Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Joint Meeting with Minnesota
Chapter of ASCE
Construction of a New $145-Million Port in Madagascar
Matthew Clark, PE, CENG, PMP
Senior Project Manager
Baird & Associates
|
|
Presentation Synopsis: The island country of Madagascar is rich in natural resources such as ilmenite, which is used commonly throughout the world for industrial production of paints, coatings and plastics. Mining company Rio Tinto, has built an operation to mine the ilmenite and other products in the southeastern region of the country and ship them to other sites in North America for final processing. Current infrastructure capacity in this part of Madagascar is very limited and could not cope with the requirements that would come with exporting the mining products off the island. Therefore, a new $145 million port has been planned, designed and constructed, with completion occurring in July of 2009. Baird and Associates is the engineer of record, responsible for planning, design and construction management.
1/2-PDH for the technical presentation.
Presenter Bios: Mr. Clark has 23 years of professional experience and is currently a senior project manager with Baird
& Associates. His responsibilities include coordination of multi-discipline teams on major civil engineering projects with construction costs in excess of $100 million.
Meeting Location: Fort Snelling Officer's Club near Post Road.
See map at:
http://www.same-msp.org/_images/934thOfficersClub.jpg
Meeting Agenda
and Cost: Social time will be from 11:30 AM to
NOON in the Ballroom of the Officers Club. Lunch will be
served from NOON to
12:30 PM
in the Ballroom. The meal will consist
Assorted Sandwiches, Tomato Basil Soup,
Kettle Chips, and Beverages. Cost for the
presentation and luncheon will be
$15.00; please make checks out to
SAME-MSP Post.
RSVP: Due to limited seating
for this event, reservations are required. Please submit RSVPs no later than Thursday, March 18th to Jim Mosner. Either leave a voice mail message with Jim at 651-290-5512 or send an email message to
james.b.mosner@usace.army.mil.
|
|
Post President Steve Alm
(l) thanks Jim Kill of
Stanley Consultants (r)
for his informative
presentation about what has
transpired in trying to
devise a flood damage
reduction solution since the
city of Cedar Rapids IA was
devastated by the June 2008
record setting floods.
Jim was
able to show us many photos
from the National Weather
Service, the Corps of
Engineers, and other
organizations that showed
the extent of the inundation
and the horrorific damage
that was caused in the
downtown and residential
areas. He then
explained the scope and
types of studies that have
been done by various firms
and entities, and are still
being done by the Corps of
Engineers, to try and
develop a suitable project
to provide an optimal level
of protection to the city's
inhabitants.
The
problems that this community
faces in trying to develop
an acceptable flood damage
reduction project are
extremely challenging.
Since the 2008 flood was a
flood of record that
exceeded a 500-yr event, the
community wants to have a
project that provides at
least that level of protect.
However, many of the homes
and properties that were in
the flood zone have been or
are being bought out by
FEMA, which in effect
removes potential benefits
that a project could
provide. And the
levee/floodwall setback that
would be required to provide
an adequately sized floodway
would also remove many more
properties (i.e., benefits).
Thus, Jim explained that it
is proving very difficult to
formulate an economically
viable project.
|
|
|
|
The 46th Annual Engineers
Week Awards and Recognition
Banquet was held on Friday,
February 19th at the
Minnesota Landscape
Arboretum in Chaska, MN.
The highlights of this
annual event
is the presentation of
awards honoring prominent
individuals within the
engineering community and in
recognizing the most notable
engineering projects within
the state or produced by
firms within the state.
This year SAME MSP Post was
able to relish achievements
in both aspects.
Highlight No 1:
Jim Bakken (Ayres
Associates) was one of five
individuals named as
Distinguished Engineer of
the Year. Jim and his
lovely wife Twyla hold the
Minnesota Federation of
Engineering, Science, and
Technology Societies
Distinguished Engineer
Plaque that he recieved. Jim's
citation in the program book
read:
"Mr. James R. Bakken, P.E.,
nominated by the Society of
American Military Engineers,
is a vice president and Engineering Services
Division leader with Ayres Associates.
An
active member and leader in ASCE and
SAME for many years, Jim is currently
the Assistant Regional Vice
President for the Great Lake
Region of SAME and has been elected
into the SAME Academy of
Fellows.
As a certified instructor
for the National Highway
Institute, Jim conducts
engineering training
sessions nationwide for the
Federal Highway
Administration, providing
educational opportunities
for developing engineers.
He is also passionate about
serving as a champion for career
exploration -- each year during
E-Week he conducts presentations
on
opportunities in the field
of engineering and the importance of
involvement in
professional societies
within private, government,
and military venues."
 Highlight No
2: Ever since
the historic floods of 1997
decimated the cities of
Grand Forks and East Grand
Forks, many engineering
firms (mainly Sustaining
Member Firms of SAME)
throughout our region have
been involved along with the
US Army Corps of Engineers
in designing and building
one of the largest and most
diverse flood damage
reduction systems in the
Upper Midwest. During
the years that this project
was being designed and
built, many sub components
of the project have received
individual awards and
recognition. But at
this year's E-Week Banquet,
the project as a whole
received the most
prestigious recognition, it
was named "The Project of
Year" by the Minnesota
Society of Professional
Engineers.
On hand at
the banquet to receive the
award were representatives
of many of the firms and
organizations that
contributed to the success
of this project.
Pictured from left to right
are: Chris Afdahl (USACE-St.
Paul), Mike Yvarrow (Cities
of Grand Forks and East
Grand Forks),
Bonnie Greenleaf (USACE-St.
