to help underclassmen civil engineering students in any subject free of charge. Furthermore, specific study sessions were held before Statics exams to assist both civil engineering students and mechanical engineering students. Chapter #92 also participated
in National Engineering Week by volunteering to give tours of the research labs to prospective students.
Meetings were held monthly, and a total of 23 initiates were added during the school year. The outgoing
officers are as follows: Tyler McElroy, president; Spencer Senerman, vice-president; Grace Beaty, treasurer;
Hillary Reichard, secretary; Robert Boykin, associate editor; and Cameron Coffey, marshal. The officers for
the upcoming 2013-2014 year are as follows: Robert Boykin, president; Matt Barragan, vice-president; Taylor
Eubanks, treasurer; Hillary Reichard, secretary; Corey King, marshal; and Rachel Kupreanas, associate editor. Our faculty advisor remains Dr. Juan Caicedo.
University of Southern California
The Chi Epsilon chapter of the University of Southern California had a very busy 2012-2013 school year.
In the fall, four new members were initiated into the chapter: Ben Liu, Jeremy Molayem, Vincent Nguyen, and
Dennis Orozco. After completing initiation requirements, such as having personal interviews with current active
members of the chapter and participating in a scavenger hunt around the USC campus, these new initiates as well
as active members of the chapter celebrated with a dinner at the Odaesan Korean BBQ restaurant in Los Angeles.
The current officers of USC Chi Epsilon were elected in November 2012, and will serve throughout 2013.
They are: Elise Takebayashi, president; Jeremy Molayem, vice-president; Vincent Nguyen, treasurer; Lindsey
Davis, secretary; Ben Liu, marshal; and Jhumann Ung, associate editor and webmaster.
In the spring, USC Chi Epsilon welcomed nine new initiates: Nicole Aeina,
Alice Han, Aaron Hsieh, Daniel Huang, Joshua Hung, Berkeley Johnston,
Mary Martikian, Sylvia Tran, and David Xiao. This was an increase in the size
of the initiate class, so the chapter is looking forward to growing even more in the
future. The chapter held a special dinner at Moreton Fig, an on-campus fine dining restaurant, in order to celebrate the accomplishments of these new initiates.
(see photo at left)
Between February and April 2013, the USC Chi Epsilon chapter proudly
worked with the USC Civil & Environmental Engineering Department to offer free review sessions for the FE
exam for juniors and seniors. These reviews were led by USC faculty members who teach courses related to the
subjects covered on the exam.
In both the fall and spring semesters, USC XE organized its biannual BBQ cook out on the sunny California days of October 19, 2012, and March 5, 2013. This goal of the event was for our fellow civil/environmental
engineering students to meet with each other and with our friendly faculty members at USC. Students and staff
CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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enjoyed freshly grilled hot dogs and hamburgers with a cold soft drink of their
choice!
On May 4, 2013 our initiates organized a boba fundaraiser for USC Chi
Epsilon, which was the first fundraiser held by the chapter in over a year. The
event was very successful. (see photo at right)
Southern Methodist University
The past year has been great for the Southern Methodist University Chi Epsilon chapter. At the end of
the fall semester, the Chi Epsilon chapter teamed with several organizations in the Lyle School of Engineering to
bring joy to underprivileged children from the Dallas Area. Just before the Christmas holidays, the Chi Epsilon,
SWE, ASCE, and several other chapters teamed together to make Christmas better by bringing gifts where they
could be wrapped and prepared to be donated to the children being cared for by the Dallas Child Protective Services.
After a great spring semester, the Chi Epsilon chapter initiated ten new student members to the chapter. Arthur Abblit, Holly Baird, Alexandra Barton, Jorge Gallosa, Gabriela Garza, Leslie Hurley, Nancy
Lundie, Hannah McGary, Travis Miller, and Lucy Richardson, were all initiated at the beginning of May in
a well organized initiation ceremony. Immediately following initiation, Maddie Liebum, vice-president; Keara
Dunshee, secretary; Hannah Heighten, treasurer; Emily Vavourakis, marshal; and Matthew Deaver, associate
editor; passed on their officer positions to the newly elected officers. Michael A. Ussery will continue as president, while Holly Baird, Lucy Richardson, Leslie Hurley, Hannah McGary, and Nancy Lundie will serve as
the vice-president, treasurer, secretary, associate editor, and marshal. This initiation served as a passing on of the
torch to the new Chi Epsilon members, and we are confident they will lead the chapter though another great year!
