Articles

Technical Sessions EWRI & EWB - August 2021

MORNING SESSION @ 11:00 AM

Topic: Assessing and Enhancing Stream-crossing Bridges Subjected to Flood Events

Speaker: Habib Ahmari, Ph.D., P.E., Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Texas at Arlington

Habib Ahmari is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and a licensed professional engineer in Texas and Ontario, Canada. He has more than twenty years of industry, research, and teaching experience in the area of water resources, environmental hydraulics, and river morphology. Before joining UTA, he worked for ten years in Canada, where he led several environmental impact assessment studies of hydroelectric dam projects.

AFTERNOON SESSION @ 1:00 PM

Topic: Update on EWB North Texas Bolivia Project

Speaker: Julie Jones, P.E.

Engineers Without Borders is a non-profit, humanitarian engineering organization.  The mission of EWB-USA is to support community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating transformative experiences and responsible leaders.  This presentation will cover the history, mission, and model in which Engineers Without Borders - USA approaches and implements its projects with its partner communities.  This presentation will also cover potable water project of the North Texas Professional Chapter in Culli Culli Alto, Bolivia including a recent remote implementation project. 

Julie Jones is now past-president of the North Texas Professional Chapter, but leads the Bolivia Project.  Julie attended the University of Arkansas where she received her B.S. in Civil Engineering and her M.S. in Civil Engineering, both with an emphasis in Environmental Engineering. 

She holds a Professional Engineer License in Texas, and she works at Nathan D Maier Consulting Engineers, Inc. in Dallas for the Water Resources Division.  Julie Jones has more than 14 years’ experience as a design engineer and project manager, including 13 years with NDM.  She has worked with various municipalities including Dallas, Garland, Southlake, McKinney, Plano, Richardson, Irving, Carrollton and Grand Prairie. Julie has worked on large projects as the hydrology and hydraulics project engineer/manager. These types of projects include roadway and guideway drainage, hydrology and hydraulics studies, and FEMA studies. Julie specializes in the field of hydrology and hydraulics, and is very familiar with FEMA requirements. She is also a Nationally Certified Floodplain Manager and a member of the Texas Floodplain Managers Association (TFMA).  Apart from the major flood plain studies, reports and regulatory support services, Julie has also performed technical reviews for two flood control districts, performed services as the District Engineer, completed designs for erosion control projects, completed 2-D hydrologic/hydraulic models, performed client coordination and project management services.