chapter annual reports fall 2011

Transcription

CHAPTER ANNUAL REPORTS
FALL 2011
Chapter articles are published only on-line at this web site www.chi-epsilon.org . Odd numbered chapters, 1,3,5,
etc., provide their articles by December 15th of each year to appear in the spring. Even numbered chapters, 2,4,6,
etc., provide their articles by May 15th of each year, and they appear on-line in the fall. Please enjoy reading the
articles from your chapter and others to find out what is happening locally in Chi Epsilon.
* Page numbers refer to Chi Epsilon Website
CHAPTER
PAGE University of Alabama
Arizona State University
Bucknell University
University of California-Davis
University of California-Irvine
University of California-Los Angeles
University of Cincinnati City College of New York
University of Colorado
The Cooper Union
University of Dayton
Drexel University University of Evansville Florida Institute of Technology
George Mason University
Georgia Tech University University of Houston
University of Iowa
University of Kentucky
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Marquette University
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
University of Miami
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Michigan State University
University of Mississippi
University of Missouri-Columbia
Montana State University
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Mexico StateUniversity
Northeastern University
University of Notre Dame
Pennsylvania State University
Rutgers University
Southern Methodist University
University of New York at Buffalo
Texas A&M University
University of Texas-El Paso
University of Toledo
Trine University
University of Utah
University of Vermont
Villanova University
University of Virginia
Virginia Polytechnic University
Wayne State University
West Virginia University
University of Wisconsin
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CHAPTER ARTICLES FALL 2011
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama Chi Epsilon chapter had two main events this past year. The first was the initiation of the new Chi Epsilon members. This event took place on the 4th of April on the University of Alabama
campus in Tuscaloosa, and all of the rituals of initiation were duly observed. Twenty-seven new members were
initiated that evening. After the induction ceremony, the officers asked the new initiates for nominations for new
Chi Epsilon officers, and the vote was taken at the banquet the next evening.
The day after the initiation ceremony, UA Chi Epsilon helped to host the
UA Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Spring Banquet. (see photo at left) The preparation for that banquet was extensive and was conducted
in cooperation with the UA Civil Engineering Department staff. To honor the
achievements of the students and faculty in the department was the objective of
the event. Before the banquet, the new Order of the Engineer inductees took the
Obligation of an Engineer and were presented with their rings. At the banquet,
the recently initiated Chi Epsilon students were recognized and presented with
their certificates. Several other organizations within the Civil Engineering Department recognized their members,
and the department recognized students for outstanding academic achievements.
The outgoing Chi Epsilon officers are as follows: Joseph Higginbotham, president; Lindsey Kilgore,
vice-president; Robert McElvy, secretary; Laura Beth Pockstaller, treasurer; Frances Green, marshal/associate editor. The officers for the 2011-2012 year are as follows: Robert McElvy, president; Morgan Calvano,
vice-president; Elizabeth Holmes, secretary; Erin O’Connor, treasurer; Alexandra Dukeman, marshal/associate editor.
Arizona State University
This year has been especially productive for the Arizona State chapter of
Chi Epsilon. Thirty-three new members were initiated on April 29th: Matthew
Altman, Jorge Amaya, Melissa Archer, Amanda Amos, Amro Bissat, Andrew Chill, Christina Daws, Matild Dosa, Travis Dunn, Jesus Esquivel, Ryan
Furcini, Sara Gushgari, Matthew Hann, Joseph Harrington, Cari Henning,
Omar Jawhar, Tate Jensen, Rex Juacalla, Andrew Kaehr, Lauren McBurnett, Jose Medina, Seth Morales, Matthew Nahlik, Triana Gonzalez Neves,
Eddy Ramirez, Ronald Record, Bryan Rodriguez, Ryan Sariego, Joshua Smith, Joshua Steele, Laura Ventoza, Ashley Welton, and George Whitten. (see photo at right) New officers were elected for all positions, with
Breann Sharma as the new president, Isha Mehta, vice-president; Triana Gonzalez Neves, secretary; John
Heck, treasurer; Erick Ponce, marshal; and Michael Gehringer, associate editor and student council representative. They are taking the place of outgoing officers: Samuel Enmon, president; Brent Schuster, vice-president;
Jordan Reed, secretary; Elizabeth Weil, treasurer and associate editor; Timothy Cason, marshal; and Thomas
Volo, student council representative, who have worked diligently throughout the semester, as our new officers will
continue to do. Our faculty advisor and Chi Epsilon alumnus, Dr. Chris Lawrence, has been extremely helpful
to our chapter as well.
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Our chapter introduced new volunteer events this year. We volunteered at the St. Vincent De-Paul Charity
of Phoenix, which assists the homeless in our community in various ways, by taking down their Christmas decorations in January. Additionally, we helped Arizona State’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers with their
event WOW- That’s Engineering! It consisted of teaching young girls about engineering and helping them with
small projects. We assisted SWE in various areas, from logistics of setting up to helping the girls put together
their projects.
We continued providing FE reviews for all interested engineers, civil or not, each semester. These are
especially beneficial, as many of the subjects are reviews from years past. It is also an excellent fundraiser for us,
as we charge non-Chi Epsilon members a small fee. This semester, our reviews started about a month before the
exam, and there were 1-4 sessions per week. We try to improve the review sessions for each semester, by adding
or replacing topics to make the sessions as beneficial as possible.
Many events were held to bring together civil engineers, Chi Epsilon or not. We introduced a bowling
night, which had an excellent turnout. We continued with the tradition of holding a kickball game each semester
as well. Due to Arizona’s excellent weather, we also went to see a spring training game. Between our volunteer
efforts, FE reviews, and social events, our chapter continues to practice Scholarship, Character, Practicality, and
Sociability.
Bucknell University
Community Service Event:
On April 11, 2011, the Bucknell chapter of Chi Epsilon hosted a troop of local boy scouts
and assisted them in their efforts to earn engineering badges. Daniel Treppel delivered a
presentation to one group of scouts about different types of bridges seen around the world.
Afterwards, each scout designed and constructed his own truss bridge comprised of popsicle sticks and hot glue. (see photo at left) The bridges were tested for structural stability
under an eccentrically placed point load. The scouts found excitement
in predicting which bridges would fail and which would hold the most
weight. Bill Holm led a second group of scouts as they learned about
the mechanics of trebuchets and catapults. Eager to play with the projectile marshmallows, the scouts and their designated chapter member
assistants immediately dove in and created their own renditions of a catapult, modifying a simple milk carton kit into a masterpiece for a friendly shooting distance
competition. (see photo at right) At the conclusion of the event, each scout was presented
with an award signifying successful completion of the task. The scouts very much enjoyed
learning about the field of engineering, and our chapter members were inspired by their drive
and ability to think outside the box in their efforts to earn their engineering badges.
Initiation Event:
On February 3, 2011, the Bucknell University chapter of Chi Epsilon initiated 12 new members, elevated
Professor Richard G. McGinnis to Chapter Honor Member, and initiated Assistant Professor Kelly A. Salyards as Faculty Member. Current members and faculty were also in attendance and joined the new initiates for
a dinner hosted by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. After dinner, Professor McGinnis
delivered an invited lecture about the importance of becoming a global citizen and a global engineer.
The elevation of Professor McGinnis to Chapter Honor Member came after 40 years of service to the
profession as a practicing transportation engineer and as a teacher and scholar at Bucknell University. Professor
McGinnis earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering at Bucknell University, a Master of Science
degree in civil engineering at Northwestern University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in transportation
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engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. He has extensive professional experience in roadside
safety research and engineering as well as railroad engineering. Professor McGinnis also has been a leader in
promoting international education for engineering and other students at Bucknell. For example, he served as codirector of Bucknell-in-London study abroad program on three separate occasions. In addition, he co-founded a
three-week summer course entitled, “ENGR 290: Engineering in a Global and Societal Context”, a course that
has been taught by Bucknell faculty (including Professor McGinnis on three occasions) each year since 2004 in
countries such as England, Argentina, Brazil, Switzerland, Sweden, and Norway. Recently, Professor McGinnis
was awarded the 2010-11 Burma-Bucknell Bowl, an award that “recognizes an organization or university community member (faculty, staff or student) who has made outstanding contributions to intercultural and international understanding.”
Professor Salyards was selected by the Bucknell University chapter of Chi Epsilon to be initiated as a
Faculty Member after having demonstrated excellence in teaching and research for the past three and a half years
at Bucknell. Professor Salyards earned BS, MS, and PhD degrees in architectural engineering at Penn State
University. She also held several structural and architectural engineering internships and worked as a practicing
structural designer for an architectural engineering firm before attending graduate school. Professor Salyards
became an Assistant Professor at Bucknell in 2007 and has taught several introductory engineering courses and
upper-level structures courses. Her research focuses on vibration serviceability and human-structure interaction. Professor Salyards also has served as co-advisor for the Bucknell student chapter of ASCE, as an assistant
mentor for the ASCE ExCEEd (Excellence in Civil Engineering Education) program, and as a member of both
the ASCE Structural Identification Committee and the ASCE Technical Council for Forensic Engineering Education.
Outgoing Officers:
Gabrielle Carpenter, president; Daniel Voss, vice-president; Kelsey Johnson, secretary; Emily Daniels, associate editor; and Carl Anderson, marshal.
New Officers:
Greg Stevenson, president; Alyssa Oelsner, vice-president; Carolyn Breden, secretary; Anne Sequeira, associate editor/board master; Bill Holm, marshal; and Oudam Meas, web master.
University of California-Davis
The University of California, Davis Chi Epsilon chapter started off the
2010-2011 school year by attending the 2010 Pacific Regional Conference held in
November at Cal Poly Pomona. (see photo at left) Six members of the UC Davis
chapter attended the conference, where they gave a presentation about Chi Epsilon finances and budgets. In February, the UC Davis chapter attended the 2011
EERI Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition held in San Diego, CA. (see
photo below right) The UC Davis Chi Epsilon Seismic Design Team was proud
to have produced a structure that was not destroyed by all three of the simulated
earthquakes.
Later in February, the UC Davis chapter participated in the UC Davis Engineering Joint Council’s E-Week (Engineering Week), where they demonstrated
the seismic design project for undergraduate and graduate engineers, engineering professors, prospective UC Davis engineering students, and other interested
members of the UC Davis community. Members of UC Davis Chi Epsilon and
UC Davis EERI collaborated for this event to model earthquake behavior on a
few sample structures with an earthquake “shake table”. Throughout the 2010-2011 year the UC Davis chapter
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also participated in volunteer construction projects with the Yolo County Habitat for Humanity, and various social events, such as barbeques, where the Chi Epsilon members could benefit from a supportive environment of
classmates and friends.
Last spring 2010, the UC Davis chapter of Chi Epsilon initiated seven members: Angela Barich, Michael
Boone, Nathan Borgo, Justin Kelly, Cyrus Khorshidchehr, Carlos Mendoza, and Lawrence Yu. At this time,
the chapter was pleased to welcome a new 2010-2011 cabinet of both new initiates and returning members: Daniel Dilsaver, president; Rudy Nie, vice-president; Justin Kelly, secretary; Gabriel Rodriquez, treasurer; Angela
Barich, associate editor; and Michael Boone, marshal.
The UC Davis chapter of Chi Epsilon looks forward to initiating the next pledge class at the end of spring
2011, and boosting its reputation and presence throughout the UC Davis campus and community.
University of California-Irvine
During the 2010-2011 academic year, the University of California Irvine student chapter spread Chi Epsilon’s vision through the events that we hosted. Furthermore, the Irvine chapter also devoted many hours to help
prepare for the spring quarter initiation.
