Articles

Greetings! and “Hello Spring!”

 While spring does not officially arrive until Tuesday, March 19^th, I can’t help but acknowledge a growing desire to be outdoors, especially when life feels like it has me confined to the indoors. With Spring Break just around the corner, I look forward to taking some time with my family to get outdoors and enjoy this amazing time of the year exploring the natural environment springing to life. Maybe you have similar plans?

 March is also Women’s History Month, which serves as an annual opportunity to reflect on the contributions of women to events in history and our society. As such, I want to share this link to an article that introduced me (a transplant to Texas) to Leah Moncure, P.E., Professional Engineer 2250, the first female professional engineer in Texas and first female member of the ASCE Texas Section – Austin Branch. I encourage you to take a few moments to read it.

 On Monday, March 11^th, Mr. Tushar Solanki, P.E., Assistant Director of Dallas County – Transportation & Planning Division and Mr. Carlos Negron, P.E., Project Manager of Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., will present the “Medical District Drive Project” to us at our keynote luncheon. Immediately prior, beginning at 11:00 AM, Mr. Matthew Tike of City of Plano will present on, “Plano’s Traffic Management System and The New TMC.”

This month, our Younger Member group is hosting another “Bridge Event,” which is intended to bridge the gap between our younger professionals early in their career and our more seasoned and experienced members. We are grateful to Alberta Blair, P.E. of Dallas County and Mark Bouma, P.E. of North Texas Tollway Authority for supporting us in this endeavor and volunteering their time to share with us what helped them advance their respective careers. It’s scheduled for Tuesday, March 12^th, at the Dallas County Public Works office. You can find more information on our website or social media accounts.

 SAVE THE DATE! In April, we are changing it up. Instead of meeting on the 2^nd Monday of the Month, we will be meeting on the 3^rd Monday on the month, April 15^th. Why? Because of the highly anticipated total solar eclipse that will occur on Monday, April 8^th, which will pass over the Dallas area in the early afternoon. Additionally, on April 15^th, we will be hosting our first technical seminar of the year, offering two technical tracks for individuals to participate in to earn up to three professional development hours (PDH) prior to our keynote luncheon, for a total of four PDHs for the day. The technical seminar will begin at 8 am (breakfast will be provided) at our typical meeting location, the Vouv. We will be sharing more details in the coming weeks.

 Lastly, I’m excited to share that our Past President, and ASCE Region 6 Director, Mr. Sean Merrell, P.E. will help us continue to celebrate our Centennial by sharing some interesting, historical information about civil engineering projects, and how civil engineers delivered those projects, during the second decade of our Branch’s existence (1934-1943,) which was overshadowed by the Great Depression. Not only will this information be shared at our membership meeting, but also on our social media platforms. If you are not already following us on social media, I invite you to do so. You can find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

 Please don’t hesitate to contact me with your ideas, questions, and feedback. I am here to serve you and the Dallas Branch to the best of my abilities. If you are looking for ways to get involved, I’d love to speak with you. Together, we are “Honoring our Past, Celebrating our Present and Engineering our Future.”

 My best!

 Reece E. Taylor, P.E.

ASCE Dallas Branch | President ’23-‘24