ASCE Metropolitan Section

Chase DeRose, Sr., M.ASCE

It's hard to believe that the ASCE Met Section season is almost behind us. It's been a fruitful year with many accomplishments. And it's been my pleasure to lead this group of dedicated, hard-working, focused people who share common goals. I would like to thank the many volunteers on the Met Section board and committees that routinely make our section's events happen.

This month's Section activities will include the installation of a new slate of officers at our Annual Dinner Dance and I'll have the honor of being installed as one of the most sought after positions…Past-President. This past year was one of the most rewarding for me as an ASCE member. It was refreshing to have firsthand experience of the effort and hard work of the Met Section volunteers as well as the depth and breadth of support from the ASCE's National headquarters.

I am particularly proud of the value and quality that the Section leadership team consistently delivers to our members through such activities and publications as our monthly professional development and networking opportunities, annual technical seminars, Professional Engineer (P.E.) exam preparation courses, student chapter mentoring, Future Cities, Younger Member social outings, and ASCE sponsored opportunities for leadership, advocacy, and public relations training.

On April 17, 2012, Mr. Atila Zekioglu, Principal and the Americas Region Buildings Practice Leader in Arup and Dr. Huseyin Darama, Senior Structural Engineer in Arup, shared their first-hand experience in seismic isolation design in a presentation on "Seismic Isolation Examples from International Projects". Their presentation focused on two unique projects: Istanbul SG Airport Terminal Building in Turkey and Taipei Performing Arts Center in Taiwan.

When choosing a company to work for, most young engineers spend a lot of time considering which firm is "right" for them. Everyone wants to make the "right" decisions to advance their careers, and one of the largest issues young engineers consider is whether it is better to work for a large or small firm. In order to provide further insight into this question, the Met Section's Younger Member Forum (YMF) chose "Engineering Firms: Does Size Matter?" as the topic for the Eleventh Annual CEO Forum, which was held at Columbia University in Manhattan on March 6, 2012.

Scott Wood, PE explains key points of critical considerations regarding structural engineering design implementations to prevent progressive collapse of structures

On April 10, 2012, Macarena Schachter-Adaros, PE and Scott Wood, PE from Weidlinger Associates, Inc. Consulting Engineers' Washington, DC office gave a 2 ½ hour technical presentation on the topic of "Design to Prevent Progressive Collapse" to the Forensic Engineering Group at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.

Peter Mancuso and Anahid Andonian meet with Representative Robert Turner (center).

By: Peter S. Mancuso, P.E.

The prospect of attending ASCE's Annual Legislative Fly-In had been on my mind for quite a while. The conference always sounded a bit too involved in politics for my liking. Lessons in civics were never my strong suit. However, my interest in the policies that shape both my personal life and professional career has increased in recent years. As times have gotten harder for those close to my position, I began to question why more wasn't being done to insure that this country's talented engineering force was being put to work for a better tomorrow.

Joe Martin (left) receiving a golden apple from Geotechnical Group Vice Chair Michael Chow (right) at the end of the lecture.

On March 15, 2012, Joe Martin. P.E. and Jane Raba, P.E. gave a presentation on "Utility Engineering in a Dense Urban Environment" to the Geotechnical Group at the CUNY Graduate Center Recital Hall. The presentation focused on Con Edison's infrastructure in New York City. Con Edison operates the largest underground electric distribution system in the world with over 94,000 miles of underground electric cables.

On February 27, 2012, Horia Necula P.E, Ulises Arteaga P.E, and John Kettell of Long Island Rail Road (Engineering/Structures) explained how they designed, procured, assisted fabrication, and installed a new improved superstructure in 100 days following an accident that occurred on April 22, 2011.
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