At the beginning of the year, the officers organized the logistics for our participation at the annual Pacific District Conference that took place at California
Polytechnic University, Pomona. (see photo at left) Moreover, the officers worked
in teams to create a poster board to introduce our Irvine student chapter and presentation slides that explained the process of attracting the initiates. The conclave
turned out to be a very fun experience to all of our officers and was actually the
year where our chapter had the most participants than before. Hopefully, at the
next conclave not only officers but more members can partake in this exciting event. As the year progressed, we
proposed activities and scheduled events that would appeal to the initiates and also help them understand what
Chi Epsilon’s purpose is as an honor society.
During Engineering Week, we held a competition to promote student involvement. In addition, we invited professors to teach at the FE study sessions to help the students prepare for the exam. Among the different
engineering student organizations, initiates and current members can also participate in
events such as the Battle of the ESOs (Engineer Student Organizations), which are sports
and tournaments of basketball, dodge ball, and flag football. We enjoyed all the sports
and especially in flag football, we did very well and got second place. As the year comes
to an end, all of our preparations throughout the year have led us to the initiation process,
which involves hosting a variety of events for the initiates and allowing the initiates to
fulfill the requirements that relate to the four pillars. Some of the events that we held
were pub nights at our school’s Student Center, the Highest Tower Competition, karaoke
night, beach bonfire and clean up (see photo at right), and a volunteering event at ShadeTree. These events allowed the initiates to not only succeed academically, but also to
enhance their scholarship, character, practicality and sociability.
After completing their requirements, the initiates—Mr. Dylan Tyler Lafrance, Ms. Dorothy Chung, Mr.
Dung Huy Nguyen, Ms. Cecilia Maria Dominguez, Mr. Quan Cui, Mr. David Martin De Vera, Mr. Thomas
Edward Gocke, Mr. Phuoc Tran, Mr. Kenneth Euekheang Tang, Ms. Melanie Kimi Morita, Mr. Carl Lucas
Yee, Ms. Irene Chia, Mr. Adnan A Anabtawi, Ms. Rebecca Hanh Shafer, Mr. Nadeem Noorzay, Mr. Anderson Heng Xuan Ren, Mr. Jomel Castro Castillejos, Mr. Anthony Galeon Di Pasupil, Mr. Daniel D. Chien,
Mr. Kibret Walelign Temesgen, Mr. Justin Shoji Sakakura, Ms. Jessica Marie Satterlee, Ms. Anastasia
Marie Sanchez, Mr. Brok Dominic Burchatz, Mr. Henry Gray, and Mr. Jeffrey Tangonan were initiated on
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Saturday, May 14th.
In the following years, we hope to continue to spread Chi Epsilon’s vision as to maintain and promote the
status of civil engineering with the new cabinets that we will be transitioning near the end of the quarter. With
the incoming officers, we aim to make our chapter as fruitful as possible and hope to continue the good work that
we’ve been doing.
University of California-Los Angeles
The 2010-2011 school year for the University of California, Los Angeles Chi Epsilon chapter has been
one filled with many accomplishments—the greatest of which has been maintaining and initiating a strong group
of twenty-two new members. This year the officer board, comprised of Bradley Gerlick, president; Charles
Ma, vice-president; Anthony Biegel, treasurer; Barr Levy, secretary; Justin Ray, marshal; and Carolyn Chou,
associate editor, focused primarily on developing and promoting a healthy array of membership opportunities to
encourage interest with the organization to prospective initiates.
The Annual Pacific District Conference was hosted by California Polytechnic Institute at Pomona, and
attending UCLA representatives had the privilege of meeting with other university chapters which facilitated the
adoption of new techniques for maintaining a successful Chi Epsilon chapter. Members and officers gained valuable insight and had a chance to discuss the upcoming national conclave, to be held in Los Angeles in 2012. The
UCLA chapter has been in contact with our brother USC chapter towards the successful coordination of several
aspects of this year’s upcoming conclave.
Throughout the course of the academic year, UCLA officers provided prospective initiates with a variety
of engaging opportunities from which initiates could demonstrate their understanding of the four pillars of Chi
Epsilon. Several social events were utilized to strengthen the bond amongst the incoming initiate group where
initiates worked together to demonstrate their sociability and practicality in problem solving and service. Scholarship and character were assessed throughout the year through joint career development events and volunteer
opportunities with the UCLA chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Participation in interview and resume workshops, software tutorials, outreach events, and blood drives were all encouraged with
initiate attendance being abundant and highly enthusiastic. The UCLA chapter of Chi Epsilon hosted its sixth
annual Signature Party in February 2011. At the Signature Party, initiates had
the opportunity to meet current members, officers, alumni, and civil engineering faculty, which included Department Chair J.S. Chen, Professor Sant, and
Chi Epsilon Faculty Advisor Scott Brandenberg. The final Initiation ceremony
took place in May of 2011, and the UCLA chapter successfully initiated one of
our largest groups of members to date. (see photo at left) During the reception,
initiates had a chance to network with current members and alumni.
We are excited to announce the incoming officer board for the upcoming
2011-2012 school year with Bryan Carpentier, president; Kendra Rusinek, vice-president; Greggory Schwartz,
reasurer; Karina Chavarria, secretary; Jose Gradilla, marshal; and Ryan Vanderlip, associate editor. We wish
the new board the best of luck and anticipate an equally successful year for the chapter.
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University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati chapter has had a spectacular year! During
the fall quarter, we initiated 16 new members (see photo at right) and an honorary faculty member, Gian Rassati. The district councilor, Dr. Thomas Wolff,
joined in the festivities. Then in the spring, we initiated an additional 6 members.
Celebrations took place afterward at the local hot spot, Christy’s, where we got to
know our new members better.
During the winter, our members were very active. Some volunteered at
the High School Wooden Bridge Competition, hosted by UC’s civil department.
High school physics students designed and built miniature balsa wood bridges
and brought them to UC to be tested in bearing and deflection by our Chi Epsilon
members. Other members prepared a college-wide series of review sessions for
the nerve-wracking FE exam. A few weeks later, a team of Chi Epsilons, dubbed
the “Purple Lantern” in honor of a super-hero theme (see photo at left), won 1st
place overall in E-Week (Engineering-Week) events.
Spring quarter was no less eventful. We joined forces with our fellow civil
students and sponsored a much-needed renovation of the campus Civil Lounge. Additionally, two of our recent
initiates, Alan Hagerty and Michael Linger, were elected the student body president and vice-president for the
2011-2012 school year. Way to go Alan and Michael!
With elections in progress for our 2011-2012 Exec Board, our outgoing officers for the 2010-2011 school
year are Anna Damcevski, president; Megan Hathaway, vice-president; Kristy Newlon, treasurer; Jon Koester,
secretary; Kyle Kungle, marshal; and Katt Dickert, associate editor. These leaders will be co-hosting a dinner
on June 11, for our graduating civil engineering seniors.
City College of New York
The 2010-2011 academic year was a great success for the City College
chapter. On May 16th, ten new initiates were inducted as members of the society:
Andreas Apostolopoulos, Liza Billings, Benjamin Lau, Xin Li, Soufiane Nezili, Diniece Peters, Yanil Rosario, Serge Roux, Ksenia Shikhmacheva ,and Jun
Yan. We are also inducting Edward Plotkin, our 68th Chapter Honor Member,
for his continued contributions to the City College through the Civil Engineering
Alumni Group. Our outgoing officers will continue to be active members in our
chapter, of whom are Jessica Wang, president; and Benjamin Conable, secretary. We bid a fond farewell to our graduating officers, Andre Clarke, marshal; and Tristan Anderson, associate editor. The incoming officers for the 2010-2011 academic year are Diniece Peters, president; Jose Moscat,
vice-president; Amira Nazar, treasurer; Andreas Apostolopoulos, secretary; Ksenia Shikhmacheva, marshal;
and Xin Li, associate editor. Special mention was made by our faculty advisor, Professor Neville Parker, and
by CEAG chairman Jack Seidman, of the excellent leadership over the past year of Chapter President Jessica
Wang. We thank her for her outstanding effort.
The influence of Chi Epsilon has grown significantly at City College the past year due to progressiveminded leadership. The services offered to the department were heavily utilized by the civil engineering student
body. Chapter officers continued to improve and maintain the chapter website and our department newsletter, The
Grove Column, is being published to the department and our alumni subscribers. The Chi Epsilon website
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allows students to check for updates, download old newsletters, obtain contact information of current members,
provides up to date scholarship information, and serves as a nexus between students, faculty, and alumni. The
newsletter provides information on the accomplishments of students, the Chi Epsilon club, and other club and
departmental achievements. The website and newsletter are the major ways Chi Epsilon is playing a more active role in reaching out to the alumni of the school who have continued to provide guidance and support to students. Chi Epsilon, along with American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter, organized seven
workshops and seminars for students this past year. These were hosted by the Civil Engineering Alumni Group
(CEAG) of City College, of which our new Chapter Honor Member is an active member. The alumni group
was also involved in organizing a site surveying workshop in collaboration with Skanska at the 2nd Ave Subway
project and a site visit to the new science buildings going up on our campus. Chi Epsilon took a leadership role
in organizing the City College cohort attending the annual Moles Student Day and was rewarded with a record
turnout. Workshops focused on communication skills & estimating engineering, seminars that illustrated career
opportunities in civil engineering, challenges of ethical problems in engineering, as well as advice from former
executives on how to start an engineering business all of which received record attendance.
We look forward in the next year to improving our Peer Mentoring Program by involving the professors
from our first year civil engineering courses, and to improving scholarship application volume from the Civil Engineering students. We welcome the new Deep Foundation Institute student chapter to campus and look forward
to collaborating with them on more site visits for students.
University of Colorado-Boulder
The University of Colorado chapter of Chi Epsilon began the new year by saying farewell to the graduating members and by electing all new officers. New officers for the 2011-2012 year are as follows: Matthew Schwartz,
president; Whitney Maifarth, vice-president; Daniel Camp, secretary; Michael Gartman, treasurer; Samuel
Henning, associated editor; and Marisa Isenhart, marshal. The new officers and members are encouraging new
membership within the university. The new initiates doubled the previous chapter size. The officers coordinated
the FE exam reviews for the College of Engineering. In the fall, the chapter plans to organize more events and
participate in campus affairs outside of the engineering school.
The Cooper Union
In the 2010-2011 academic year, initiation was held on May 2011. Twelve new members were initiated.
The outgoing officers were Charles Canepa, Jason Damiano, Jack Greenberg, Judy Luo, and Jacob Presky.
The new officers are James Collins, president; Stephen Maniscalco, vice-president; Andrew Tam, treasurer;
Christina Milone, secretary; Ken Ko, associate editor; and Madeline Foster, marshal.
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton chapter of Chi Epsilon inducted 13 new members during the spring semester of
2010. The new members were initiated in January of 2010, and include: Bethany Marquis, Lindsie MacPherson, Elizabeth Miller, Gina Balsamo, Joseph Gayda, Joseph Munno, Meghann Wygonik, Mark Lee, Phillip
Dresden, David Frey, Timothy Dengler, and Nicholas Zadd. The following new and current members took
office for the 2010-2011 year: Bethany Marquis, president; Phillip Dresden, vice-president; Elizabeth Miller,
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secretary; Lindsie MacPherson, associate editor; Gina Balsamo, marshal; and Daniel Kemlage, treasurer.
Outgoing officers for the 2009-2010 year included Jason Rickey, president; Lydia Reichardt, secretary;
Zach Bornhorst, treasurer; and Luke Reboletti, marshal. The faculty advisor is Dr. Donald Chase.
