Articles

April 2023 Technical Sessions

EWRI AM Technical Session @ 8:30 AM-9:20 AM

Rifat Alam PE, CFM- WSP 

Topic: 2D HEC-RAS Rain-on-Mesh Automation & Best Practices

Rifat Q. Alam, PE, CFM is the Assistant Vice President & Texas Water Resources Division Lead at WSP USA. He is managing a diverse group of engineering and technical staff across multiple offices in TX & LA. His experience involves 1D & 2D flood risk modeling for small to complex large watershed nationwide, including 2D probabilistic flood risk assessment, 2D dam and levee breach modeling, 1D & 2D drainage impact studies, H&H automation tools, bridge scour modeling, highway drainage studies etc. He has served multiple FEMA PTS and CTP contracts nationwide for multiple FEMA regions including. Rifat also has hands-on experience on various aspects of dams and levees and have performed slope stability analysis for dams, reservoirs, levees, and highways. He also served on several geotechnical and construction projects in Texas, including emergency dam repair, drilling, and boring operation, and construction management.

SEI AM Technical Session @ 8:30 AM-9:20 AM

Michael W. Lee, P.E., M.ASCE

Topic: Three Stadiums, Three Outcomes

Michael W. Lee, P.E., M. ASCE, is a structural engineer with 40 years of experience in the design, analysis, and investigation of buildings and other structures. He has a B.S. in Architectural Engineering and M.S. in Engineering, both from the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Lee is a Senior Principal at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE), where his practice focuses on assessment and remediation of structures. Prior to WJE, he was employed by structural design firms based in San Antonio and Dallas. He is an active member of ACI Committees 117, 437, 440, and 562; PCI parking garage and standards committees; and ASCE/SEI 7-22. He is a past president of SEAoT Dallas Chapter and has served in many roles for the local and state organizations.

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EWRI AM Technical Session @ 9:35 AM-10:25 AM

Edith Marvin- NCTCOG

Fouad Jaber-Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Topic: Integrated Transportation and Stormwater Infrastructure Project 

Edith Marvin serves as the Director of Environment and Development for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Membership of this council includes a 16-county area centered around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Mrs. Marvin has over 30 years of private and public sector experience in the field of engineering and development. She graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Mrs. Marvin is a Licensed Professional Engineer and is a Certified Floodplain Manager.

Dr. Fouad Jaber is a professor and integrated water resources management extension specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension located at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas.

Dr. Jaber received BSc and MSc in agriculture and Irrigation engineering from the American University of Beirut in 1992 and 1995. He received his Ph.D. in 2001 in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Purdue University with emphasis in Natural and Environmental Resources Engineering.

Dr. Jaber worked as a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2007, after which he joined Texas A&M AgriLife.

He has published several refereed journal articles conference proceedings papers in addition to extension publications and governmental reports.

He has been conducting research and extension programs related to green stormwater infrastructure, nature-based systems, stream restoration, and climate change resiliency studies since 2002 with funding to his lab exceeding 2.5 million dollars.

Dr. Jaber has also extensive international expertise as he worked as an FAO consultant and has led workshops in Qatar, Algeria, South Korea, Iraq, India and Lebanon.

Dr. Jaber is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. He has received the 2016 Standards Development Award from ASABE, the 2014 Blue Ribbon Award – The American Society for Horticultural Sciences Southern Region, and the 2011 Blue Ribbon Award, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

SEI AM Technical Session @ 9:35 AM-10:25 AM

Debbie Neubert, Corey Wirkman, and James Brown- Jacobs

Topic:Structural Dive into Klyde Warren Deck Park 2.0 Design

Debbie Neubert, P.E. has been with Jacobs for 21 years, planning, designing and construction highways for NTTA and TxDOT.  She was on the design team for the original Klyde Warren Park, served as PM for TxDOT’s GEC team on the DFW Connector between 2012 and 2019 and is currently Jacobs Project Manager for the Klyde Warren Park 2.0 project.Debbie graduated from Texas A&M with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1982 and is a Professional Engineer in Colorado and Texas

Corey Wirkman is a Structural Engineer currently working in the Transportation Bridge Design Group at Jacobs. He has over 6 years of experience in the planning, layout, design, and plan production of transportation structures for multiple state DOTs, toll road authorities, transit authorities, municipalities, and private entities. He has diverse engineering experience in the design and analysis of concrete and steel structures including on- and off-system bridge replacements, bridge widenings, multi-level complex interchanges, and fast-paced large-scale design-build projects. Corey served as the Deputy Bridge Task Lead for the Service Level and Plaza Level bridges supporting the Pavilion Building and the West Lawn bridge structure for the Klyde Warren Park 2.0 project.

Corey graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering in 2014 and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 2016 and is a License Professional Engineer in Texas.

James Brown, P.E. has been with Jacobs for 15 years, and has 25 years of experience in the planning and designing of steel and concrete bridges, retaining walls, stormwater pump stations, design build and other public works projects for TxDOT, City of Dallas and other state DOTs.  He currently serves as the Lead Senior Structural Engineer for the Service Level and Plaza Level bridges supporting the Pavilion Building and the West Lawn bridge structure for the Klyde Warren Park 2.0 project.

James graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1997 and a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering in 2000 and is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Indiana, and Florida.

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EWRI AM Technical Session @ 10:40 AM-11:30 AM

David Rivera- Freese and Nichols

Topic: Statewide Flood Plan Update

David Rivera is a Senior Project Manager with the Freese and Nichols Stormwater Management Group. David is a licensed professional engineer and holds a Ph.D. in Water Resources Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has over 18 years of experience in the water resources field, primarily in the areas of hydrology, stormwater management, water resources planning, and environmental science. He is a skilled hydrologic and hydraulic modeler for both open channel and closed conduits systems. He also specializes on flood control reservoir operations modeling. Over the past 2-years, David has been deeply involved with the new State Flood Planning process and helping communities tap into potential funding opportunities.

SEI AM Technical Session @ 10:40 AM-11:30 AM

Matt Hemsath- Archer Western 

Lauren Van Andel- Jacobs

Topic: Silver Line Design Build

Matt Hemsath is the Senior Project Manager for Archer Western on the DART Silver Line Project. He has 16 years of transit/transportation construction experience on projects ranging from $3M to $1.5B. He has experience on Bid-Build, CMGC and Design-Build He has his bachelors from the University of Nevada, Reno. He and his wife, Suzanne, raise their 2 kids on a small piece of land in Joshua, TX.

Lauren Van Andel is a project manager for Jacobs with 14 years of experience in bridge design and project management. She has her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Texas in Austin. She has worked on projects ranging from small off system bridge projects to large design-builds, including her current role as structures lead for the DART Silver Line project. Outside of work, she loves watching her 3 girls play sports, reading and traveling.