By Brad Schnarr
On December 16, 1996, the Annual ASCE Christmas Banquet was held at Larry Bird’s Boston Connection. The evening started with social hour which was followed by a very appetizing meal. After dinner the main program started, with the master of ceremonies being Blake Gage, our ASCE vice-president. The program started with the introduction of our distinguished guests including alumni, ASCE section leaders, Rose-Hulman faculty and staff, and area engineering firms’ representatives. The night proceeded with the recognition of the outgoing ASCE officers and the introduction of our new officers. With all introductions complete, the presentation of awards was next on the agenda. Two noteworthy presentations were the presentation of the ASCE Certificate of Commendation to Tate Jacobitz by Mr. Ron Miller, the former District 9 Director, and the presentation of an appreciation plaque to Mr. Ted Hazeldine, President of Benchmark Metal Products, Inc., for his dedicated support of the Chapter’s steel bridge efforts over the past four years. Recognition was also given to numerous student chapter members for their outstanding work on ASCE projects throughout the past year.
The final order of business before the featured speaker for the evening was the Terre Haute Tribune Star Christmas Basket Fund. Blake explained our growing commitment to this program and that our chapter hoped to collect over $1000 for the first time this year. As the collection basket was passed around, Mr. Hazeldine again demonstrated his tremendous support to our chapter by pledging to double the amount that was collected that night. With all other matters behind, the featured speaker, Mr. Scott Rouse, was introduced. Mr. Rouse gave an informative presentation on the structural design of our new athletic center. Particularly fascinating was his visual presentation of the response of the new Alumni (Athletic) Center computer model to a simulated earthquake. Upon completion of his presentation, Mr. Rouse, along with Mr. Bruce Carter, Project Engineer for Huber, Hunt & Nichols on the Alumni Center project and a 1990 Rose civil graduate, answered various questions about the progress of the center. A round of applause for Mr. Rouse and Mr. Carter concluded an informative and enjoyable evening.
FORE! GOLF TOURNEY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
BY BEN MERKLING
Fund-raisers are the life-blood of every non-profit organization, and the American Red Cross is no different. This year, in keeping with a Statement of Understanding wherein national ASCE has agreed to provide support to the American Red Cross, the Student Chapter is trying a new major fundraising event, a golf tournament, the proceeds of which will go to the American Red Cross.
The First Annual Rose-Hulman American Society of Civil Engineers Golf Tournament, tentatively scheduled for May 17, will be played in groups of four, in which two pairs of golfers will independently register. These groups of two will then be randomly paired up with another group of two to complete their tournament foursome. The teams will be evened out by requiring all golfers participate in a win. Prizes for the winning teams have not yet been decided upon, but it is hoped that the top three teams as well as winners in some individual contests will all receive something for their efforts.
The golf tournament is turning into a very large project and help is needed. If you would like to help in the preparation or planning of the tournament, please contact Ben Merkling at 877-1575 ext. 227 or drop a note through campus mail to box 278.
Advanced Technology Center Construction Tour
By Jerry Milliman
As a member of our student chapter, I been able to attend a number of construction tours of local projects. The most recent trip was our tour of the new Advanced Technology Center at Indiana State University being built by Verkler Construction. On December 11, I and about forty other seniors traveled to ISU after senior design class where we joined juniors and sophomores for the tour.
We began the tour by being seated in a classroom in the existing technology building for an introduction to the project by Mr. Rudy Sanders. Mr. Sanders, a registered P.E. and consulting structural engineer with K. Gene Miller & Associates, Inc. introduced himself as the facilitator for the tour. He began by highlighting some of the steps in the design process of the building, including some review of structural steel design procedures. The new multi-story Advanced technology building is a steel structure designed to provide spacious lecture rooms and laboratory facilities, including a state-of-the-art flight simulator.
After an introduction to the project indoors, the tour moved outdoors to explore the site. At the time, most of the structural steel was in place and laborers were working on the HVAC systems. We were limited to touring the first floor and basement for safety reasons. A couple of items of interest to me on the tour were the large curved floor beams viewed from the basement and the copper-like flashing on the outside of the building between floors. Overall the tour was good exposure for attendees, particularly for students with structural interests as the project was at a stage where most of the steel was still exposed.
Edward Tumulty was invited back to speak to the ASCE student chapter on Wednesday, December 18. Regional director of the Indiana/Ohio Prestressed Concrete Institute, Mr. Tumulty has been in the concrete industry for close to 30 years and is specialized in the areas of technical support, sales management, and the marketing of precast/prestressed concrete. He is a P.E., having graduated from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. His construction experience includes work as a project/resident engineer of the Illinois Dept. of Transportation, as a structural engineer for Economic Forms Corp., and as a consulting civil engineer.
Mr. Tumulty discussed the manufacture and uses of precast/prestressed concrete. The presentation which included many pictures and informative slides, began with an explanation of what precast/prestressed concrete is and the principles behind it. Dr. Lobo’s concrete design class was in attendance and was fortunate to get a preview of these principles before studying them in more detail later in the quarter. Next, the presentation showed how precast/prestressed concrete is made. Mr. Tumulty had many slides showing real production facilities, some in Indiana, which produce precast/prestressed concrete. The final portion of the presentation, before questions, showed pictures of modern buildings which incorporate precast/prestressed concrete in their design.
by Kelly Ojala
During the ‘96-‘97 winter quarter, Dr. Sharon Jones implemented a hands-on, project oriented method of teaching CE 361, Environmental Issues. One section of the course received a traditional lecture format, while the other section participated in a problem-based approach method.
The non-traditional section featured three separate projects to be completed by class groups of four. In the first project, students researched and conducted a life cycle analysis to compare two similar consumer products and their environmental impact. The groups presented their findings in written and oral reports at the end of the fourth week. The second project dealt with ecosystems and environmental ethics, and the third examined technological risk and environmental justice. A release form was also signed by students in this section, in order to allow occasional film crews to tape this teaching method for future reference.
The lecture section experienced the normal note taking and homework assignments that accompany most classes, but were allowed to observe the oral presentations performed by students from the other section. The entire class then took a common midterm exam, based on what was taught in one section, and what was independently researched and discussed in the other. Surprisingly, the test results were quite similar, with average scores one point apart. However, after much discussion, both sections were adjusted because of the perceived differences in work load, course material covered, and exam preparation.
The revised syllabus involves both sections becoming identical, with one of the projects covered through lectures, reading and homework, and the other was conducted in groups, with individual research and presentations, much like the first project, and a common final.