Over the past year, the University of Dayton chapter took part in both service and social activities around
the Dayton Area. Chi Epsilon members worked in collaboration with the University of Dayton ASCE chapter to
work a booth for the Christmas on Campus event. Several members also took part in the Ohio Contractors Association estimating competition this past year. In addition, several members also participated in the concrete canoe
competition. All in all, it was another very successful year for the University of Dayton chapter, and we hope this
coming year even more successful and fulfilling for all our current members.
Drexel University
During the 2010-2011 academic year thirteen new members were initiated
into the Drexel University chapter of Chi Epsilon in February 2011. The new officer positions held for the 2011-2012 academic year are as follows: Thomas E.
McGrew, president; Steven A. Squibb, vice-president; Jaclyn M. Raciti, treasurer; Jared M. Hurwich, secretary; Marissa N. Zaporta, associate editor; and
Jonathan F. Hubler, marshal. (see photo at left) Prior to the February 2011 induction and new officer installation, the following members held leadership roles
during the 2010-2011 academic year: Thomas E. McGrew, president; Derrick
Musser, vice-president; Chrystina Capello, treasurer; Charles Young, secretary; Adrian Lu, associate editor;
and Jonathan F. Hubler, marshal. Over the last year, the Drexel University chapter of Chi Epsilon sponsored FE
review sessions for both the fall and spring exams, as well as organized the Order of the Engineer ceremony.
University of Evansville
During each academic year, the University of Evansville is proud to uphold the great tradition of initiating
new members to its local chapter of the prestigious National Civil Engineering Honor Society, Chi Epsilon. On
May 6, 2011, five juniors: Gulzat Atymtayeva, Jacob Nardulli, Ricardo Paredes Aronsohn, Susan Smith,
and Trevor Weaver, were quietly led into a dark room in the UE’s library for their initiation. After they were
called in and asked to sit before the chapter officers, two faculty members, Dr. James Allen, PE, and Dr. S. Immanuel Selvaraj, were also led into the room and the ceremony began. New members were asked to uphold their
responsibilities, and all agreed respectfully. By the end of the ceremony, the new members expressed their gratitude toward their old mentors and peers for the opportunity to be a part of Chi Epsilon. The old officers, Andrew
Dial, president; Kien Pham, vice-president and associate editor; Mark Riehle, treasurer; Brian Varner, secretary; and Jamin Heldt, marshal, had passed their positions on to the new junior members. Gulzat Atymtayeva
was named the new president; Jacob Nardulli was named the new vice-president; Trevor Weaver was named
the new treasurer; Ricardo Paredes Aronsohn was named the new secretary; and Susan Smith was named the
new marshal and associate editor.
During the academic year of 2010-2011, members of the Chi Epsilon University of Evansville chapter
were active in both national and local activities. Our chapter members took leadership roles in our local chapter
of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Ricardo Paredes Aronsohn was ASCE secretary and also co-chair
of our annual balsawood bridge building educational community outreach at the local children’s museum. Mark
Riehle and Brian Varner helped to write the 2010 ASCE Report that resulted in a Certificate of Commendation
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for our school. Mark Riehle and Jamin Heldt were co-chairs of planning committee for the 2011 ASCE National Concrete Canoe competition that was hosted at the University of Evansville June 15 through June 18, Members
of our chapter helped with examinations given to prospective students on UE Engineering Scholarship Day.
Florida Institute of Technology
The 2010-2011 school year is Chi Epsilon’s 20th anniversary at Florida
Institute of Technology. Seventeen new members were welcomed into the chapter
and six new officers were elected: Bailu Wei, Jon Haylock, Alex Armstrong,
Raymond Sy, Etienne Wolmarans, Gustavo Salazar, Hussian Al Hatailah,
Mohammed Abu Saq, Michael Matern, Priyanka Prakash, Peter Zimarakos, Nicholas Gagliardo, Sampath Hemachandra, Nora B. Happner, Andy
Bankert, Kathleen Orrico, and Anthony Walton. (see photo at right)
Our new officers are Etienne Wolmarans,
president; Alex Armstrong, vice-president; Anthony Walton, associate editor;
Kathleen Orrico; secretary; Raymond Sy, treasurer; and Priyanka Prakash,
marshal. (see photo at left) Outgoing officers are Ethan Tyson, president; and
Kimberly Townsend, vice-president.
The Florida Tech chapter took part in numerous activities this year including
the Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe competitions at the 2011 ASCE Southeast
Conference in Cookeville, Tennessee. We placed first overall for the concrete canoe and will be continuing on to compete at nationals. Chi Epsilon also hosted an
FE exam review each semester and participated in a number of phonathons calling high school students to answer
their questions about Florida Tech.
From the Florida Tech chapter, good luck to our graduating members and until next year.
George Mason University
The George Mason University chapter of Chi Epsilon has completed another exciting year, which included the induction of thirteen new members and the election of five new officers.
The initiation ceremony was held on December 5, 2010. The ceremony
consisted of member pledges, the giving of the symbolic transit pins, a banquet
reception, and the bestowing of Chi Epsilon certificates. The inductees have demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement, academic integrity, and leadership.
This group of new initiates brings a wealth of diversity and international experience to the George Mason University chapter or Chi Epsilon. Below is a list of
the new initiates into George Mason University’s chapter of Chi Epsilon for fall
2010. (see photo at right)
From back left: Matthew Katon, Matin Kheyrani, Christopher Dean, Glenn Reese, Amr Ibrahim,
David McGraw, Milad Bahamin. From front left: Sebry Adem, Esmerlyn Campos, Gina Goettler, Carmen
Leon-Pacheco, Daniel Lavarnway, Yaksha Dahal.
The George Mason University chapter of Chi Epsilon elected five new officers as well. During an election
and ceremony that took place on April 7, 2010 each of the officer positions were filled with a new member. The
outgoing officers were Mariana Cruz, Kristen Stevens, Travis Brown, Trevor Hughes, and Jim Milliken.
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The new officers to serve during the 2011-2012 academic year are: Daniel Lavarnway, David McGraw, Matthew Katon, Gina Goettler, and Soroush Fakhriyazdi.
Keeping with the tradition of academic and professional excellence, George Mason University’s chapter
of Chi Epsilon hosted review sessions for the FE exam. The student officers of the chapter worked with their
professors and peers to coordinate FE review sessions to help prepare themselves and their peers for the exam.
The George Mason chapter hopes to continue to play an active role in preparing students for success and looks
forward to another exciting academic year.
Georgia Tech University
The Georgia Tech chapter of Chi Epsilon has made excellent progress over the past year. Frequent chapter meetings with guest speakers helped increase the awareness and involvement of members with the chapter’s
activities, and a graduate information session with a panel of graduate students was held to inform undergraduates
about considerations and opportunities for continued study or research in graduate school. Each semester, the
officers organized review sessions conducted by faculty for the civil engineering sections of the FE exam.
At the fall initiation ceremony held on November 16, 2010, the Georgia Tech chapter welcomed 30 new
members; another 22 members were initiated in the spring semester on April 19, 2011. Following each initiation,
the officers treated the initiates to dinner at a local restaurant, providing everyone an opportunity to meet and become familiar with each other.
Officers for the past year were Christina Barry, president; Katalina Keilhauer, vice-president; Cesunica Ivey, secretary; Austin Rowan, treasurer; Heather Bradley, associate editor; and Bradley Dolphyn, marshal.
Two of the incumbent officers, Austin Rowan and Bradley Dolphyn, were elected and installed to new positions
(president and associate editor, respectively) for the coming year, fostering a smooth transition for the new leadership team. The new officers are Paul Son, vice-president; Jerome Sin, secretary; Andrew Sills, treasurer; and
Julius Doan, marshal.
University of Houston
The 2010-2011 academic year at the University of Houston Chi Epsilon chapter saw a significant growth
in membership. A total of 28 new members will be inducted by the end of this academic year, of which five will
be inducted this spring semester.
Incoming officers for the spring and fall 2011 semester are Juan M. Gonzalez, president; Sergey A. Levochkin, vice-president; Padmanabha Rao, treasurer; Rachel N. Howser, secretary; Hector De La O, associate
editor; Elizabeth A. Heeb, marshal.
During the 2010-2011 academic year, our chapter’s secretary, Rachel N. Howser, was awarded the ASCE
O.H. Ammann Research Fellowship in Structural Engineering.
Our chapter’s members are very active in ASCE and have participated in both the concrete canoe competition and the steel bridge competition throughout the year. Our chapter also helps students by providing free
tutoring for undergraduate civil engineering courses. Within the Houston community, our chapter is also active.
Our chapter organized volunteer work for the Lighthouse of Houston, an education center dedicated to assisting
blind people to live independently.
Overall, it has been a great year for the University of Houston Chi Epsilon chapter. We will continue to
promote the Chi Epsilon motto and purpose within our university.
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FALL 2010
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa Chi Epsilon chapter (UICEC) would like to report another year of successful
activity. The chapter activities included: volunteerism, fundraising, review sessions, and numerous social gatherings. The recruitment efforts over the last year yielded ten new UICEC members: Matthew Anderson, Hannah
Fleck, Zachary Hanson, Yiming He, Jessica Kirschbaum, Matthew Litwin, Ian Stewart, Taryn Tigges, Alex
Potter, and Ryan Wright. Officer elections were held on April 18th. The UICEC president for next year will be,
Alex Potter.
Volunteerism:
In order to fulfill the chapter’s volunteering obligation, opportunities for
volunteerism were sought from the University of Iowa Office of Sustainability
(UIOoS). The UIOoS coordinates the efforts of numerous student groups during
the month of April; which is celebrated as “Earth Month” on campus. Due to the
number of student groups geared towards environmental concerns the amount
of activity to choose from was quite diverse. Ultimately, the chapter decided to
assist in a waste sort of the Dental Sciences Building (DSB). A waste sort is an
activity done with a representative of the local recycling firm, to better characterize the type of waste generated by different departments within a university building. As an example, the trash
from the oral surgery department was collected and delivered to appropriately geared volunteers, in Tyvex suits
and safety glasses, set up in a tented outside area for sorting. The items within the collected trash were sorted into
appropriate bins, such as “latex gloves”, “compostable paper”, “sterilization packages”, etc. These bins were then
weighed and recorded. The resulting information was used to design better waste management practices for each
department to minimize generated waste. Chi Epsilon volunteers also gained recognition from this event through
interviews with the local newspaper. The resulting story made the front page of the next day issue and contained
quotes from Chi Epsilon members.
Fundraising:
UICEC conducted a bake sale fundraiser within the Old Capitol Mall food court. The goods for the bake
sale were made and packaged by Chi Epsilon members. In lieu of setting fixed prices for each good the bake sale
was run as “donation” only. Therefore, when customers asked the cost of any particular good they were told,
“All that is asked is a donation”. This method proved to be quite convenient and possibly more lucrative as many
customers would take one item (i.e. a brownie) while donating a dollar. The total amount of funds raised by the
six hour long bake sale was $234.45.
Review Sessions:
A traditional activity for UICEC is the coordination of the FE Exam review sessions. These sessions are
conducted by professors from all of the engineering departments and are open to anyone interested in attending.
The sessions themselves are two hours long, typically planned to occur a week or two before the FE is scheduled.
This year ten review sessions were planned. Though the statistical evidence is not available, UICEC likes to believe that our efforts directly contribute to the 98% FE pass rate of University of Iowa engineers. Regardless the
gratitude from our peers is sufficient to make the endeavor a cornerstone of the UICEC.
Social Events:
As a relatively small student organization, filled with members who are
generally very active within a variety of other student groups, the social gatherings throughout the year are very welcome and bond UICEC together as a close
group. (see photos above and at right) This year members came together to eat,
play games, and converse many times for various reasons such as: to promote the
group to prospective members, initiate members, celebrate the end of a semester,
and thank our professors. UICEC also benefits from a gregarious faculty
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FALL 2010
advisor, Professor Richard Valentine, who many times out of the year opens his home to Chi Epsilon and Civil
Engineering Professors for excellent food and entertainment.
