This edition includes articles such as:
President's Message
Section Meeting Recaps
Student Chapter Updates
EWR Committee Reboot
Article from Sponsor Stantec
ASCE MNSU Updates
ASCE MNSU Activities
December 2020 - We had elections and the new officers are as follows:
President: Colton Corcoran
Vice-President: Chancellor Mcdonald
Treasurer: Zane Sadauskis
Secretary: Hunter Fier
Activities Coordinator: John Ryther
Publicity Coordinator: Derek Utecht
Student Outreach: Avra Chowdhury
Underclassperson Representative (Freshman): Abdulaziz Haji
Underclassperson Representative (Sophomore): Luke Halsted
February 2021 - Nate Lichty from Gale-Tec engineering came in and talked about a Reinforced Soil Slope design they used on a project for Blue Earth County (CSAH 1)
March 4th, Thursday @ 5 p.m. (03-04-21) Collins Engineering will be presenting on their bridge/structure inspection experience including the training and licensing that is needed. (Scuba Diving and Hanging off the side of the Bridge Inspection, "Extreme" Inspection).
April 1st, Thursday @ 5 p.m. (04-01-21) AECOM Minneapolis, Binu Shrestha and Jeff Rhoda, will be presenting on their management experience compared to their technical experience, especially in the Roadway and Structures groups.
Colton Corcoran
S.M.ASCE MNSU-Mankato President
ASCE MN President's Message
Who was happy to see the end of 2020? I think that was the sentiment of most of us. We are now a couple months into 2021, and not much has changed. It's looking like ASCE events will continue to be virtual at least through June.
The Board's main focus this year is to keep our membership connected, even if that cannot be in-person. I believe that this should be the goal for everyone, in all aspects of our lives. Whether it's a phone call or a quick video chat, please take time to reach out to your friends, family and colleagues.
The Minnesota Section will continue to offer virtual events to help our members build their technical skills and professional network. We started off the year with a very successful virtual trivia night. Keep an eye out for invites for webinars in February and March on various technical topics and our annual awards banquet in April.
We have a great group of volunteers that have gone the extra mile to find creative ways to keep us all connected. I look forward to a busy spring of virtual programs with a return to in-person activities in the summer and fall.
Tim Lamkin, Jr
President - ASCE Minnesota Section
UMN ASCE MN Student Chapter Update
Greetings from the UMN ASCE Student Chapter! We are back for another semester of fun and informative events, although we are still not back on campus.
Our first general meeting of the semester featured a presentation by representatives from Kimley-Horn including 2020 graduate Catie Miller. It was great for our students to hear from a young engineer who shared about her experience in transitioning from school to career during the pandemic. In the coming semester we plan to keep up with our monthly general meetings hopefully with a mix of presentations by professionals and professors.
The year of 2021 is particularly special as we are celebrating the 100-year anniversary of our Student Chapter. The officer team is planning several events to mark the occasion in the upcoming months. At least one of the events will be a collaboration between the UMN Student Chapter and the MN Section; more information will be sent out as the details are finalized. In addition to events, we are having T-shirts made to commemorate the centennial. These shirts will be available to professionals for a small fee and free to all student members. An order form will be sent to the Section in the coming weeks.
The concrete canoe team has not been able to be in the lab this year, so there isn’t anything exciting to report regarding their progress. The team hopes this spring will offer opportunities to strengthen their competitive edge and engage with newer team members in order to set up the team for success next year.
If you have any questions or would like to support our ASCE Student Chapter in any way, please feel free to connect with the President, Renee Sailor (sailo011@umn.edu).
Infrastructure from the Past Drives a Community’s Future
By Tyler McLeete, PE , Stantec – North Loop Preservation
Just west of downtown Minneapolis lies the historic North Loop District. In its heyday, the neighborhood was home to a billion-dollar wholesale industry and its associated factories, warehouses, and railyards. Supporting this hub of industry was a network of infrastructure across 23 blocks of streets and alleys that, to this day, retain remnants of original paving materials (brick, cobblestone, and wood paver systems) and industrial infrastructure (loading docks, canopies, and abandoned railroad tracks in the public right-of-way).
However, with the modernization of distribution practices and the economic impact from The Great Depression, this previously thriving industrial neighborhood experienced a decline. In recent years, though, the area has undergone a significant transformation to become a vibrant, walkable urban neighborhood and a destination for entertainment, dining, and shopping, in part, due to the Target Field development attracting activity back to the area.
Pivotal to this revitalization was the ability for infrastructure to serve the area without infringing on its historic character.
Building a framework for success
With this goal in mind, the City of Minneapolis embarked on a comprehensive reconstruction project to improve over a mile of city streets. The success of the Historic North Loop Public Realm Reconstruction project involved thoughtful involvement of stakeholders and a dedicated vision of preserving historic elements and charm while adding modern amenities and accessibility.
The City hired Stantec to work with city planning and engineering staff to reach a preferred design for each heritage street and to outline a possible funding and implementation plan. Building on the Warehouse District Heritage Street Plan guidelines developed by Stantec and the City, Stantec prepared plans to reconstruct deteriorated pavement and improve pedestrian safety, while respecting and enhancing its historic character.