Tennessee Technological University
On December 3, 2012 five new members were initiated into the Tennessee Technological University chapter. Following the initiation ceremony, officer elections were held. The results of the elections are as follows:
Doug Ford, president; Will Thomas, vice-president; Richard Norris, treasurer; Emily Epperson, secretary;
Gabrielle McCollum, associate editor; and John Ponzio, marshal.
The first chapter meeting was held on January 24, 2013. The purpose of this meeting was to become
associated with the new members and to discuss potential fundraisers and service project opportunities. It was
decided that the area that would most benefit from the service work of Chi Epsilon would be a campus cleanup,
or to clean, organize, and provide crucial supplies such as dry erase markers, a stapler, and a three-whole punch
to the civil engineering computer lab.
The second meeting of the semester was held on March 21, 2013. The purpose of this meeting was to select students the members felt had demonstrated the
technical ability, intelligence, and character associated with Chi Epsilon. It was
decided to give eleven students the opportunity to fulfill the requirements for initiation into the TTU chapter. (see photo at left) Also, it was decided that cleaning
and organizing the civil engineering computer lab would be a beneficial service
project. A budget and date were set for the project.
On April 2, 2013, an introductory meeting was held to inform the potential
initiates of the requirements for initiation into Chi Epsilon.
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An initiation ceremony was held on May 2, 2013. Four new members were initiated into the chapter.
Following the initiation ceremony, officer elections were held and the results are as follows: Rebekah Dorris,
president; Will Thomas, vice-president; Tanner Garland, treasurer; Matlyn Kirkham, secretary; and John
Ponzio, marshal.
On May 7, 2013 the chapter cleaned and organized the civil engineering computer lab. The chapter also
provided some much needed supplies for the room such as dry erase markers. It was decided to clean the lab on
this day because it was in the midst of finals week when the area can get very disorganized; therefore, not providing a very conducive environment for studying.
University of Texas-El Paso
Tutoring
Chi Epsilon and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) partnered together this past year to offer tutoring and review sessions any student preparing for the FE exam. Tutors consisted of both undergraduate
and graduate students belonging to ASCE and Chi Epsilon. These review sessions were successful and beneficial
for participating students. An invitation was extended to civil engineering faculty to offer review sessions to
strengthen this activity.
Given that students are now required to pass the FE in order to graduate, we are encouraging students to
participate in these review sessions. It is believed these sessions will improve students’ performance on the FE
exams by reviewing concepts that were previously learned. It was originally thought that these specific sessions
may be focused on upper division CE courses, however lower division engineering review sessions may be scheduled as well.
Guest Speaker- Gustavo Sosa, P.E. Moreno Cardenas Inc.
On November 9, 2012, Chi Epsilon invited Mr. Gustavo Sosa, PE to share with us his experiences as a
professional engineer and his transition from student life into the engineering industry. This event served as a
great opportunity for Chi Epsilon students to meet with a practicing professional in the community. Students were
also exposed to Mr. Sosa’s experiences in the fields of structural design, transportation, water and waste-water,
and construction management. It was also an opportunity for students to network with Mr. Sosa and inquire about
civil engineering positions at Moreno Cardenas Inc.
Guest Speakers- Robinson Vásquez and Omar López from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA)
On November 29th, Mr. Vásquez and Mr. Lopez provided a presentation to Chi Epsilon members overviewing the ARTBA and the presence it holds in the Transportation Construction Market and Roadway Safety.
Again, students were given the opportunity to learn about the ARTBA and gained valuable knowledge as given by
our guests. Mr. Vásquez and Mr. Lopez were also gracious enough to distribute free software packages to forty
participants.
Lunch with Dr. Henry, Southwest District Councilor and Past National Secretary/ Treasurer
On December 7, 2012, our chapter was fortunate enough to receive a gracious visit by Dr. Robert L.
Henry, PE. Lunch at a local eatery, L&J Café, was fascinating as he shared with us his valuable experiences and
recommendations as a high ranking member of Chi Epsilon. This opportunity to meet and learn from Dr. Henry
was most welcomed by Chi Epsilon members and officers.
