1. society

Spring
2015
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
The
Nebraska
Engineer
Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers – A state society of the National Society of Professional Engineers
Time to Focus on
Infrastructure
by Senator Jim Smith - District 14
From the bustling cities in the east to
the Badlands in the west, and from
the Niobrara River in the north to the
Republican River in the south, there is
one thing that connects all of
Nebraska – our transportation
infrastructure.
Roads and bridges are the lifeblood of
Nebraska. Businesses and industries
recognize a well-maintained
infrastructure is needed to move
produce from farm to market; to
transport freight and product; and to
move passengers and employees. In
addition, good roads provide incentive
for businesses to expand and locate
in Nebraska. This infrastructure is
vital for emergency services and
national security and is a basic
necessity for our everyday life. That
said, functional roads and bridges are
neither free nor cheap.
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In order to maintain the nearly
100,000 miles of roads and more than
15,000 bridges in our state, it costs
almost a billion dollars every year.
This is just the maintenance cost. It
does not include the costs associated
with completing the Nebraska
Expressway System which has been
in the works since 1988 and is
estimated at $826 million. It also
does not include the costs associated
with bringing our over 3,500
functionally obsolete and structurally
deficient bridges up to safety
standards. This is also estimated to
cost over $800 million.
Unfortunately, our current system of
funding those needs has not kept up
and the gap between needs and
available funds grows wider each
year. Nebraska’s transportation
infrastructure is funded solely through
user fees. On the state end, monies
collected from registration and
licensing fees, sales tax on motor
vehicles and a tax on motor fuels are
deposited into the Highway Trust Fund
and then disbursed to cities, counties
and the Nebraska Department of
Roads. This brings in a little over
$600 million in a year.
On the federal end, the state and
local systems are set to receive
roughly $280 million in 2015, which is
almost $60 million less than what was
received in 2014. According to an
analysis by the Association Press,
over a five-year-period ending in
2013, Nebraska’s share of the Federal
Volume 40 No. 2
Highway Trust Fund decreased by
5.2%; greater than the national
average of 3.5%. It can be
anticipated that federal support of our
transportation system will continue to
wane.
While the federal gas tax was
designed to be the primary source of
funding for the Federal Highway Trust
Fund, the 18.4 cent-per-gallon tax
has not been raised since 1993. With
the cost of steel, asphalt, concrete
and other materials continually
increasing, the American Society of
Civic Engineers estimates the federal
gas tax has lost 28% of its value
since 1997. Coupled with more fuel
efficient vehicles, the federal tax is no
longer meeting its obligations.
Congress has been infusing general
revenue since 2008 in order to keep
the fund barely afloat.
The latest temporary fix will expire in
May and there is not a long-term
solution in sight. The American
Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials is reporting
that in the face of funding
uncertainty, many states are already
reconsidering and cancelling projects
planned for the summer construction
season.
With lagging state funds, unreliable
federal funds and increased needs,
the time to address this problem is
now.
This year, the Nebraska Legislature is
considering a bill to increase a portion
Continued on page 4
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
2014-2015 NeSPE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ArticlePage
Time to Focus on Infrastructure......... 1, 4
Message from our President..................3
President
James Goedert, P.E., FNSPE
Omaha, NE
Vice President
Karen Sterling, P.E., LEED
Lincoln, NE
Nebraska Model Bridge ................ 5, 6, 7
P (402) 880-3138
P (402) 472-5253
[email protected]
[email protected]
President Elect
Kyle Vohl, P.E.
Omaha, NE
Secretary/Treasurer
Jan L. Bostelman, P.E.
Brainard, NE
P (402) 895-4700
P (402) 545-3871
[email protected]
[email protected]
First Vice-President
Matt Kruse, P.E.
Omaha, NE
Past President
Doug Holle, P.E.
Lincoln, NE
P (402) 496-2498
F (402) 496-2730
P (402) 488-2500
[email protected]
[email protected]
2014-2015 Board of Directors...............2
Math Counts ............................... 9, 10
Environmental Challenges ....... 11, 12, 13
Cookies for the Capitol...................... 14
Annual Meeting.................15, 16, 17, 18
Golf Outing....................................... 19
Sponsors.......................................... 21
Second Vice-President
Chuck McCumber, P.E.