Paul), Bill Holman (Stanley
Consultants), Tim Paulus
(USACE-St. Paul), Karl Berg
(USACE-St. Paul), Mark
Angelo (SEH Inc), Jim Bakken
(Ayres Associates), and
Marsha Mose (USACE-St.
Paul).
|
|
|
|
 Join your fellow SAME members as well as members of the local chapter of the
Society of Women Engineers for a Summit Brewery tour. This event will be on
Saturday, May 1st at
10:30 AM. Following the tour, everyone is invited to
lunch at Famous Dave's on West 7th Street. The brewery tour is free, but
lunch is on your own dime.
Where else can you do some professional networking, have all of your beer
brewing questions answered, and get free beer samples?
There are only 20 spots available to SAME members, so please RSVP to Rachel Pichelmann at
rpichelmann@sehinc.com. Driving directions are available
on the Summit website at
http://www.summitbrewing.com/data/pdf/Summit_Directions.pdf.
|
|
|
|
 The
Scholarship Application Form is now available on the
Grants &
Scholarships page of the web site. The form can be downloaded
as either a MS Word file or as a fill-able PDF form. There will again be three
$1500
scholarships available. The deadline for submitting scholarship applications is
Friday, April 9th.
Two scholarships are planned to be awarded in what is called Category I,
which is for high school seniors and Post-secondary students, regardless of discipline,
who are children, grandchildren, or siblings, of members of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul
Post. Sponsoring members must be a SAME Minneapolis-Saint Paul Post member for the
current year and have been a member of the Post for a minimum of at least one year prior
to the current year. Applicants must be registered as full-time post-secondary
students in the fall of the year of selection.
One scholarship is planned to be awarded in what is called Category II,
which is for all Student Members of the SAME Minneapolis-Saint Paul Post who
will be registered as full-time post-secondary students in the fall of the year
of selection. Applicants under this category must be registered through SAME
as a Student Member; student memberships are free for full-time undergraduates at an
accredited college or university, or high school students. At least one
of the scholarships in this category will be awarded to a student in an engineering,
science, or technology-related field.
A committee of Post members evaluate the applications. All
applications are kept confidential, and only the winners are announced. For
additional information, please contact
Jane Flewellen at 651-290-5554. Scholarship
Application Packages can be downloaded from the Post’s website at:
http://www.same-msp.org/PDF/Scholarship_AppInst_2010.pdf
|
|
|
|
SAME offers high school freshman, sophomores, and
juniors the opportunity to attend a one week camp. They learn
leadership, engineering and construction skills, and have fun with
students from all over the world.
The Minneapolis-Saint Paul Post would like to sponsor a high school
student to attend either one of the following summer camp opportunities.
The Post will pay the Registration Fee and and 1/2 of
the Airfare; the student's family is responsible for the remainder of the airfare. High school students that are interested in this opportunity should:
1) review the camp website(s) and the links to eligibility requirements and
application forms so that all requirements are clearly understood, and
2) contact
Jane Flewellen at 651-290-5554 to submit your name as being interested in this opportunity.
Students interested in applying for one of the camps should start by reviewing the
information on the SAME Camp web page at
http://posts.same.org/camps/.
From the qualified respondees, the Post will select one attendee
and one alternate; the alternate may be able to attendee if the primary selectee
is unable to attend or if additional space becomes available at the camps.
Once the Post has selected an attendee and an alternate, the selectees will be
given additional instructions for submitting the required applications.
Selections will be made by 30 March 2009, which will the selectees adequate time to
complete the required applications.
Click on the names of the camps below to hyperlink to the
National SAME web pages that have additional details about the camps along
with detailed registration information.
SAME / US Army Camp
Vicksburg, Mississippi
June 13-19, 2010
Application deadline is March 19, 2010
SAME / US Air Force Academy Camp
US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
June 25-July 1, 2010
Application deadline is April 23, 2010
SAME / US Navy Seabees Camp
Port Heuneme, California
August 2-7, 2010
Application deadline is May 21, 2010
|
|
|
|
 This will be the second year our our new
endeavor with sponsoring a Grant Program for teachers to help them bring resources they would not ordinarily
have. The goal of this program is to promote the learning of science and math which supports engineering
to students through a creative activity/project of the teacher's choosing. The Post will award two
grants of up to $2,500; one grant will be targeted for a teacher in the grades of K-6, and the other will be
targeted for a teacher in the grades 7-12.
New for this year, we
expanded the geographic
area form which we will
accept applications ...
last year we limited the
area to the 7-county
metro area, this year
we've expanded the area
to the 13-county metro
area (Anoka ·
Carver · Chisago ·
Dakota · Hennepin ·
Isanti · Ramsey ·
Scott · Sherburne ·
Washington · Wright -
Pierce · St.
Croix).
Teachers who which to apply for one of the grants must provide a detailed description of the
activity/project that they plan to do, as well as provide an estimated budget for the proposal activity.
In deciding how to award the grants, the Post will place a high value on the creativity of the proposed
activity and the expected impact that it will have on the students. The proposal should specify the
equipment, materials, and supplies required and how they will be used to promote science and/or mathematics.
It should also address how the project supports the Minnesota academic standards for science and/or
mathematics. List how many students will be impacted in the proposal. The students and faculty
will be asked to present their finished product to representatives from SAME in the spring of 2011. The
presentation must demonstrate what the students have learned from the experience.
Applications for this year's grants are available at
http://www.same-msp.org/grants.htm
Please pass the word about this opportunity on to any teachers that you may Know.
The application deadline is Friday, March 19th 2010.
|
|
|