Civil Engineering Alumni Luncheon
Chi Epsilon members assisted with the UTEP Civil Engineering Alumni Luncheon that the university
hosts each year in December. This event allowed Chi Epsilon members to network with Civil Engineering alumni
and department faculty.
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Prestigious Dinners
In the fall of 2012, Chi Epsilon members were invited to participate in the Texas Society of Professional
Engineers, Engineer of the Year Banquet. Chi Epsilon participants were given the opportunity to network with
reputable engineers within the state to learn from, but also to draw inspiration and motivation towards becoming
a successful engineer. On February 13, 2013, our chapter advisor and president also attended a dinner with the
President of the University of Texas at El Paso, Dr. Diana Natalicio, along with other student associations.
Fundraising Activities
Several fundraising activities were held that brought together Chi Epsilon members in a team effort. Soft
drink mugs displaying the UTEP Engineering emblem were sold throughout the year to engineering students in
order to increase chapter funds. This was an effective approach as mugs regularly were sold out. A cookout selling hamburgers and hotdogs was also held to increase funds for the chapter.
Chi Epsilon Initiation Ceremony
Potential Chi Epsilon members are nominated in fall and spring for membership into our prestigious honor
society. Inductees into the honor society are expected to be active members, and to demonstrate leadership skills,
character, and maintain exemplary academic standing. The initiation ceremony is followed strictly per the honor
society’s guidelines and is an event that is highly anticipated among officers and members alike. A change of
officer positions took place in spring 2012, and will again take place this spring 2013. New officers are expected
to be undergraduate students. The current/outgoing officers are as follow: Alicia Romo, president; Danniel Rodriguez, vice-president; Iraki Ibarra, secretary; Eduardo Adame, treasurer; Gerardo Garcia, associate editor;
and Daniel Saenz, marshal.
Adopt A Highway
Chi Epsilon has teamed up with the Texas Department of Transportation
(TxDOT) in an effort to keep a 2-mile segment of a local road as clean as possible for drivers and pedestrians of our community. (see photo at right) Chapter
members and officers are encouraged to participate in this semi-annual event to
maintain a strong presence in community service. This community service event
is followed by a small luncheon for participants in appreciation of their efforts.
Annual Chi Epsilon Tailgate
As the UTEP Miner football players showcased their athletic abilities in the
Sun Bowl, Chi Epsilon members took a break from the stresses of academic and
research life to socialize with one another in a friendly tailgate on campus. (see
photo at left) This event allows interaction between active Chi Epsilon members
and chapter officers. The event was a success, and thoroughly enjoyed by participants.
Texas A&M University
In the 2012–2013 academic year, Texas A&M University’s chapter of Chi Epsilon proudly initiated twenty-five new members in the fall and nine in the spring. Initiates participated in several social and service events.
In the fall, the chapter organized a tutoring night during which members provided assistance to underclassmen
engineering students. In the spring, the chapter participated in The Big Event, a university-wide service day in
which students give back to the Bryan-College Station community. On this day, the members of Chi Epsilon
helped a family in Bryan spread mulch, clear brush, and rake leaves in their yard. Additionally, in the fall the officers organized the first annual Round Table Dinner, in which company representatives from engineering firms
came and talked to members in an intimate dinner setting. The dinner was very successful and will continue to
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be a highly anticipated networking event for our members every semester.
Officers elected in the spring were Damona Woodley, president; Nicole
Debevoise, vice-president; Adam Tallman, treasurer; Marsha Palasota, secretary; Juliet Garcia, associate editor; and Austin Brauel, marshal. (see photo at
right) Officers elected in the fall were Juliet Garcia, president; Andrea Beathard, vice-president; Wylie Escobedo, treasurer; Kelly Ha, secretary; Adrian
Contreras, associate editor; Davis Tucker, marshal; and Courtney Corbell,
conclave chairman.
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo chapter of Chi Epsilon had experienced a period of stagnancy during the 2011
to 2012 period. However, over the past 6 months the organization has made great strides to re-establish the proud
tradition of Chi Epsilon at UT. In the past semester, our organization has installed 5 new members, 5 new officers
and continued to maintain a good relationship with the student chapter of ASCE.
UT Chi Epsilon held a new member initiation ceremony on Friday, March
22, 2013 during which five students were initiated. (see photo at left) The new
members include: Dale Schiefer, Wesley Foor, Christine Hoholski, Charles
O’Donnell, and Karl Hartline. Members lost to graduation include: Kim Coburn, Todd Cereghin, and Corrinne Nauer. We wish them the best of luck in
their careers!