Columbus, NE
House of Delegate
Karl Fredrickson, P.E.
Lincoln, NE
P (402) 564-3171 x245
P (402) 323-6572
[email protected]
[email protected]
NeSPE STATE OFFICE
PO Box 6356
Lincoln, NE 68506
(402) 875-2800-P
Executive Director
Katy Boggs
[email protected]
Lobbyist
Gordon Kissel
[email protected]
Lobbyist
Joe Kohout
[email protected]
2
The Nebraska Engineer
HAS YOUR CONTACT
INFORMATION CHANGED?
All changes MUST be made
through NSPE Member Services.
How? Send an email to
[email protected]
Questions?
Call 1.888.285.6773
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
From the President’s Pen
By James Goedert, P.E.,
NeSPE President
This has been an amazing year so far
and we are only a few months into
2015. The economy seems to be
improving in a number of areas for
which we are truly grateful. The
Nebraska Unicameral is in session,
MATHCOUNTS has had another
successful year, and planning is
underway for our NeSPE State Annual
Meeting at the end of May at
Nebraska’s Innovation Campus. We
are pleased to present Senator Jim
Smith, Chair of the Transportation
Committee, as our cover story this
issue. The Senator has provided us
an article focusing on the road
infrastructure bills. Another bill that
has been of interest between this
session and last is LB23; which was
introduced to change the Engineers
and Architects Regulations Act that
governs our Professional Engineering
licensure. The bill was signed by the
Governor on March 18th, providing
some much needed clarity in
language but little in the way of scope
changes.
competitions such a success. These
competitions bring together the best
and brightest seventh and eighth
grade students in the country in a
competition to solve mathematics
problems. It is common to see the
engineer volunteers, that can’t resist
the challenge, solving the problems
on the side-sometimes successfully
and sometimes not. It is even more
common during the challenge round
to hear the volunteers say “How did
they do that?” when a seventh or
eighth grader solved a problem
quicker than most of us understood
the question. Thanks to all the
volunteers for this amazing event.
Our Nebraska Society of Professional
Engineers State Annual Meeting is
being hosted this year by the
Southeast Chapter, who is apparently
raising the bar with an amazing
venue at the Innovation Campus at
the University of Nebraska! The event
is filled with entertaining speakers
and great activities. Please see inside
for more information and directions to
register. The registration deadline is
May 15th. I hope to see you all there.
I want to take this opportunity to
thank our many volunteers across the
state that make MATHCOUNTS’
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The Nebraska Engineer
Eastern Chapter –
NeSPE
By Matt Kruse, Eastern Chapter
President and NeSPE PEC
Representative
The Eastern Chapter MATHCOUNTS
competition was held on January 31
this year with over 265 students
competing this year. We would like to
thank all the volunteers and sponsors
that made this competition a success
again this year. The monthly meeting
topic in January was the City of
Omaha Permix Portal and Jesse Poore
from FHU presented on the topic.
This was a very well attended meeting
and a healthy discussion took place in
how the website is improving and
other areas where improvements
could be made. A March social was
held at the Brickway Brewery that
was enjoyable for all in attendance.
Award applications are still being
accepted for the various awards
presented by the Eastern Chapter.
The awards will be presented at the
May monthly meeting at the Scott
Conference Center on May 27. The
annual golf meeting is coming up on
June 5th at the Shoreline Golf Course
in Carter Lake, so get your team
registration in now.
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Time to Focus on
Infrastructure
(continued from page 1)
of our gas tax to fund state, city and
county roads and bridges. While I
consider myself to be a fiscal
conservative, as the current
Transportation and
Telecommunications chairperson I
understand the dire situation we are
in and believed it my responsibility to
introduce LB 610. The bill takes a
very modest and reasonable approach
by slowly increasing the state gas tax
1.5 cents every year for four years.
Like the federal government,
Nebraska’s Legislature has been
reluctant to increase the gas tax at a
rate sufficient to meet our needs.
Though our gas-tax structure has
different components, some of which
fluctuate, our overall gas tax rate is
only one cent more than it was 22
years ago. The Institute on Taxation
and Economic Policy figures that when
adjusted for inflation, our gas tax rate
is at an all-time low. In 1999, the
state tax represented 20% of the
price at the pump and today
represents only about 7.5%.
