President's Message - December 2024

Happy holidays!

I hope you all are staying warm this December as it seems winter showed up rather abruptly. Thankfully ASCE MN has several upcoming events planned to help starve off the winter blues! We hope you check out our Dec. Section meeting next Tuesday in collaboration with our Legislative Committee, which will highlight the ASCE Report Card process. This will be especially helpful to those interested in joining our Report Card Committee in preparation for our 2026 state update. Updating our report card is no small feat and we need as much help as possible in making sure the state of our infrastructure is accurately represented. All are welcome to attend! If you are interested in joining the Report Card Committee, please reach out to Hannah at reportcard@ascemn.org.

 

On another exiting note is our annual Membership Appreciation night, held at Brit's Pub in Minneapolis! This is one our favorite events of the year and we hope you all make an effort to join us as we thank you for being a dedicated contributing member to our Section (did I mention it's free?)

 

Lastly I wanted to remind you all that we still have some open positions on our Board and Committees. If you are interested in joining us, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at president@ascemn.org and let me know what you are interested in contributing!

 

Take care and I wish you a lovely holiday season,

Lauren Linderman, Ph.D.

ASCE MN is looking to establish a T&DI Chapter and we want to hear from you!

Established in 2002, the Transportation & Development Institute (T&DI) is one of the nine (9) technical Institutes of ASCE. Representing the community of transportation professionals and expertise within the 160,000+ strong global membership of the Society, T&DI serves as the home for all transportation & development-related activities at ASCE.

 

We ask you to respond to the following survey to let us know what you are looking for in a transportation-focused committee so that we can best cater our efforts to our Minnesota Section.

ASCE MN thanks you in advance for responding and we look forward to the new opportunities this institute chapter can provide!

3rd ASCE MN YMG Construction Tour Series

On April 18th, Landmark Properties, Inc. has shown Young Members and Students, The Standard at Dinkytown, a 17-story building project. This past year, we got to learn about and see many of the geotechnical and foundational elements of the project. This year, Young Members and Students got to learn and see variety of high-rise construction.

Thank you Landmark Properties, Inc. and Jimmy Bennett, PE for giving Young Members and Students this opportunity to learn about the project! Looking forward for Chapters 4th and 5th in the coming years.

2024 ASCE Minnesota Annual Awards Banquet

Huge congratulations to all 2024 ASCE Minnesota Award Winners!! You all are exceptional role models and thank you for all your contributions to Civil Engineering #ascemn

We would also like to thank Minnesota Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Jean Wallace and Past American Society of Civil Engineers Younger Members Chair Jimmy Bennett, PE for taking your time and speaking at the Awards Banquet on April 16th. On behalf of ASCE MN Board, we thank all the members for their endless support!

2024 ASCE MN Award Recipients:
Young Engineer of the Year - Maren Mosley, PE
Outstanding Engineer of the Year - Tim Lamkin Jr, PE
Distinguished Engineer of the Year - Paige Novak

ASCE at the University of Minnesota Chapter
Activities Awards - Hans Lagerquist, Ian McPhee, Kenny Hoang, Sakthi Sundaram Saravanan
Outstanding Student Awards - Niko Deshpande, Marta Struve, Bo-Cheng Wei
Goodman Award - Berit Klein

ASCE at Minnesota State University Chapter
Outstanding Senior - Eduard Stasyuk
Outstanding Junior - Raïssa Natacha Ineza
Outstanding Underclassman - Andrew R

ASCE University of St. Thomas Chapter
Outstanding Leadership Award - Kyle Bratvold
Distinguished Service Award - Laura Hernandez
Excellence in Undergraduate Research - Lucas Gross
SEI Chapter Scholarship Award - Alisia Lemmons

Spring 24 President's Message

Happy March!

We have a lot of information to share this month so I'll get right to business. We've had a lot of great events in February including the I ❤️ Infrastructure Day at the Capitol, our new annual E-Week mixer event combined with several great organizations, and the Science Museum of MN Volunteer Day! Not to mention all the awesome events our student chapters and YMG have put on.