Our organization also held a new officer induction during the spring semester on Monday, April 15, 2013. The new officers include: Dale Schiefer,
president; Wesley Foor, vice-president; Karl Hartline, secretary/treasurer; Christine Hoholski, marshal; and
Charles O’Donnell, associate editor. Outgoing officers include: Todd Cereghin, president; Corrinne Nauer,
vice-president/marshal; Kim Coburn, secretary/treasurer; and Kyle Layton, associate editor.
Our members have maintained a strong connection with the student chapter of ASCE and have participated jointly in several social and volunteer events. The largest annual joint event is Clean Your Streams. This
event was held on Saturday, September 15, 2012. The students met at a kickoff site on the main UT campus
alongside several hundred other students from various campus organizations. From there our group broke up into
several teams of 4 or 5 and headed out to sections of the local watershed on campus and throughout the nearby
community. Afterward everyone gathered together at a picnic site for food, t-shirts, and awards.
Our chapter of Chi Epsilon has also continued to run the “University of Toledo College of Engineering”
graph paper sales as our main fundraiser. The UT graph paper pad is a big hit with the engineering crowd and is
a great way to make a few extra bucks!
Trine University
The Trine University chapter enjoyed continued success for the fall 2012 and spring 2013 academic year.
In the fall, the Trine University chapter welcomed two new initiates: Benjamin Lengerich and Christina Uphaus. The officers for that fall were as follows: Harrison King, president; Rachel Wisman, vice-president;
Samantha Willmann, secretary; Kelly Canter, treasurer; Christina Uphaus, associate editor; and Benjamin
Lengerich, marshal. This past spring, there were ten new members welcomed into the Trine University Chi Epsilon chapter. These members included undergraduates: Melissa Smiles, Michael Lopienski, Piotr SzczepanCHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
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ski, Brandon Cunningham, Ryan Schultz, Joseph Dunbar‎, Marcus Smith, and Daniel Desper, and graduate
students Tom Donaldson and Tomas Citta.
The newly elected officers to serve in fall 2013 are as follows: Rachel Wisman, president; Christina
Uphaus, vice-president; Melissa Smiles, secretary; Piotr Szczepanski, treasurer; Mark Strohm, associate editor; and Joseph Dunbar, marshal. Following this ceremony, the Trine University chapter held a banquet for the
newly initiated members.
Several members of the Trine Chi Epsilon chapter were very successful this semester in the ASCE Great Lakes Conference. Trine University had
the opportunity to host this year’s conference. (see photo at right) Members of
our group participated in many of the events, helping Trine to place 8th overall.
Some of our members also helped out with “Introduce a Girl to Engineering
Day”, which is a Society of Women Engineers event held on campus each spring.
Chi Epsilon members also participated in the Plankapalooza charity event, raising over $250, and earning 1st place in the competition.
University of Utah
Over the past academic year the University of Utah chapter of Chi Epsilon has strived to demonstrate the
four pillars of Chi Epsilon—Scholarship, Character, Practicality, and Sociability—to contribute to the community of civil engineering students at the university. Chi Epsilon has participated in and held many exciting activities over the
past year. The chapter held several social events, but the biggest event was our
annual initiation. Academic achievement and adherence to the pillars of Chi
Epsilon distinguished the twenty-one newly initiated members this year. The
chapter also participated in service events such as the Rocky Mountain District
Meeting (see photo at left), Fall Social, Conclave Planning, and Spring Social.
Members helped to create a presentation and demonstration to help high school students gain a better understanding of what civil engineers do. In addition, the University of Utah chapter implemented a tutoring program this
year to assist freshmen and sophomore students with their civil engineering classes. Utah’s Chi Epsilon chapter
is growing well, and more and more students know about us. Right now, our focus is on the 2014 Conclave, and
we are doing well. We hope to continue to contribute to the civil engineering community at the University of Utah
during the 2013-2014 school year.
University of Vermont
In the past year, the Chi Epsilon Vermont Alpha chapter of the University of Vermont (UVM) was fortunate enough to be able to initiate a new faculty member, Professor Brian H. Y. Lee, Ph.D., who subsequently
became our new faculty advisor. We also initiated our new members, and then held elections and an induction for
next year’s executive board.