The University of Iowa Chi Epsilon chapter looks forward to continued success in the coming year.
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky chapter of Chi Epsilon had a successful year. On May 8th 2011, chapter members of Chi Epsilon participated in a Habitat for Humanity house construction
in Lexington, KY. Carrying on the tradition, Chi Epsilon hosted the extremely
popular ‘Popsicle Bridge Competition’ at the Engineers Day open house in the
UK College of Engineering. (see photo at left) Along with this event, Chi Epsilon
teamed up with ASCE to host a computer-aided bridge design event for middle
school and elementary school students. Chi Epsilon also organized a charity
corn-hole tournament to raise money for the benefit of Japan tsunami victims.
Officers handed out approximately 150 free t-shirts and fliers to advertise for the
tournament.
The Chi Epsilon chapter also welcomed nine new members at fall and spring initiations on December 1st,
2010 and April 27th 2011, respectively. The new initiates were: Rebecca E. Franke, Elliot Magoto, Jonathan
B. Kidd, Stacey L. Schal, William I. Ford III, Philip A. Riley, Lizabeth J. Likins, Jessica N. Workman, and
Tariq M. Siddiqui.
In December and May, the chapter saw the graduation of its President Adam Bender-Saunders, VicePresident Ellen Westermeyer, Secretary Kelly Hoeksema, and Associate Editor Abeetha Peiris. New officers
of the chapter elected for 2011, are Jonathan B. Kidd, president; Lizabeth J. Likins, vice-president; Rebecca
E. Franke, secretary; and Tariq M. Siddiqui, associate editor.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
During the fall 2010 semester, several Chi Epsilon members mentored some of the freshmen in the Civil
Engineering 101 class on a transportation project. The members assisted in helping the freshmen stimulate their
creative minds in designing a different configuration for the interchange of interstates I-10 and I-49. During the
spring 2011 semester, a Chi Epsilon member conducted a presentation in the civil engineering hydraulics lab
for local high school seniors participating in the university’s Spring Preview Day. The presentation included
a slide show illustrating past semesters’ senior design class projects and a demonstration of the hydraulic jump
machine.
The fall 2010 Chi Epsilon initiation ceremony occurred on Thursday, December 2nd, 2010, inducting
five members: Madeleine M. Bodin, Michael G. Cook, William D. Fontenot, Alison C. Lognion, and Neil
E. Schneider. Chi Epsilon Faculty Advisor Dr. Ehab Meselhe, Civil Engineering Department Head Dr. Ken
McManis, and civil engineering adjunct professors Mr. E. Ray DesOrmeaux and Mr. Allison “Sonny” Launey,
were among the various faculty who attended the ceremony to support and congratulate the initiates; additionally, the husband of Mrs. Bodin and graduate students were present. A reception with cookies and Coca-Cola
followed. The fall 2010 officers were: Logan Locicero, president; Heath Michel, vice-president; Ahmed Gaweesh, secretary; Matthew Trahan, treasurer; Sahas Shrestha, associate editor; and Andrew Juneau, marshal.
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On the last day of spring classes, April 29th, 2011, the chapter initiated two members, Sarah N. Richard and Charles W. LeBouef, at the Madison
Hall Auditorium on the UL Lafayette campus. Honored guests in attendance
include Dr. Olin Dart, Southern District Councillor and National Historian, and
Dr. Kam Movassaghi; both had an instumental in founding the UL Lafayette
chapter in 1985; Mr. Chris Richard and Mrs. Susan Richard came to see their
daughter be initiated into the society of whom both are alumni. Additionally,
graduate students, along with Chi Epsilon Advisor Dr. Ehab Meselhe, Civil Engineering Department Head Dr. Ken McManis,
and Associate Professor Dr. Mohammad J. Khattak, were present to welcome
the initiates. Following the ceremony, guests and the new initiates proceeded to
the joint banquet with American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) to celebrate.
(see photos above and at left) The spring 2011 officers are Madeleine Bodin,
president; William “Billy” Fontenot, vice-president; Neil Schneider, secretary;
Matthew Trahan, treasurer; Alison Lognion, associate editor; and Andrew Juneau, marshal.
The joint Chi Epsilon and ASCE banquet was held on Friday April 29th, 2011, at the Petroleum Club of
Lafayette. Seventy students, faculty, and staff from the Civil Engineering Department, as well as professionals
from the area, attended the event. A pianist set the tone of the evening as the guests relaxed, catching up and getting drinks from the cash bar. ASCE president, 2011-2012, Jacob Benton led the invocation, and Dr. Mohammad
J. Khattak, a newly sworn in American citizen, commenced the Pledge of Allegiance. Graduating senior Scott
LeBlanc continued the banquet as Master of Ceremonies and introduced the guest speaker, Will Potier. Mr.
Potier spoke on how effective time management leads one to live a balanced lifestyle between family and work;
he emphasized the importance of spending quality time with his or her family. The distinguished guest, Dr. Olin
Dart, gave a short presentation on the current state of the Southern District and upcoming events in the society.
After the informative speech from a representative of the national chapter and founder of the UL Lafayette
chapter, the program continued as Dr. Xiaoduan Sun awarded the departmental scholarships, and Dr. Ken McManis honored two graduating seniors with recognition of the Outstanding Civil Engineering Graduate and the
Outstanding Leadership and Professional Service Award. Madeleine Bodin, Chi Epsilon president, and Alison
Lognion, ASCE president, both delivered states of their respective chapters and then announced the student body
voted awards. Chi Epsilon Faculty Advisor Dr. Ehab Meselhe rightly recognized the department secretary and
lab technician for their endless dedication in their hidden jobs. William Fontenot, Chi Epsilon and ASCE vicepresident closed the evening with a benediction and thanksgiving.
Marquette University
The 2010-2011 academic year was productive for the Marquette University chapter of Chi Epsilon. During the fall semester, twelve new student
members were initiated, including Steven Ainge, Patrick Barnhouse, Heath
Brozovich, William Castedo, Mitchell Hansen, Klarissa Keadle, Sara Marciniak, Alberto Marquez, Jonathan McAnally, Brandon Montalvo, Aaron
Schneider, and Sara Zongolowicz. (see photo at right) In the spring semester,
four new student members were initiated, including Anthony Callahan, Joseph
Corrigan, Elyse O’Callaghan, and Michael Pirlott. (see photo at top of next
page) After both initiation ceremonies members of the chapter enjoyed socializing and dining together. The new
initiates joined other Chi Epsilon members, faculty, and guests for an informal dinner at a local restaurant. Each
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semester the chapter members held meetings regularly and participated in social
events. During the fall semester several members of the chapter participated
in Al’s Run, a local run/walk to benefit the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
During the spring semester, the chapter held a service auction, where College
of Engineering faculty members could bid to have members do tasks such as in
exchange for a donation to the chapter. The chapter’s spring grocery shopping,
babysitting, and yard work, service efforts also included a group of members participating in Hunger Cleanup, a volunteer event put on by Marquette University
to better the greater Milwaukee area. Many of the active members of the chapter also volunteered their time and
energy to help the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Marquette University with the Open
House. This past April, six seniors from the chapter were recognized during the College of Engineering Honors
Convocation. These included Benjamin Borowicz, for Top Scholars in Curriculum, as well as Andrew Genz,
Sean Howell, Katrina Kurniati, Samuel Michels-Boyce, and Christie Nguyen, for Scholastic Honors.
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland Chi Epsilon chapter filled the 2010-2011 school year with a plethora of activities. These events included a career fair, fall and spring initiations, fundraisers, and community service events.
The Chi Epsilon civil engineering career fair was held on November 4, 2010. It was attended by representatives from more than 20 companies, as well as a surplus of students seeking full time positions and internships.
The fair provided the opportunity for students to learn how civil engineering is used in the workplace. Students
were informed about what services different types of firms provide and how they relate to their academic interests.
Later in the fall, the chapter participated in a furniture build-off with the University of Maryland’s chapters
of Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma. Teams from all of these societies built pieces of furniture, such as desks and
tables, to donate to less fortunate individuals in the area. The furniture build-off gave students the opportunity to
reach beyond their textbooks and experience firsthand the applications of their coursework and projects.
Chi Epsilon’s fall initiation was held on December 1, 2010. The fall 2010 initiates were: Gibran Abifadel, Daniel Bisers, Jennifer Brodie, Jennifer Dicks, Seth Greenberg, Stephen Kamakaris, Maria Martello, Michael McGehee, Allan Mitchell, Saad Rehman, Scott Scheine, Heungkook Stephens, Emma Weaver,
and Shana Weisberg.
The spring initiation was held on April 2, 2011. The spring 2011 initiates were: Javier Arias, Jeremy
Bowers, Ellyce Bushong, Kevin Fries, Megan Hanifan, Brett Jacobs, Santiago Mejia, Daniel Nolan, Andrew Pender, Hussein Salad, and Josh Steininger.
Towards the end of the spring semester, the new officers were elected.
The officers for fall 2011 are: Maria Martello, president; Shana Weisberg,
vice-president; Daniel Nolan, secretary; Seth Greenberg, treasurer; Gibran
Abifadel, marshal; and Jeremy Bowers, associate editor. (see photo at right)
As the chapter looks ahead to next year, there is much excitement over
the chapter’s 50th anniversary celebration, the 2011 career fair, and many social
events.
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FALL 2010
University of Massachusetts Amherst
This year marked the induction of a new faculty advisor, Dr. Song Gao, as well as the initiation of student
members Daniel Abrams, Zachary Achin, Shelby Basel, David Brehaut, Eric Cagnard, Kevin Connolly, Michael Courtois, William Duane, Marc Fernandez, Michelle Fiorello, Hayley Franz, Jeffrey Gamelli, Joseph
Grillo, Rebecca Guihan, Patrick Hanlon, Jahan Khalili, Caitlin Jenkins, Balazs Martai, Michael Masztal,
Robert Morsi, Anders Olson, Joe Popielarczyk, Chad Quaglia, Piotr Rachtan, Nicholas Rossi, Scott Simonelli, Matthew Soltys, Tomer Soran, Tyler Swift, Ricky Torres-Cooban, Kevin Tringali, Matthew Wilder,
and Patrick Yeo.
Among these new initiated members, those elected to serve as officers for the upcoming fall and spring
terms include Nicholas Rossi, president; Jahan Khalili, vice-president; Marc Fernandez, secretary; David
Brehaut, treasurer; Shelby Basel, associate editor; and William Duane, marshal. Members of the chapter that
served as officers for this year include Michael Nolden, president; Terence DaCosta, vice-president for the fall
term; Tomer Soran, vice-president for the spring term; Saranthip Rattanaserikiat, secretary; Lauren Coles,
treasurer; Elise Rotkiewicz, associate editor; and Lauren Stocker, marshal.
Several activities and projects were undertaken that served for the benefit of the chapter members as well
as all students and faculty in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. A professional seminar
was held for all members, where Mr. Eric Bernardin, a senior associate at Fuss and O’Neill and member of Chi
Epsilon, discussed his work in low impact development. Many members made contributions to the College of
Engineering during open houses for incoming undergraduate students by hosting laboratory tours and information sessions with the assistance of the faculty and staff in the department. During the spring term, officers made
arrangements with faculty in the department to hold nightly review sessions that all members of the junior and
senior classes could attend to prepare for the FE exam. At the end of every term, all members volunteer their time
to distribute course evaluations that are important tools for the faculty and department to make improvements in
the curriculum.
