The Lower Hudson Valley Branch is pleased to announce the award of the first LHVB Student Scholarship to Mr. Jesse Volpe of Washingtonville, New York. Jesse is a 2007 graduate of Washingtonville High School and is currently pursuing a degree in civil engineering at SUNY Buffalo. The award was presented on September 12, 2007 by LHVB President Chase DeRose of AECOM/DMJM+Harris to Mr. Raymond Volpe, P.E. of Geotechnical Engineering Options, P.C., on his son’s behalf.

Andrew Herrmann, P.E., F.ASCE testified on behalf of ASCE before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in Washington D.C. on September 5, 2007. The testimony was in support of the National Highway System Bridge Reconstruction Initiative which would provide dedicated funding to States to repair, rehabilitate, and replace structurally deficient bridges on the National Highway System. The four components of this initiative provide for improving bridge inspection requirements, providing dedicated funding for structurally deficient NHS bridges, distributing funds based on public safety and need, and establishing a bridge reconstruction trust fund. ASCE came out strongly in favor of increasing the qualifications of Bridge Inspectors above the minimums established by the NBIS regulations. A full copy of the written testimony is provided on the ASCE website.

Congratulations to the Met Section’s New York City College of Technology (City Tech) for competing in the 2007 National Student Steel Bridge Competition! This year’s competition was hosted by the University of California at Northridge on May 25-26, 2007. This is City Tech’s second year competing in the nationals. City Tech advanced to the nationals after placing 2nd in the regional competition as did the regional competition winner, New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The 2007 National Student Steel Bridge Competition marked the 16th anniversary of this prestigious event. The Student Steel Bridge Competitions, both regionally and nationally, are sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction and co-sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Iron and Steel Institute, The James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation, the National Steel Bridge Alliance, and Nucor Corporation.

The 2007 Specialty Seminar entitled “Engineering of Geo-Hazards” was presented by the ASCE Metropolitan Section Geotechnical Group and the Geo-Institute of ASCE on May 16th and 17th, 2007 at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City to an audience of over 175 registrants. Twenty-six exhibitors demonstrated their civil engineering products and services during the event. The seminar was chaired by Paul Pizzimenti and Eric Wang of the Geotechnical Committee. Eighteen technical papers were given in 6 sessions on topics such as Hurricane Katrina, legal considerations for geo-professionals, failed rock cut stabilization, geoseismic hazard assessment, mine stabilization, and serpentinite rock masses. Two keynote lectures were given to begin and end the seminar.

The Younger Member Forum paid tribute to the Section's newly inducted Life Members on April 25, 2007. This year’s dinner was held at New York City College of Technology with Met Section President, Larry Chiarelli, welcoming the honorees. The event also included the presentation of awards to outstanding members of student chapters at area colleges and universities. A fellow Ridgway Award recipient himself, Larry stressed the importance of staying involved with ASCE. This event is unique in that the Life Members share their experiences and offer words of wisdom to the future leaders of our profession. One Life Member inductee, Karl Rubenacker, summed up his experiences with the following Top Ten List:

Ray Sandiford presented the March Geotechnical Lecture at the CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan on March 15, 2007 to a standing- room only audience of over 200 attendees. The lecture focused on geotechnical aspects of the redevelopment of the World Trade Center (WTC) site, both those currently underway and those still in planning.

Mr. Sandiford began the lecture by describing the Port Authority’s facilities in the region, and detailing the history of the WTC site. The site occupies much of the west side of lower Manhattan. About half of the site was once in the Hudson River and was underlain by either fill or deposits of organic silts. The original PATH system tunnels crossed the site and terminated in the old H&M Building. In addition, the 1 and 9 subway lines crossed through the site. The original excavation for the WTC construction provided the fill used to create the Battery Park City development.