This month we have our monthly meeting with SAME (see below for registration details). Also, save the date for April 16th to attend the ASCE Awards Banquet where we invite back ASCE Past-President Maria Lehman! More details to follow. Thank you to those who participated in the award nominations. And as always, thank you to our wonderful sponsors! You help make all these great events possible.

Upcoming Events

March Section Meeting

You are invited to our March monthly section meeting, partnered with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME)! This month's topic is "The History and Future of the Twin Cities Locks/Dams via the USACE Disposition Study", presented by Friends of the Mississippi River and Owamniyomni Okhodayapi.

Abstract: The St. Paul District of the US Army Corps of Engineers is currently studying the disposition of the three locks and dams located within the city of Minneapolis. The purpose of these disposition studies is to determine whether there is federal interest in continuing to own and operate the locks and dams. If there is no longer a federal interest, the Corps of Engineers is then directed to identify a viable disposal alternative, meaning the locks and dams would be transferred out of federal ownership to a local, state or federal agency. This talk will look at the history of the Mississippi River within the Twin Cities and the future planning efforts associated with the current disposition study. The presentation will include history presented by Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) and future planning by Owámniyomni Okhódayapi (OO).

Speakers: - Colleen O’Conner Toberman (Land Use and Planning Program Director, FMR) - Barry Hand (Program Director, OO) - Kjersti Duval (Project Advisor, OO) .

This event will be held at Gabe's Bar and Kitchen on March 21st, from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Registration will be $25 per person which includes lunch (GF on request). This presentation will count as 1.0 PDH and certificates will be emailed after the event.

Annual Awards Banquet

Come out to our biggest event of the year and say hello again to our featured Keynote speaker, ASCE Past-President Maria Lehman, PE, ENV SP! She had the opportunity to visit us last April and is excited for the chance to follow up with our section, student chapters, and Minnesota legislators to discuss important civil engineering initiatives. Join us in the evening as our section honors distinguished civil engineers and students for their outstanding contributions to the field while exhibiting the qualities of leadership, integrity, and professionalism. Our annual Awards Banquet will be hosted on Tuesday, April 16th at the Double Tree Downtown St. Paul from 5:30 - 8pm.

All are invited! This is great opportunity to network with fellow members, current and past MN Section Board members, students, and the ASCE National Past-President. Your registration includes a drink ticket to our social hour, a three-course dinner, and 1.0 PDH. Keep an eye on our website and for a future email to register. We are excited to see you there!

Younger Members Group (YMG) Tour Series

Save the date for April 27th for the next iteration of the Dinkytown Construction Tour Series in partnership with the UMN Twin Cities student chapter!

This is the latest installment of an ongoing two-year event series where YMG and student members learn about the construction of a new 17-story building on UMN's campus and tour the site as construction progresses. The talks will focus on the development phases, deep (driven pile) foundations, and geotechnical earthwork. Future details will be mailed out when made available.

- Alysa Johnson, PE

Fall President's Message

The ASCE Minnesota Section board is transitioning soon! Look for election ballots in your inbox in the coming week.

I encourage you to join me at one of the following events/activities this winter:

  • November TBD Meeting: Hosted by the EWR Committee

  • December TBD Meeting: Joint meeting with SAME

  • January TBD: Membership Appreciation Event

  • Many other committee meetings, tours, and Student Chapter activities — watch your emails Instructions to check email address on file with us

Announcement: The Enviornmental & Water Resources Committee is seeking a representative to join the MN Water Resources Conference Planning Committee. This term would begin mid-December 2023 and last for 2 years. This is a great opportunity to work with our local water experts to choose abstracts for presentations and moderate conference sessions. Please email ewr@ascemn.org by November 17.

Past Events:

Follow us at ascemn.org or on LinkedIn.

Ariel Christenson, PE (MN, IN, NC, VA, WI), 2022-2023 ASCE-MN President

Elections are Coming - Update Your Contact Info

Not getting our emails? Switched jobs? Moved? Here’s how to update your contact information on file with ASCE MN.