We would like to thank the current officers for all of their hard work and dedication to the Chi Epsilon
chapter and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and we wish the best for the new officers
as they continue to make this an outstanding student honor society within the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
University of Miami
During the 2010-2011 academic year, the University of Miami chapter continued to make large steps
towards establishing ourselves as the premier honor society. The chapter initiated an excellent group of new
members and became more involved in activities within the College of Engineering.
Our new members are a diverse group with great enthusiasm about the progress to be made by the chapter
in the next years. This year’s initiates are Christopher Gotschall, Wael Al Thuwaini, Michaela Walker, Allyson Porges, Tiffany Brown, Bradley Piechoski, Henry Kreh, Wyatt Krapf, Karim Fayaz, Patricia Barreiro,
Zahra Karim, Caitlin Lundell, Garrett Moore, Kevin Schwartz, Laura Vogel, and Shuai Xiao. We are very
happy to welcome them and excited to spark their interest in the mission of Chi Epsilon.
As the year comes to a close and we say goodbye to another class of outstanding graduating seniors, we
also embrace the new chapter officers elected for the 2011-2012 academic year. Graduating this year are seven
exceptional students—Eduardo Esteves, Jason Lecker, David Case, Maria Ronderos, Ashley Malinowski,
Nick Feldt, and Patricia Barreiro—and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors. The officers that
served this year were: David Case, president; Reem Madkour, vice-president; Eduardo Esteves, treasurer;
Carrie Prestwood-Taylor, secretary; Allison Korth, associate editor; and John Plackemeier, marshal. The
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new officers recently installed are: John Plackemeier, president; Allison Korth, vice-president; Kevin Schwartz,
treasurer; Zahra Karim, secretary; Henry Kreh, associate editor; and Ryan Goolabsingh, marshal.
Along with the our continued commitment to providing tutoring services to freshmen, this year our chapter
made a first-of-its-kind arrangement with the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering.
Due to budget cuts, the CAE department no longer hires teaching assistants, but instead hires graders to collect
and grade homework for engineering classes. Finding honest, qualified, and willing people to be graders was a
complicated, drawn-out process for the department and often ended in sub-par employees. Recognizing this burden, our chapter made a series of proposals to the department chair that eventually resulted in this agreement: The
University of Miami chapter of Chi Epsilon will be fully responsible for selecting graders from amongst its own
ranks for the department. Members of Chi Epsilon possess a rare combination of academic competence and high
moral character that makes them perfect for these positions. This agreement brings extra income to our chapter
and also for our students, and solidifies the high standing of our membership.
Michigan State University
The Chi Epsilon chapter at Michigan State University (MSU) was pleased
to initiate 11 new members on November 14th, 2010, and 6 new members on
April 10th, 2011. All initiates displayed the esteemed qualities necessary for
Chi Epsilon membership. The fall semester initiates were Mark Albery, Adam
Beach, Wouter Brink, Ronell Eisma, Thomas Hoffman, Scott McGehee, Brian Schultz, Corbin St. Aubin, and Berkay Tascioglu (see photo at left). Five
faculty members were also initiated: Dr. Rigoberto Burgueno, Dr. Jung-Wuk
Hong, Dr. Emin Kutay, Dr. Nizar Lajnef, and Dr. Venkatesh Kodur. Dr. Kodur was successively elevated
to Chapter Honor Member (see photo below). The new spring initiates were Erik Easterly, Joseph Gorman,
Hande Ozturk, James Rice, Ashley Roberts, and Danielle Walley. Congratulations to the
new initiates and honor member.
The MSU chapter of Chi Epsilon held bi-annual book sales as fundraisers. The
chapter members would like to thank the MSU faculty and staff who donated the books
that were sold. During spring semester, Chi Epsilon members also volunteered to help Dr.
John Shinsky, the founder of The City of Children Orphanage in Matamoros Mexico. Dr.
Shinsky used several CAD drawings produced by Chi Epsilon to help raise money for the
project. In addition, the MSU chapter sent one student representative, along with the District
Councillor from MSU, to the Chi Epsilon District Conclave in Toledo, Ohio.
During the fall semester initiation, Corbin St. Aubin was elected to chapter vicepresident as a new initiate. The chapter also recognized Steve Parse as its only outgoing
officer and bid him success.
During the spring semester initiation, the chapter elected five officers: Jun Deng, vice-president, previously secretary; Erik Easterly, secretary; Ashley Roberts, treasurer; James Rice, marshal; and Joseph Gorman, associate editor. The chapter bids farewell to the outgoing officers Sam Bell, Sri Kumar, Ryan Muscott,
and Corbin St. Aubin and wishes them success.
The annual Conrad Award was presented to Alex Russeau during the spring initiation. In addition, due to
their demonstration of adherence to the principles of Chi Epsilon, Ryan Muscott and Sam Bell were selected to
receive the NTH Consultants scholarship. Congratulations are also extended to Christopher Dean, president of
the MSU Chi Epsilon chapter, who received the Chi Epsilon National Scholarship. The chapter would also like to
congratulate Dr. Rick Lyles on his receipt of the national level James M. Robbins Excellence in Teaching Award.
The membership would like to thank our faculty advisor, Dr. Gilbert Y. Baladi, for another year of service and
guidance.
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University of Mississippi
During the 2010-2011 school year at the University of Mississippi, Chi Epsilon members and initiates became involved with many engineering-related activities. These activities included participation in our Engineers
Without Borders Togo Project, the American Society of Civil Engineers Deep South Conference (concrete canoe,
steel bridge, and surveying competitions), the 110th Anniversary Celebration of the University of Mississippi
School of Engineering, and National Engineers Week. Initiates also acquired community service hours.
Our chapter elected Dr. Cristiane Q. J. Surbeck, PE, as our new faculty advisor on August 30, 2010.
On April 15, 2011, we initiated the following Chi Epsilon members: Preston Bridges, Stephen Burdine, Ben
Coker, Kelsey Horton Cummins, Michael Gresham, Patrick Harrington, Bailey Hewes, Matthew Hosey,
Thomas Kajdan, Randall Kirby, Allen Mauney, and Tracey Sisco. Newly elected officers are: Michael
Gresham, president; Stephen Burdine, vice-president; Kelsey Horton Cummins, secretary; Thomas Kajdan,
treasurer; Randall Kirby, associate editor; and Preston Bridges, marshal.
University of Missouri-Columbia
In the fall semester of 2010, the University of Missouri-Columbia initiated 10 new members into Chi Epsilon. The initiates’ names were Christopher Adrian, Marc Lueckenhoff, Nathan Volkers, Russell Voss, Joe
Gilliam, Brandon Griffith, Jared Tate, Melanie Volk, Kyle Murphy, and Yang Song. The fall semester initiation was held on Thursday, October 28 in Lafferre Hall. The officers for the semester were Matthew Wheeler,
president; Christopher Wilson, vice-president; Chelsea Smith, marshal; Alicia Thater, associate editor; Emily
Boehm, secretary; and Julie Howell, treasurer. The faculty advisor is Carlos Sun.
In the spring semester of 2011, the chapter initiated 9 new members whose names were Jonathan Loos,
Sara Goebel, Andrew Horner, Audrey Freiberger, William Shoemaker, Jonathan Healy, Elizabeth Mayfield, Jessica Bales, and Benjamin Tappmeyer. The spring semester initiation was held on Thursday, April 21 in
Lafferre Hall on the University of Missouri campus. The officers for the semester were Chelsea Smith, president;
Joe Wiedemeier, vice-president; Alicia Thater, marshal; Emily Boehm, associate editor; Zach Clark, secretary; and Joe Gilliam, treasurer. The new officers for the next semester were elected at the initiation to be Alicia
Thater, president; William Shoemaker, vice-president; Emily Boehm, marshal; Elizabeth Mayfield, secretary;
Audrey Freiberger, associate editor; and Joe Gilliam, treasurer. At the dinner following initiation, Sara Goebel
was awarded the top score on the initiation exam, and Audrey Freiberger won the best transit award.
In both of the semesters, the semi-annual trash collection was held along Providence Road on Saturday,
October 16 and Sunday, March 13. The trash collection is a part of Missouri’s Adopt-a-Highway program. In
the fall semester a special community service project was held at the Mid-Missouri Food Bank in Columbia,
Missouri. Members of Chi Epsilon worked to help package food for families within the Columbia area. In the
fall semester, the members of Chi Epsilon participated in a team building activity on Saturday, October 2. The
members of Chi Epsilon climbed the Alpine Tower at Venture Out in Columbia, Missouri.
Montana State University
The Montana State University chapter of Chi Epsilon (MSU chapter) has been active in student support
this past year. The MSU chapter coordinated review sessions for the FE examination, provided weekly tutoring
sessions for students completing engineering mechanics courses, welcomed new and old members with socials,
volunteered at the Science Olympiad and Lego Robotics Competition that took place at MSU, as well as at the
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Engineer-A-Thon, a program that encourages engineering among middle school students.
The FE review sessions have been our most successful program. Our chapter examined the FE exam
specifications and determined nine general topic areas and five civil specific areas that could be reviewed. Our
chapter then contacted various professors within the College of Engineering at Montana State University. These
professors then donated their time to develop and present a review lecture for students planning to take the FE
exam to help them become familiar with the exam topic areas. The review sessions concentrated on solving problems with the supplied FE manual such that students could effectively use this manual during test time.
The weekly tutoring program also was successful. Members of our chapter volunteered for two hours
on Tuesday nights throughout the semester to provide assistance for students completing engineering mechanics
course work. These sessions provided students with one-on-one assistance. Emphasis was placed on helping
students develop problem solving techniques, which can be applied to future tests in engineering mechanics and
all other coursework.
The MSU chapter also was successful in recruiting new members. In the fall 2010 semester, the chapter
initiated sixteen undergraduate members and in the spring 2011 semester, the chapter initiated four undergraduate
members. Beyond college students, the MSU chapter also prepared and operated a booth at the Engineer-A-Thon,
an event to excite middle school students about engineering. Middle school students visiting the MSU chapter’s
booth make retaining walls using toilet paper and sand.
During the 2010-2011 academic year, the MSU chapter was served by the following officers: David
Schroeder, president; Nate Ward, vice-president; Tim White, treasurer; Mark Juras, secretary; Michael McKenzie, marshal; and Jon Lovgren, associate editor. For the 2010-2011 academic year, the new officers are:
Michael McKenzie, president; Ian Flemming, vice-president; Cooper Krause, secretary; and Kyle Palagi,
marshal.
New Jersey Institute of Technology
The officers for the 2010-2011 academic year included: Frank Lombardi, president; Joseph Kardos,
vice-president; Jemima Johnson, secretary; Kelsey Johnson, treasurer; Keith Corkery, associate editor; and
Rafal Worjcik, marshal.
On April 1, 2011, the NJIT Chi Epsilon chapter held their spring initiation for new members. (see photo at left) The members initiated included: John
J. Cronin, Shabnam Darjani (Graduate), Bakhtiar Feizi, Kyle R. Frederick,
Patrick J. Granitzki, Joseph J. Halmi, Kristina M. Ippolito, Yazdan Majdi
(Graduate), Krupesh Patel, Archana Prasad, Jennifer M. Ramos, Jennifer R.
Rivers (Graduate), Michael Sadowski, Angelika Slabiak, Jeffy Vorasitthanukul, Mehdi Zarei (Graduate), and Zijia Zhong (Graduate).
Officers for the 2011-2012 academic year were also elected. The officers
elected include: Patrick J. Granitzki, president; John J. Cronin, vice-president; Archana Prasad, secretary;
Shabnam Darjani, treasurer; Yazdan Majdi, associate editor; and Jeffy Vorasitthanukul, marshal.
