Articles

President's Message - February 2017

Greetings Dallas Branch.  February is upon us, and with that comes National Engineers Week, observed February 19-25.  The purpose of National Engineers Week is to call attention to the contributions to society that engineers of all disciplines make.  It is also a time for engineers to emphasize the importance of learning science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM) skills.

Our Branch provides opportunities for engineering outreach throughout the year, but many of those events fall in January and February.  On Saturday January 28^th, several of our members volunteered their time as judges at the Future Cities competition.  Thank you Farwa, Anthony, and Barry.  I was honored to present a Special Recognition Award, sponsored by the Dallas Branch, to a very deserving team of middle school aged students.

If you have not already, please make plans to attend the TSPE E-Week luncheon on February 16^th, at the Plano Centre.  http://www.tspeengineersweek.com/  The Honors Committee, chaired by Sean Merrell, received and reviewed applications for Young Engineer of the Year and Engineer of the Year.  This year, we are excited to announce Jennifer Roath, EIT as YEOY and Doug Smith, P.E. of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. as EOY for the Dallas Branch.  They will each be recognized at the luncheon.  If you have the opportunity, please congratulate them on their awards.

One more honor worth mention is the recognition of our Branch Director, Jonathan Brower as one of 2017’s ASCE Top 10 New Faces of Civil Engineering.  This is a well-deserved honor; I cannot think of a more worthy recipient.  Jonathan continually goes above and beyond in his dedication to encouraging STEM education and mentoring aspiring Civil Engineers.  ASCE has published this article describing Jonathan’s selection.  http://news.asce.org/champion-of-high-school-outreach-in-dallas-a-deserving-asce-new-face/

Sponsorship:  As a closing request, the Dallas Branch could not provide our membership with the monthly programs, volunteer opportunities, and networking we do without our sponsors.  We are looking to fill our sponsorships for 2017.  Even if your firm has not contributed in the past, please consider supporting the Branch with your financial contribution this year.  Ashley Chronister, our Fundraising Chair and her team will be contacting many of our prior sponsors regarding your continued support of the Branch.  If you need information or have questions, please email Ashley at [email protected]

Frank Pugsley, PE
President
ASCE Dallas Branch, 2016-2017