  • Go to www.asce.org

  • Click “Member Login” at the top of the page

  • Log in with username & password

  • In the upper right corner in the drop down under your name, click “Manage my Account”

  • Your account page will then pop up, where you can update email, mailing address, communication preferences, etc.

This is your one-stop shop! Any changes made will automatically get updated at the local level (ASCE MN communicates via email). Still having issues? Email communications@ascemn.org.

ASCE President Maria Lehman visits Minnesota and awardees are honored at the annual Awards Banquet

Last week marked another successful awards banquet where ASCE MN honored several chapter and student members with awards of professional and academic achievement! See below for the list of winners.

This year also marked our first in years where we hosted the society president! Maria C. Lehman, PE, ENV SP, flew into the Twin Cities for a jam-packed schedule of meet and greets, presentations, and networking. She was able to meet with state legislators, engineering practitioners, and MNDOT officials at the capitol to help foster critical infrastructure discussion, which will help advance ASCE MN and the Report Card committee's commitment to infrastructure policy-making and funding. Maria was also able to meet with the University of Minnesota’s student chapter and tour their facilities and have lunch with our Board of Directors.

She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to meet with key figures and gain an inside view of our successful Section! Thank you to everyone who helped make this day a success!


Awardees:

  • Minnesota Outstanding Engineer of the Year - Saura Jost

  • MFESTS Charles Britzius Distinguished Engineer - William (Bill) Arnold

  • MFESTS Young Engineer of the Year - Boya Xiong

  • University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (UMN)

    • Activities Awards - Anthony Tabura, Chandler Lallak, Kenny Hoang

    • Outstanding Student Awards - Berit Klein, Erika Christiansen, Emirlan Askerbekov, Dylan Marske, Samuel Maijala

    • Goodman Award - Kristina Hoffman

  • University of St. Thomas (UST)

    • Outstanding Leadership Award - Genevieve Tester

    • Distinguished Service Award - Morgan Fritz

    • Excellence in Undergraduate Research - Evan Selin

  • Minnesota State University - Mankato (MSU)

    • Outstanding Senior - Luke Halstead

    • Outstanding Junior - Mamy Fofana

    • Outstanding Underclassman - Celia Djoutsa

  • SEI Chapter Scholarship Award - Berit Klein (UMN), Genevieve Tester (UST)

  • 2023 ASCE Life Members - Paul Asp, Richard Baker, Roger Clay, Craig Collison, Bradley Fossum, Catherine French, Gregory Keil, Craig Kuske, Joseph Labuz, Randall Mikolai, Michael Speedling, Russell Stammer

Spring President's Message

It is my honor to serve as Minnesota ASCE Section President for 2022-2023. I've been part of this amazing organization since college, and have got to meet people along the way with so much drive and passion for our built environment. PEOPLE are the center of our civil engineering oath to protect public health, safety and welfare.

While it is only March, the leadership board pauses activities at the end of May, resuming with a summer planning meeting, and then again full strength in September with the next round of elections. So, time is flying by! I encourage you to join me at one of the following events/activities this spring:

Thank you board members for volunteering your time to this non-profit organization of the profession!

Follow ASCE-MN activities at ascemn.org or on LinkedIn.

Ariel Christenson, PE (MN, IN, NC, VA, WI), 2022-2023 ASCE-MN President

ASCE-MN Sponsors the 2023 Future City Competition

And the ASCE special award goes to… Team Rayon Del Miel from Mounds Park Academy!

Our #ascemn judges Sofia Puerto, Griffin Dempsey, Logan Pfaltzgraff, and Jeff Weisensel gave the Best Infrastructure Award to the team because of their City’s “bike wellness, raising bridges, hexagon design. Innovative solutions that positively affected residents. Multi-faceted. Researched. Solutions affected many layers.”

#ascemn President Ariel Christenson was a judge in the finals. The winning team VAXA represented Minnesota at the National Future City Competition in Washington, DC this past weekend.

Great job, students! You are the future of civil engineering!

Minnesota  - Future City® Competition