New Mexico State University
Chapter Officers
The officers for fall 2010 were: Joye Moore, president; Samantha Connor, vice-president; Tony Hasenack, treasurer; Eric Visage, secretary; Isaac Harder, associate editor; and Keith Byrne, marshal.
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The officers for spring 2011 were: Samantha Connor, president; Pietre Hamblin-Hatchell, vice-president; Tamara Cortez, treasurer; Ambica K. Pegallapati, secretary; Joye Moore, associate editor; and Juan
Solis, marshal.
Community Service and Fundraising
Last fall, many of our members participated in an on-campus community service project called “Keep
State Great,” which consists of beautifying the New Mexico State University campus by picking up trash and
painting the sidewalks and handicap sections of the roads. Members also participated in cleaning up our chapter’s
adopted highway. Our fall fundraising project was a bake sale held in front of our engineering complex. Members brought baked goods and sold them to students and faculty. We had a great turnout and everyone had a great
time helping in these events.
In the spring, our on-campus community service consisted of volunteering for the Southern New Mexico
MathCounts Competition for middle school students from the area who competed individually and in teams to
test their math skills. Chi Epsilon members volunteered to help grade and proctor the tests. Our off-campus community service project consisted of helping an elderly lady, who had recently broken both hips, with her yard and
house. Some of our members dug trenches for the sprinkler system while others helped clean the area for her.
Our members also cleaned and picked up trash on our adopted highway as we do every semester.
For fundraising in the spring, our Civil Engineering Department held a two-hour ethics seminar. Our Chi
Epsilon chapter was in charge of passing around flyers and spreading the word for this class. The fee paid by attendees went to our chapter.
Chapter Honor Members
Our chapter initiated Walter G. Hines, PE as Chapter Honor Member in fall 2010. Walter Hines has
more than thirty years of experience in water resources and environmental engineering. He received his BS in CE
in 1966 and his MS in CE in 1967, both from New Mexico State University. He is currently employed as a Senior
Engineer with CH2M HILL in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His responsibilities include managing and marketing
water resource engineering projects throughout New Mexico and the southwest. He is a registered Professional
Engineer in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon.
In spring 2011, our chapter initiated John C. Lommler, PhD, PE, D.GE as Chapter Honor Member. Dr.
Lommler graduated with a BS in CE in 1969 and MS in CE in 1972 from the University of Akron in Ohio. He
graduated in 1994 with a PhD in CE with a major in geotechnical engineering and minors in structural engineering and geology from Ohio State University. Dr. Lommler is a registered Professional Engineer in Ohio and
New Mexico and has over 40 years’ experience in geotechnical, structural and
civil engineering. He is currently the Principal Geotechnical Engineer for AMEC
Earth and Environmental Inc. in New Mexico and West Texas.
Banquets and Awards
The traditional Chi Epsilon banquet at NMSU follows the initiation ceremony each spring and fall semesters and is always a wonderful social event
for Chi Epsilon members. (see photo at right) Our fall banquet, in honor of new
members and graduating seniors, was held with great success at the Hilton Garden Inn in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The NMSU-Chi Epsilon chapter Endowed Scholarships were presented to
Chi Epsilon members Joye Moore (past-president) and Richard Archuleta, and the Conrad G. Keyes, Jr., PE, PS
Scholarship went to Richard Archuleta. Chapter past-presidents Joye Moore
and Samantha Connor were honored as the “Fall 2010 Outstanding Senior of
the College of Engineering” and “Spring 2011 Outstanding Senior of the Civil
Engineering Department,” respectively.
Our spring banquet was also well attended and was held at Lorenzo’s de
Mesilla in Las Cruces, New Mexico. (see photo at left) The NMSU-Chi Epsilon
chapter Endowed Scholarships were presented to Theresa Aragon (incoming
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marshal) and Joye Moore, and Pietre Hamblin-Hatchell (incoming president) received the Gene Braithwaite
Memorial Scholarship Several as Outstanding Junior. The 2010-2011 Faculty of the Year Award of the Civil Engineering Department was presented to the chapter faculty advisor Dr. Paola Bandini.
Northeastern University
Once again, the Northeastern University Chi Epsilon chapter has put another outstanding year into the
record books.
This past year, Chi Epsilon offered a robust and diverse tutoring service to our fellow undergraduate peers
in civil engineering at Northeastern. Over the course of the fall and spring semesters, members of the chapter
served as pro-bono tutors and covered topics including statics and strength of materials, structural analysis 1, fluid
mechanics, and soil mechanics, as well as conducted general open office periods intended to reinforce specific
concepts that are at the core of the civil engineering curriculum. This service greatly benefited many students in
our program and was well received by both the students who frequented it and the department’s faculty.
Chi Epsilon also organized its semi-annual FE review sessions. Chapter members arranged for civil engineering faculty to instruct evening review sessions in civil subjects including soils and materials, steel design,
hydrology, concrete design, traffic engineering, structural analysis and statics, environmental engineering, differential equations, and construction management to seniors preparing to take the FE exam. Students took very well
to the review sessions and agreed that they were extremely accommodating.
Another reoccurring event the chapter holds each semester is the Graduate School Information Session for
undergraduates. As opposed to the student led sessions that were moderated by the officers of Chi Epsilon in the
past, this year the newly appointed Chair of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Northeastern, Dr. Jerome Hajjar, offered his own perspective on the matter. Offering both a student perspective in addition to a faculty perspective, the seminar was able to cover the breadth and depth of the topic from the application
process, degree programs, grant applications, to career connectivity and everything in between.
For the second year in a row, the Northeastern University Chi Epsilon
chapter was very excited to give back to the local community to help fight hunger
through the Boston CANstruction competition. (see photo at right) The chapter
members raised over $5,000 in funds for materials and began a month long design process of a canned food structure. This year’s 4,000 can structure, entitled
“Good Grief,” consisted of a popular scene from the comic strip Peanuts featuring Charlie Brown sitting beside a sleeping Snoopy atop the doghouse. The
structure was displayed on campus a week before the competition in the student
center to raise awareness of food shortages around Boston food banks and then moved to the Bunker Hill Community College – Charlestown Campus.
The annual initiation ceremony was held on March 26, 2011, with great success in front of a packed house
of parents, faculty, and current XE members and alumni. The day included a
lunch and the initiation of 19 new members! The newly initiated members are
Christine Abichaker, George Andes, Andrew Baummer, Kristen Blackbird,
Andrew Childs, Steve Earl, Stephen Eisenlord, Billy Gray, Stephen Johnson,
Kathlene Keen, Sarah Keenan, Insiyah Lightwala, Mike Morrissey, Conor
Murphy, Steven Palkovic, Nolan Scheemaker, William Tse, Makoto (Mac)
Weinstein, and Rochelle Willis. In addition, the chapter initiated its new faculty
advisor, Dr. Luca Caracoglia, during the ceremony. (see photo at left)
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Other highlights of past year include the creation of a chapter t-shirt, development of a chapter website to
foster membership connectivity, and an update of the chapter’s Constitution and By-Laws. In addition, graduating senior and outgoing chapter president, Ezra Jampole, was awarded the 2011 Chi Epsilon Joseph L. Brandes
National Scholarship in recognition of his outstanding academic work and excellent involvement in extracurricular activities, particularly in Chi Epsilon.
In May, the chapter saw the graduation of five of its former officers: Ezra Jampole, Jennifer Mitchell,
Travis Mitchell, Gary O’Connell, and Ryan White. The chapter thanks them and all the other graduating members of Chi Epsilon, as they now become alumni, for their commitment to the chapter and wishes them all the best
of luck in future endeavors. The new officers installed for the 2011-2012 academic year are as follows: Keith
Hall, president; Alexis Holmdal, vice-president; Alex Reiff, secretary; Alex Fagnand, treasurer; Steve Earl,
associate editor; Sarah Keenan, marshal; Kristen Blackbird, program coordinator; Andrew Childs, CANstruction coordinator; Kathlene Keen, fundraising committee chair; and Rochelle Willis, webmaster.
Looking ahead, the Northeastern chapter intends to expand on all horizons with activities that include: resuming past sessions with professors to discuss undergraduate research opportunities; exploring the possibility of
hosting the 2011 CANstruction competition on campus; holding training sessions in CAD and other engineering
software; hosting general review sessions for the FE in addition to the civil-specific offerings; sending attendees
to the 2012 Chi Epsilon National Conclave in Los Angeles; and exploring more avenues to reach out and support
the community and encourage engineering as a profession.
University of Notre Dame
This year, the Notre Dame chapter of Chi Epsilon focused its efforts on assisting the efforts of our advisor, Dr. Tracy Kijewski-Correa, in Haiti. Since the devastating earthquake in January 2010, Dr KC has been
traveling down to evaluate, and attempt to improve, local construction practices. Chi Epsilon organized a charity drive of stickers for Haitian children and soap for the community that Dr. KC took to Haiti on her next trip.
Unfortunately, we were unable to attend this year’s conclave due to prior commitments that weekend. The new
officers, however, look forward to this opportunity.
The Notre Dame chapter’s other major activity was the spring initiation and installation of new officers.
Initiation occurred on Sunday, April 10, with 14 new members joining. Outgoing officers were: John LaBarge,
president; Andrew Mullen, vice-president; Brittani Russell, secretary; Santiago Sanchez, treasurer; Jonathan
Pfrommer, associate editor; and Andrew Ziccarelli, marshal. Incoming officers are: Eric Herbert, president;
Steven Walsh, vice-president; Erin McGregor, secretary; Kyle Sandberg, treasurer; Ben Mall, associate editor;
and Andrew Courtney, marshal.
Pennsylvania State University
The Penn State chapter of Chi Epsilon initiated a 15 new members during the 2010-2011 academic year.
Eight new members were initiated during the fall initiation on December 8, 2011 including: Christopher Barber, Jeffery Gooch, Ryan Keck, Benjamin Kutz, James Murphy, Michael Porgorzelski, William Roll, and
Michael Tandarich. The initiation was followed by dinner and a speech given by Dr. Harry West, Professor
Emeritus specializing in structural engineering. Dr. West discussed the structural history of Beaver Stadium,
Penn State’s iconic football stadium, including various modifications as well as structural issues with the stadium.
Seven new members were initiated during the spring initiation on April 25, 2011, including: Mitchell
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Collins, Matthew Garver, Jonathan Hamm, Hasib Hussain, Angela Moyer, Phillip Ramsey, and Matthew
Snyder. The initiation ceremony was followed by dinner and a speech given by Professor Farshad Rajabipour. Professor Rajabipour, specializes in material science and sustainable construction, presented some of
his research showing how to improve the value of using recycled glass bottles as aggregate as well as cement in
concrete.
Chi Epsilon members continued to host tours of the department to interested high school students and their
families throughout the year. Chi Epsilon also arranged the review sessions for the FE exam, successfully scheduling faculty support for review problem sessions prior to both the fall and spring FE exams. Discounted study
material for the FE was also offered to students through Penn State’s Chi Epsilon chapter. Chi Epsilon officers
were also asked to speak to representatives from industry, government and academia, on behalf of the chapter,
at the annual IPAC (Industrial and Professional Advisory Council) meeting, detailing the work of the chapter
throughout the year.
New officers for the upcoming 2011/2012 academic year were also inducted on April 25, 2011: Matthew Garver, president; Jeffery Gooch, vice-president; Hasib Hussain, secretary; Matthew Snyder, treasurer;
Benjamin Kutz, marshal; and Angela Moyer, associate editor. The entire Penn State chapter would like to wish
the outgoing officers all the best as they pursue their future beyond graduation, and thank them for a wonderful
year.