At our 2013 initiation ceremony, we initated the following members:
James Coolidge, Christing Bednarek, Odanis Rosario, Jason Bradley, Aaron
Wiener, Hannah Maloy, Robert Calderon, Trevon Noiva, Sebastian Downs,
Yao Tan, Adam Zylka, Dane Liljestrand, Erik Denardo, Jesse Danner, Timothy Noordwier, Tim Manahan, Karin Emanuelson, Ryan Dwosh, Margaret
Duffy, Laura Obregon-Royo, and Olivia Lincoln. (see photo at right)
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In addition to initiations, our chapter organized several representatives to talk with prospective students
and to give tours of Votey Hall, the UVM engineering building, for the admitted student visitation days. We also
organized biweekly FE review sessions focusing on the various topics from the morning general section and
the afternoon civil engineering section. Faculty volunteered to lead review days
of various sections, and students from all four engineering disciplines at UVM
(Civil, Environmental, Mechanical, Electrical) attended these sessions.
Leading us into 2013-2014, we have the following officers: Timothy
Noordewier, treasurer; Karin Emanuelson, secretary; Christina Bednarek,
vice-president; Trevon Noiva, president; Adam Zylka, marshal; and Yao Tan,
associate editor. (see photo at left)
Villanova University
The Villanova University chapter of Chi Epsilon recently inducted new
members into its chapter during the beginning of the spring semester. Fifteen undergraduate students were inducted as new members. (see photo at right) These
students are all looking forward to taking on the responsibilities of the chapter. The initiation ceremony also led to a new administrative group with Kayla
Spitzer as president and Raquel Burlotos as vice-president. The other new officers include Sarah Walker, treasurer; Michael Fahey, secretary; Douglas Allen, associate editor; and Charlie Wilson, marshal. Dr. Edward Glynn continues to serve as faculty advisor.
The new members are all excited to continue the chapter’s tutoring program for the engineering undergraduates
at Villanova University. Over the past year, the chapter participated in the Saint Thomas of Villanova Day of
Service. The day of service involves multiple projects throughout the Philadelphia area that help better the local
communities. All of these new members are looking forward to the upcoming year as Chi Epsilon members.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
The Virginia Tech chapter of Chi Epsilon had a very successful year. Thirteen students were inducted in
the fall and sixteen students again in the spring, including both undergraduate and graduate students. The chapter
was pleased to elevate Dr. Tom Grizzard and Mr. Albert Nichols as Chapter Honor Members.
Both current members and new initiates arranged local elementary school outreach
programs, volunteered in local Special Olympics events, and participated in weekly
tutoring sessions for undergraduate students in need of further academic guidance.
At the elementary school outreach programs, Chi Epsilon members and initiates
set up straw bridge building competitions in fourth grade classrooms; the students
were enthusiastic and intrigued by engineering! (see photo at left) The chapter also
organized the Third Annual CEE Research Day at Virginia Tech, allowing many
undergraduate and graduate students to display posters summarizing their research.
Certificate awards were awarded to each of the top three undergraduate and graduate students.
The 2012-2013 officers were: Stephanie Welch, president; Lauren McAnallen, vice-president; Kelly
Pettersen, secretary; Jessi Thangjitham, treasurer; Damon Kinmond, marshal/associate editor; and Taylor LaForge, tutoring coordinator. The incoming officers selected are: Maya Chehab, president; Ramez Hajj, vicepresident; Alex Savant, secretary; Catherine Grey, treasurer; Dan Coleman, marshal/associate editor; Andrew
Garrison, tutoring coordinator; and Evan May, service project coordinator. In keeping with tradition, past
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officers were commended for their service over dinner and shared their experiences with the incoming officers.
The new executive board hopes to further the community outreach of the chapter and build stronger campus
awareness of the society. In particular, the officers would love to expand the elementary school outreach program
to additional local schools.
Wayne State University
The Wayne State University chapter of Chi Epsilon had a great year this
past year. During the spring semester, we were proud to initiate five undergraduate students: Emma C. Bissonnette, Jayvon Garth, Paul Chabot, Matthew
Hughes, and Kevin Hughes; 10 graduate students: Vahid Kamjoo, Jonathan
Kay, Artur Kokaj, Nariman Mahabad, Adam McArthur, John Paepke,
Kapil Patki, Ahmet Selim, George Tsakoff, Matthew Valascho, and Xianglei
Zhang; as well as one faculty member, Dr. Shawn McElmurry. (see photo at
right) The officers installed for the 2013-2014 academic year were Nicole K.