Stantec worked closely with the City to finalize preliminary design, including historic preservation treatments, and delivered a final detailed design package.
Developing consensus
This project involved many stakeholders throughout the development of the Heritage Street Plan and its subsequent street projects, including City engineers and planners, residents, companies with major real estate investments, small businesses, historic preservationists, potential investors, and the City’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
Onsite stakeholder tours and meetings helped bring disparate viewpoints to light and then built consensus through those conversations. As a result of this proactive approach, the community was enthusiastic to see its input realized by the time construction was underway.
Enhancing the environment
Because this area had been industrial for so long, it had not supported any greenspace or street trees for over a century.
With input from stakeholders, the City and Stantec learned that residents wanted trees incorporated into the new design for to enhance greenery. In addition to improving neighborhood aesthetics, the decision to include tree planting provided an opportunity to incorporate green infrastructure stormwater management facilities with the tree planting areas.
Tree beds were designed to receive sidewalk drainage to infiltrate the runoff, nourish the trees, and improve the quality of the stormwater that drains into the adjacent Mississippi River. Keeping historic character in mind, tree placement was also carefully planned to not impact loading docks or significant historic facades.
Maximizing authentic resources
In preserving the neighborhood’s historic roots, it was a priority to salvage as many original details as possible as part of the reconstruction project. Preservation included reusing existing materials such as vitrified clay paver bricks and granite curbs that had been installed in the early 1900s.
Because these reused bricks would be imbedded in pavement, the project team took a creative approach to pavement design. This process included determining a strength value for the bricks to ensure the roads would hold up well over time.
Notably, not every paver pulled from the street was salvageable so City staff and Stantec worked together to rate the pavers and determine which were adequate for reuse. In addition, the City’s Public Works Department saved bricks salvaged throughout the city, including those removed by developers working on new developments, those removed from utility projects, and similar bricks found under pavement from other reconstruction projects across the city.
Stantec also tracked down local salvage companies who kept these historic pavers in stock for resale and purchased the additional bricks needed.
The use of even a limited amount of historic material in a street reconstruction is unique, however it was imperative to do so to maintain the character of the neighborhood and keep in step with the Warehouse District Heritage Street Plan. This final product serves to honor this area’s unique past, while establishing a modern infrastructure framework that supports ongoing vitality.
This article was provided by Stantec, one of ASCE-MN’s sponsors. To see other benefits of becoming a sponsor, visit https://ascemn.org/sponsors or email treasurer@ascemn.org.
ASCE-MN Outstanding Engineer of the Year Award
Do you know of an exceptional engineer - someone who has continually shown dedication and excellence in their work and beyond? Here is your opportunity to nominate them for one of the most prestigious engineering awards in the state. What a great year to do so!
The Minnesota Section of ASCE has established the ASCE-MN Outstanding Engineer of the Year Award to recognize the outstanding contribution of local engineers to the civil engineering profession.
The selection criteria for this award includes:
Outstanding technical contributions to the civil engineering profession.
Outstanding professional and leadership contributions to the civil engineering profession
Significant contributions to the local community representing the civil engineering profession.
Outstanding contributions in the area of civil engineering education.
The recipient must be both a member of ASCE and the Minnesota Section.
The Board of Directors is soliciting nominations for this award, to be presented at our annual awards banquet this spring. ASCE members wishing to nominate a fellow member for this award must submit a letter of recommendation identifying their nominee and addressing the contributions of the nominee relative to the criteria above. Letters of recommendation must be sent to awards@ascemn.org by February 22, 2021.
That's only a month away so don't hesitate to take advantage of this excellent opportunity to acknowledge excellence in our industry. We are looking forward to highlighting these individuals!
Riley Dvorak
Director of Awards
Fall Newsletter is Live
This edition includes articles such as:
· President's Message
· Board & YMG Election Results
· Award Winners
· Student Chapter Activities
· Articles from Sponsors Bolton & Menk and Kimley-Horn
Fall 2020 Newsletter
2021 Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award
The Geo-Institute announced that Mr. Ryan Berg, P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE has been selected to receive the ASCE 2021 Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award for “his expertise in geosynthetic-reinforced earthworks and retaining structures and for his lifelong contributions to the developments and applications of MSE walls, which helped create innovative solutions for practical problems.” Mr. Berg is a member for the Minnesota Section.
2022 Report Card Kickoff
We are ready to start Minnesota Infrastructure Report Card for 2022. After our inaugural report card (www.infrastructurereportcard.org/minnesota) in 2018, we are expecting to see familiar faces and new ones. First meeting is Nov. 10 at 8am CST Email reportcard@ascemn.org to get involved!
University of St. Thomas ASCE Student Chapter Fall Updates
On October 15, we hosted a virtual Lunch & Learn for students from 12-1pm, with Mohsen Tahmasebi Nasab, who is a new member of the civil engineering faculty at UST. Professor Nasab shared about his research and water resource engineering.
As of recent weeks we have assembled a team to compete in this year’s AISC Steel Bridge Competition. Our team has begun the planning stages of the elaborate process.
November 19th we are hosting a virtual Lunch & Learn for students from 12-1pm, with guest speaker Shane Ortlepp from TKDA. He will be discussing his career, the private sector, and giving industry advice.