Rutgers University
The Rutgers University chapter of Chi Epsilon looks to continue moving forward with a renewed interest
in student involvement. This past year we attempted to branch out from under the shadows of ASCE in order to
establish a name for Chi Epsilon in the Civil Engineering Department. A lunch and learn series held during our
spring recruitment period attracted a number of undergraduate students. Events included a graduate school panel,
a professor’s panel, a presentation from the facilities and utilities departments at Rutgers, as well as a presentation
on Building Information Modeling from engineers at Hatch Mott MacDonald.
This spring we welcomed eleven new members to Chi Epsilon under the guidance of our officers, Kenneth Wasserman, Rebecca Cohen, Jennifer Ju, Ibrahim M. Janajreh, Mussie Eyob, Joseph Wilbur, Clifford
Chang, and Robert Kudenchak. The incoming class consists of Trista Lee Kuna, Victoria Anne Gagliardi,
Katrina Telan Pizarro, Andrew Allen Douglas, Kyle R Dronne, Jeffrey Scott Haberman, Navni Mehta,
Gregory Thomas Bruno, Alexander Harry Rothstein, Alison Powell Wood, and Parth Hrushikesh Oza. We
look forward to next year in hopes of further building off of the success of this past academic year.
Southern Methodist University
The SMU chapter successfully conducted their fourth induction ceremony on April 21, 2011. The initiation ceremony was held on the SMU campus, in the Jerry R. Junkins Engineering building. In addition to inducting the members of the next class of Chi Epsilon, the chapter had the honor of inducting Dr. Khaled Abdelghany
as faculty member. Chi Epsilon alumni, the SMU chapter’s faculty advisor, Bijan Mohraz, members of the
SMU Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, and the new members’ parents attended the initiation
ceremony. For the coming year, the SMU chapter plans to raise awareness of the chapter and to encourage other
civil engineering majors to strive to become a member of the chapter by taking part in school-sponsored events,
especially volunteer opportunities. The SMU chapter also plans to hold several events to build intra-chapter relations. Outgoing officers were: Michael Gruben, president; Elizabeth Corey, vice-president; Mary Moore,
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treasurer/secretary; Jillianne Matus, marshal; and Sarah Shepard, associate editor. Incoming Officers are:
Amy Heldenbrand, president; Patricia Coogan, treasurer/secretary; and Karen Rico, associate editor/marshal.
University of New York at Buffalo
The officers for the 2010-2011 academic year were Lauren Schifferle, president; Will Seychew, vicepresident; Wesley Frechette, secretary and associate editor; Nathaniel Bolt, treasurer and marshal; and Satish
Mohan, faculty advisor. During the fall semester, the chapter conducted weekly study sessions near the end of
the semester and had a trivia night activity. They also had study sessions in the spring semester. A highlight of
the spring was a Buffalo Riverkeepers’ Shoreline Sweep at Veterans Park in Amherst.
Texas A&M University
The Texas A&M chapter of Chi Epsilon held the fall 2010 banquet on December 4, 2010, at a local
café and restaurant, Café Eccel. Our advisor, Dr. James Brumbelow, gave a warm and inspiring speech at the
banquet. The officers for the upcoming semester are: Cynthia Vail, president; Julie Roessler, vice-president;
Kristopher Swanson, treasurer; Damona Woodley, secretary; Brice Nichols, associate editor; and Benjamin
Horner, pledge marshal. The chapter initiated 42 new members: Cynthia Reyna, Alyssa Polite, Maria Gonzalez, Ann Reid, Clark Smith, Micaela Gomez, Eric Engelskirchen, Stacey Gibson, Calvin Crenwelge,
Scott Sawyer, William Barry, Lara Attayi, Paul Banschbach, Matlyn McCoy, Geoffrey Raasch, Julius
Slerivaneh, Amy Swackhammer, Jaqueline Diek, Damona Woodley, Nathan Williams, Matthew Honda,
Christopher Prigmore, Charles Moore, Nathan Turner, Colten McCampbell, Russel Schulze, Cullen Harper, Jenna Kromann, Lance Ballard, Michael Dohnalik, Kevin Kining, Charles Holt, Scott Lefton, Seung
Joo Paik, Benjamin Hornes, Robert Berg, Jacob Springer, Mark Pauls, Jorge Martinez, Roberto Portillo,
Blake Bradley, and Jesus Guerra. These chapter nominees were required to fulfill one committee board requirement, one service project, and attend two Chi-Epsilon socials. Committee obligations included cleaning the civil
engineering common room and distributing stoles to graduating seniors. Nominees performed community service by joining in a community potluck for the homeless, donating to a local food bank, and assisting in a Special
Olympics event. Much of the community service focused on ensuring the community had access to food during
the winter months. Through donating goods and interacting at the potluck for the homeless, students were able to
directly benefit the community and understand the need for local charity work.
Our spring 2011 banquet is to be held again at Café Eccell on April 28th with Dr. Laurence Oeth, a senior capstone design course instructor, who has kindly agreed to speak. Nominees for membership this semester
are: Yuzhen Liang, Tam Duong, Alejandro Zepeda, Megan Scudder, Lucas Ranallo, Samantha Du, Heon
Woo Lee, Dyane Bates, Kelsi Litman, Michael Zahner, Erin Winston, Jack Pollard, and Alaine Walsh. The
socials for this spring semester included a group meal at a restaurant, a barbeque cookout, and a trip to a local ice
skating rink. Committee tasks involved cleaning the civil engineering common room and distributing stoles to
graduating seniors. Chi Epsilon nominees partnered with the local chapter of the ASCE to perform community
service events, which included participation in the hugely successful Big Event, a community improvement initiative that is the largest single day service project in the nation. Big Event assigns student groups to community
members to participate in projects in cleaning and improving homes and yards throughout the local area. Chi Epsilon nominees also joined ASCE in the clean-up of a local street in another effort to give back meaningful work
to our community.
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University of Texas-El Paso
During the spring of 2011, the UTEP Chi Epsilon chapter was involved in service to the community by
members helping plant trees around the campus and had adopted a section of a local highway to keep up as a commemoration of Earth Day. Also chapter members volunteered to work for the Animal Rescue League, helping run
the animal shelter and socializing with unfortunate animals. As part of the chapter’s service to the Department
of Civil Engineering, members assisted with the December Alumni Luncheon and participated in an engineering
student Leadership Council Retreat. They also hosted and assisted in preparations for the spring Civil Engineering Senior Banquet at the El Paso Club. The chapter had fundraising activities of an Engineering Cookout, selling
hamburgers and hotdogs. In addition, they sold Civil Engineering Mugs to help gather funds for the organization.
On December 14, 2010, for the fall semester, officers, accompanied by
faculty member Dr. Carlos Chang, inducted the following student members:
Sandy Everett, Gerardo Garcia, Mouyid B. Islam, Armando Ramirez, and
Andrea Rios. (see photo at right) At the completion of the initiation, officers for
the 2010-2011 school year were elected. These new officers are: Iskra Rodriguez, president; Alicia Romo, vice-president; Luis Maldonado, secretary; Gabriela Leyva, treasurer; Edgar Saucedo, associate editor; and Mouyid B. Islam,
marshal.
University of Toledo
It was an active year for the University of Toledo chapter of Chi Epsilon. In the fall, we had initiation,
service projects, and fund-raising for the upcoming district conference, while in the spring, we had initiation,
fund-raising, and hosted the Great Lakes District Conference.
For the fall initiation on December 5, 2010, we initiated four new members including: Ryan A. Wagar,
Lori A. Komorowski, Kimberly M. Coburn, and Alexander S. Kurtz. Each new member participated in their
own service project. These included participating in high school tutoring, pizza sales and our ongoing sale of
College of Engineering graph paper. Direct appeals to area engineering firms resulted in two significant donations
that underwrote much of the participant costs for the upcoming district conference.
Our chapter hosted the 2011 Chi Epsilon Great Lakes District Conference
on March 19, 2011. (see photo at left) The theme of the conference was ‘Civil
Engineering Aspects of Alternative Energy.’ The conference consisted of the
following: introduction/ice breaker, district councilor report, district business
meeting, two guest speakers, and a tour of our newly renovated historic Memorial Field House. For the ice breaker, mixed teams from different chapters constructed structures out of drinking straws which were able to support the weight
of a softball. Dr. Thomas F. Wolff led the report and business meetings which
involved the subjects of fund-raising and chapter customs for initiation into the
society. The first guest speaker was Charles Lehnert, UT Vice-President of Facilities and Construction, who
discussed the use of alternative energies at the Scott Park Campus for Energy and Innovation of the University
of Toledo. The second speaker was Robert Kozar, UT Director of Engineering Research Development who
spoke about offshore wind turbine research projects on Lake Erie. The final part of the conference was a tour of
the Memorial Field House renovation here at the University of Toledo. Memorial Field House is a historic WPA
structure previously used as convocation center that had been sitting unused for several years. In 2009 it was fully
renovated into an energy efficient, state-of-the-art classroom building that has been designated LEED Gold
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Certified. The district conference was a great success and fun for all involved.
At the spring ceremony we initiated one new member, Corrine Nauer, on May 1, 2011. On that same
date, we also installed new officers who include: Todd Cereghin, president and Corrine Nauer, vice-president.
Returning officers include: Kimberly M. Coburn, secretary/treasurer; Brad Brocker, associate editor; and
Clinton Kuenzli, marshal.
Trine University
The Trine University chapter enjoyed continued success for the fall 2010 and spring 2011 academic year.
The Trine University chapter welcomed Adam Sitka and Derek Marucci in the
fall 2011 semester and Ryan Braun, Johnathon Short, Sarah Lelli, and Kelly
Canter in the spring 2011 semester. The officers for the spring 2011 semester were as follows: Katlyn Pero, president; Matt Shergalis, vice-president;
Melissa Terry, secretary; Nick Savage, treasurer; Michael Kalberg, associate
editor; and Derek Marucci, marshal. The newly elected officers for the fall
2011 semester are: Katlyn Pero, president; Melissa Terry, vice-president; Kelly
Canter, secretary; Michael Kalberg, treasurer; Derek Marucci, associate editor; and Adam Sitka, marshal. (see photo at right)
The Trine chapter of Chi Epsilon participated in a service project for Pokagon State Park. (see photo at left) In the 1930’s, the Civilian Conservation Corps
constructed army barracks to house men between 18-25 years of age while they
worked on various projects. The members conducted a stake survey to identify
the location of the barracks so the Civilian Conservation Corps camp is not lost
to history. Chi Epsilon members Nick Savage and Matt Shergalis participated
a MSE wall competition in Texas. They designed the wall out of paper to counteract 500 pounds of sand, a 50 pound surcharge load, and a 25 pound load that
was hung in front of the wall. Current vice-president Melissa Terry and marshal
Adam Sitka participated in a charity event called Plankapalooza. They created a replica of the Patronas Towers
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They were awarded the prize for Most Creative.
University of Utah
For the past academic year, with the support and guidance of Dr. Janice Chambers, the faculty advisor,
the University of Utah chapter of Chi Epsilon strived to demonstrate the four pillars of Chi Epsilon—Scholarship,
Character, Practicality, and Sociability—to contribute to the community of civil engineering students at the university. To demonstrate the honor society’s pillars, the University of Utah chapter volunteered, planned socials,
initiated new members, and elevated a member as our Chapter Honor Member.
Scholarship. All active members are required to maintain or exceed
the scholastic standing as stipulated by the Constitution. Officers of the past
academic year, Levi Roberts, president; David Thomas, vice-president; Annie
Weidner, secretary; Andrea Umphenour, treasurer; Tommy Nguyen, associate
editor; and Daniel Young, marshal, have continued their academic excellence
throughout the year and directed the existing and new members to follow suit.