Ball, president; Emma Bissonnette, vice-president; Matthew Hughes, secretary/treasurer; Kevin Hughes, associate editor; and Miroslav Dimovski, marshal. After the initiation ceremony, the chapter members, their families,
and the faculty of the Civil Engineering Department attended our annual banquet to celebrate the event. All of our
new members look forward to continuing to exemplify the principles that define this exceptional honor society:
practicality, sociability, character, and scholarship.
Our chapter also had several members who participated in the 2013 Concrete Canoe Competition and
Steel Bridge Competition with the Wayne State University chapter of American Society of Civil Engineering
as well toured Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions with a geotechnical engineer from NTH Consultants, Ltd.
These endeavors have greatly benefited our members and we hope to continue our participation in the future.
West Virginia University
The 2012-2013 school year was a successful one for West Virginia University’s chapter of Chi Epsilon.
The officers that served for the year were David Marzano, president; Kyle Turner, vice-president; Matthew
Behrmann, treasurer; Rebecca Posa, secretary/associate editor, and Ye Tao, marshal. Dr. Roger Chen continues
to serve as the faculty advisor. Chi Epsilon members continued to serve around the Benjamin M. Statler College
of Engineering and Mineral Resources, including serving as proctors for a high school competition and recruitment event.
In May 2013, two new student members were inducted into Chi Epsilon: Elliot Hair and Brandon Bowman. In addition, Dr. Avinash Unnikrishnan was inducted as a faculty member. New officers for the 2013-2014
school year were also inducted. Rebecca Posa will serve as president; Devon Oblack, vice-president; Joel Price,
treasurer; Haylee Rosenberger, secretary/associate editor; and Ian Anderson, marshal. The chapter looks forward to expanding its activities and service to the university in the upcoming school year.
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
In the 2012-2013 school year, the Chi Epsilon chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison flourished
as Steve Loheide, the faculty advisor who started in spring 2012, settled in, and the chapter held a strong presence in events adopted only the previous year. The year saw the chapter welcome in new members and officers,
promote math and science in events for the local area schools, and well as promote sociability among members in
gatherings.
In September, Chi Epsilon participated in the Civil Engineering Golf Outing. Sponsored by the UW Civil
& Environmental Engineering Department, the event pitted the University’s various engineering clubs against
one another in a friendly round of golf. This event, as well as club socials held prior to each semester’s initiation
ceremony, help Chi Epsilon’s members to socialize with one another and network and explore each member’s
interest within civil engineering.
On Halloween, Chi Epsilon participated in Trick or Treat for Canned Goods, a canned food drive. In the
event, several different engineering clubs at UW-Madison have a friendly competition to see who can collect the
most non-perishable food items from Madison neighborhoods to donate to the local Second Harvest Food Bank.
From November to February, Chi Epsilon volunteered in Science Olympiad,
an event Chi Epsilon participated in for the very first time in fall 2011. Volunteers
from Chi Epsilon worked with students at Waunakee Middle School. By helping
students prepare their science projects for the regional and state Science Olympiad
competitions, Chi Epsilon worked to nourish and promote science skills in the local
area schools. (see photo at left) Chi Epsilon was proud to have member Bridger
Geissler, who served as the Science Olympiad coordinator, earn the Young Scientists Award in April presented by the Young Scientists of America, the organization behind the event, for her
devoted participation in Science Olympiad.
The fall initiation ceremony brought in new members and elected new officers. Chi Epsilon elected Katie
Nagel as vice-president, Adam Cichanski as treasurer, and Megan Long as webmaster.
In the spring, Chi Epsilon sent volunteers to participate in Math Counts!, a math skills competition for
elementary school and middle school students. For both the regional competitions in February and the state competitions in March, Chi Epsilon volunteers helped to direct the contest and score the tests, encouraging interest in
math for younger students in the local Madison area during that time.
In March, Chi Epsilon attended UW-Madison’s second-ever Civil & Environmental Engineering Declaration Event. The chapter set up an information booth at the event and members were present to promote the
organization as well as provide guidance in the civil engineering major for the new members of the department.
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