Academic achievements and maintaining the required scholastic standard
distinguishes the twenty newly initiated members this year. (see photo at right)
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The new initiates are: Parker Bradley, Dylan Brown, Titus Cordingly, Tony Curtis, Darren Dickson, Michael Eixenberger, Zach Gibbs, Benjamin Hansen, Jeffery Jones, Shawn Malan, Blayde McIntire, Rex
Memmott, Jared Miller, Lior Rosen, Thomas Sabin, Elizabeth Toone, Sean Wareing, Kalen Wilson, Matthew Yates, and Arthur Yeomans. The new officers were nominated and elected from the chapter’s members
that showed perseverance in scholastic excellence and are as follows: Shawn Malan, president-elect; Dylan
Brown, vice-president-elect; Thomas Sabin, secretary-elect; Blayde McIntire, treasurer-elect; Michael Eixenberger, associate editor-elect; and Kalen Wilson, marshal-elect.
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), Chi Epsilon, chapter 72, has been productive in chapter activity and
community involvement over the 2010-2011 academic year. Last fall, Chi Epsilon officers scheduled review
sessions for UVM undergraduates intending on taking the fall FE examination. Chi Epsilon officers held a fund
raiser by selling FE review books to students eligible to take the fall FE review. We raised $400.00, and $50.00
allotments are scheduled to be given to the UVM ASCE student chapter for their steel bridge project and the UVM
EWB student chapter to help fund a future 2011-2012 project. Chi Epsilon officers, supported the engineering
faculty in student registration.
Last spring, Chi Epsilon officers scheduled review sessions for UVM undergraduates intending on taking the spring FE examination. Chi Epsilon officers held initiation for incoming members and elections for the
proceeding cabinet. The 2010-2011 Chi Epsilon cabinet met on May 6, to outline and discuss our goals for the
summer and upcoming academic year. It has been decided to increase the number of fundraisers and to continue
scheduling of the FE review sessions. The current and incoming Chi Epsilon officers are optimistic about the upcoming school year and as always encourage all members to be active and positive members of our community.
Villanova University
The Villanova University chapter of Chi Epsilon had a very successful
2010-2011 academic year under the leadership of faculty advisor Dr. Edward
Glynn. The chapter continued its tutoring services to the underclassmen in civil
engineering and advised freshmen engineering students who were thinking of
pursuing civil engineering in the years to come. On March 12, 2011, the chapter
initiated fifteen new members (see photo at left) including, Brian Farina, Yazid
El Hilali, Teresa Lord, Nicholas Mascitelli, Patrick McLaughlin, Francis
Nagel, Colleen O’Neil, Matthew Panzitta, David Reichmann, Philip Reilly,
Joseph Shook, Spencer Stevens, Robert Stone, Emily Suhey, Krista Sullivan, Erin Wythoff, and Colleen
Zagar. During the spring semester, new officers were also appointed and inducted. These officers are Krista
Sullivan, president; Philip Reilly, vice-president; Yazid El Hilali, marshal; Spencer Stevens, treasurer; Patrick
McLaughlin, secretary; and Colleen O’Neil, associate editor. The newly inducted board and members are optimistic about the future of Chi Epsilon at Villanova University.
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University of Virginia
On Apr 20th, 2011, eleven new members were initiated and new officers
elected. (see photo at right) The new members are: Theodore G. Wyeth, James
T. Johnston, Johanna M. Innamorato, Lynna Nguyen, Brian L. Slaughter,
Kevin Albanese, Elizabeth A. Engel, Kimberley K. Chong, Emily J. Rigby,
Rachel M. Schmidt, and Stephen J. Franks. The 2011-2012 University of Virginia Chi Epsilon officers are Daniel HaileSelassie, president; Stephen J. Franks,
vice-president; Elizabeth A. Engel, associate editor; Rachel M. Schmidt, secretary; Emily J. Rigby, treasurer; and James T. Johnston, marshal.
Several of our members are graduating in May 2011, and entering graduate studies. Ethan Heil will
branch off into environmental science here at the University of Virginia while Caroline Price goes off to study
environmental engineering at Penn State University. James Johnston will stay at Virginia to research transportation engineering and Lynna Nguyen will travel to the University of Maryland for her transportation engineering.
In addition, Bailey Wilson will be working for Turner Construction in Arlington, Virginia, and Nina Ruhter will
be a water resources research assistant at the University of Virginia.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
The Virginia Tech chapter of Chi Epsilon had a very successful and eventful year. Thirty-five students
were initiated in the fall and thirty students again in the spring. The chapter was pleased to elevate Dennis Kamber and Mike Quillen as Chapter Honor Members.
Current members and new initiates participated in the bi-annual Adopt-A-Spot highway clean-up and
volunteered in weekly tutoring sessions for undergraduate students in need of further academic guidance. The
chapter participated in an outreach program with a local elementary school to expose the students to the discipline of civil engineering; the outreach program was the idea of chapter member Mike Klapmeyer. The chapter
teamed with the ASCE student group at Tech, and successfully connected members with future employers through
networking socials in the fall and spring. The chapter also participated in the school’s Civil Engineering Research
Day, where students from the department could create posters to show the research that they have been working
on. Tutoring Coordinator Mallory Barkdull won the award for best undergraduate research poster.
The 2010-2011 officers were: Nash Pleasant, president; Roger Arnold, vice-president; Francis Pesce,
secretary; Stephen Litsas, treasurer; Nick Fugaro, marshal; Mallory Barkdull, tutoring coordinator; and Jaque
Dalrymple, webmaster. The incoming officers selected are: Stephen Litsas, president; Nick Fugaro, vicepresident; Francis Pesce, secretary; Erin Littleton, treasurer; Stephanie Welch, marshal; Robert Heitz, tutoring
coordinator; and Lauren McAnallen, associate editor. Keeping with tradition, past officers were commended for
their service over dinner and shared their experiences with the incoming officers. The new executive board hopes
to further the community outreach of the chapter and build stronger campus awareness of the society.
Wayne State University
On April 29th, 2011, eleven new members to the Chi Epsilon honor society were initiated. These members were: Ali Badaoui, Jacob Finkelman, Nicole Ball, Benjamin Gorczyca, Philip Swanson, Emira Rista,
Jacquelyn Kawa, Honey Um Maria, Timothy Carter, Eric Andersen, and Alaa Chehab, Sr. The outgoing
officers, Anthony Vitti, president; Jason Pittenger, vice-president; Giampiero Serra, secretary/treasurer;
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Renardo Bezati, marshal; and Jamil Jamil, associate editor, installed the newly elected Nicole Ball, president;
Ben Gorczyca, vice-president; Phil Swanson, secretary; Emira Rista, treasurer; Jacob Finkelman, marshal;
and Ali Badaoui, associate editor.
Following the initiation ceremony, the annual Chi Epsilon banquet was held
at Mario’s Italian Restaurant in the heart of Detroit’s Cultural Center near Wayne
State’s Midtown campus. (see photo at left) In addition to outgoing officers and
new members, the banquet was attended by a great many faculty and alumni. The
festive mood at the banquet was augmented by a new attendance record. If the
activities and accomplishments of 2010/2011 are any indication, 2011/2012 is sure to be a stellar year for Wayne
State University Chi Epsilon.
The 2010/2011 academic year brought a new tradition for the Wayne State University Chi Epsilon chapter; new initiates were given wood stakes and instructions for creating an engineering slope stake. Every stake
required an etching of the Chi Epsilon insignia along with the signatures of all current officers, faculty members,
and the other initiates. Recognition was given for creativity, workmanship, and extra effort toward acquiring the
signatures of general members and alumni. The objective of this task was to instill a sense of unity among initiates as well as to empower the initiates to seek out contact with other members who serve in leadership roles. Ultimately, the inaugural year of the slope stake obligatory was an outstanding success, and plans for an expansion
of chapter sponsored community service projects are underway.
Nearly every student initiated in 2011, as well as every officer installed
in 2010, participated in one of two engineering design competitions: the ASCE
Concrete Canoe Competition (see photo at right) and WERC International Environmental Design Competition. WSU Chi Epsilon members performed admirably and earned a 4th place finish in the North-Central Region Concrete Canoe
Competition and a 3rd place in the Clean Energy Water Treatment System category at the WERC Competition in Las Cruz, New Mexico.
Additionally, WSU chapter vice-president and marshal, Jason Pittenger and Renardo Bezati represented
WSU Chi Epsilon at the Great Lakes Region Conclave hosted by the University of Toledo on March 19th, 2011.
Pittenger and Bezati appreciated the opportunity to interact with members from other chapters and brought back
several ideas for expanding chapter fund raising and activity.
Alumni News Notes:
Brendon Russo received first place honors (Michigan Section and Great Lakes District) for his submission, “Analysis of Severity and Frequency of Michigan Highway-Rail Grade Collisions” in the Institute of
Transportation Engineers (ITE) Daniel B. Fambro Student Paper Awards. Jennie Schalk was awarded the ITEMichigan Section Scholarship and the Women in Transportation Scholarship (WTS) Helene M. Overly Memorial Graduate Scholarship. Luke Mackewich was presented with the WSU Engineering Student Faculty Board
(ESFB) Community Service Award and participated in the WERC Environmental Design Competition.
West Virginia University
Over the past year, the West Virginia University chapter of Chi Epsilon has
had two major events. The first event was an induction of new members into
the chapter. This took place on December 1, 2010, and four new members were
initiated into the chapter. The new members’ names are Colton Anderson, Melissa Mack, Mitch McBrayer and Stephanie Spangler. The second event was
another member initiation and the installation of new officers. This meeting took
place on April 20, 2011. (see photo at left) Six new members were brought into
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the chapter. Numerous officer positions were replaced. Daniel Estep took over as the new chapter president, and
Colton Anderson took the office of vice-president. Melissa Mack is the new marshal of the chapter, and Mitch
McBrayer took over as the associate editor. The other officer positions remained the same.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
During the 2010-2011 school year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Chi Epsilon chapter saw their
group transform as many new members were welcomed. The group came together to participate in volunteerevents as well as begin some new practices geared at informing the entire civil engineering department, faculty,
and students about the practices and focus of Chi Epsilon.
In the fall, Chi Epsilon focused its energy on Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods. The event is hosted by
the Madison chapter and fosters a friendly competition with the other engineering organizations to see who can
collect the most non-perishables. The event was successfully run and the collected food was donated to our local
branch of Second Harvest Food Pantry. On December 5th, 2010, the Chi Epsilon initiation banquet welcomed
Brent Flaten, Bridget Geissler, Katie Nagel, Alyssa Offutt, Tom Rehwaldt, and Robert Ringle. The officers
elected to lead during the spring 2011 semester were: Jason Lyons, president; Alyssa Offutt, vice-president; Rob
Ringle, secretary; Brent Flaten, treasurer; Tom Rehwaldt, pledge marshal; and Bridget Geissler, associate editor.
In the spring, Chi Epsilon volunteered for MathCounts!. For this local
state-wide math contest for elementary and middle school students, the members of Chi Epsilon helped administer and grade the tests. Chi Epsilon also held
a spring initiation on May 1st, 2011. The following people became members:
Kevin Andersen, Alexandra Beletic, Brian Boelter, Paul Economos, Edward
Jung, Andrew Long, Brian Meister, Michael Schneider, Christian Sternke,
and Abigail Wedig. (see photo at right) The newly elected officers for the fall
2011 semester are: Bridget Geissler, president; Bryan Pitterle, vice-president; Abigail Wedig, secretary; Edward Jung, treasurer; Andy Long, pledge marshal; and Alexandra Beletic, associate editor.
30
FALL 2010

chapter annual reports fall 2011

Transcription

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