A crumbling and inadequate
infrastructure is a nationwide
problem, costing our economy an
estimated $130 billion a year.
Nebraska is not alone in recognizing
the important role its own, internal
transportation system plays in the
global economy.
true user fee. Those who don’t drive
and who don’t use the highways,
don’t pay. Among the greatest users
of Nebraska’s transportation system
is our trucking industry, yet it has
also been one of the greatest
supporters of LB 610. Despite paying
over $1.5 million in gas taxes a year,
our state’s two biggest trucking
companies, Werner Enterprises and
Crete Carrier, understand the
importance of a sufficient and safe
transportation infrastructure. Their
support has been echoed by the
engineering profession, contractors,
the agriculture sector and cities and
counties across the entire state.
Our roads and bridges truly do
connect our state and link us to the
rest of our country. It is time to stop
kicking the can, or maybe the
crumbling asphalt and concrete, down
the road, so to speak; it is time we
take care of the transportation
infrastructure that is the lifeblood of
this nation.
--Jim Smith was re-elected to
a second term in 2014. He
represents Legislative District
14 in Sarpy County. Senator
Smith is chairperson of the
Transportation and
Telecommunications Committee
and serves on the Revenue
Committee.
At least 21 states have recently
increased, or are considering
increasing, the gas tax. In fact, three
of our neighboring states, Wyoming,
Iowa and South Dakota, have already
enacted gas-tax reform legislation in
the past two years. Missouri is
deliberating similar bills this year.
Unlike other taxes, the fuel tax is a
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The Nebraska Engineer
Legislative Update
By Matt Kruse, Eastern Chapter
President and NeSPE PEC
Representative
The 104th session of the Nebraska
Legislature is in full swing and the
Professional Engineers Coalition (PEC)
committee is busy monitoring the
various bills that have the potential to
affect the engineering community.
One bill currently garnering plenty of
attention is LB 610 which would
increase the gas tax 6 cents per
gallon over the next four years. This
bill made it out of committee and has
already been debated for the first
time on the floor of the Legislature.
This bill is estimated to generate $72
million dollars in additional tax
revenue once it reaches the full 6 cent
increase. The increase of 6 cents per
gallon is anticipated to cost the
average driver 9.6 cents per day.
Other bills that are still active include
LB 28 which focuses on radon
resistant construction techniques, LB
206 proposed changes to the Erosion
and Sediment Control Act, and LB 540
focusing on International Building
Code standards.
One bill that has already been passed
and signed into law is LB 23 which
dealt with the rewriting of the
Engineers and Architects Regulation
Act. Another bill recently passed is LB
312 which changed some provisions
relating to the letting of highway
construction contracts. The PEC
committee meets regularly to monitor
the status of bills that are pertinent to
the engineering field and will keep
NSPE members informed on bills as
needed.
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Nebraska Model Bridge Experience
Presented by Kyle Vohl, P.E.
The 36th Annual Nebraska Model Bridge Contest was held
Saturday, March 7th, 2015, at the Edgerton Explorit Center
in Aurora, Nebraska. Thirty students from ten schools
entered bridges meeting the detailed design specifications
in this year’s competition. The 300 mm span bridges must
be made entirely of 3/32 inch square basswood bonded by
any commonly available glue and have a mass of no
greater than 30.0 grams. The contest rules emphasize the
importance of specification compliance and designing an
efficient structure. There are awards given for Bridge
Efficiency, Craftsmanship Merit and Unique Design.
Trophies, plaques and a total of $1,350 in prize money and
scholarships were awarded. The top two efficiency teams
are eligible to enter the International Contest held this year
in Portland, Oregon.
NeSPE is a proud annual sponsor and special
recognition is well deserved for the volunteers who make
this event possible. Several have volunteered for all 36
years of the competition! Roger Andrews, P.E., Phil
Hammar, P.E. & Duane Katt, R.L.S. are key event
organizers. Jim Musilek, P.E. provides and runs the testing
scale. Michael Kube, P.E. and Kyle Vohl, P.E. served as
Award Judges. Also thanks to the students from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering for
their booth and speaking to the students about
engineering. Be sure to include this event on your
calendar in future years. In addition to the model bridge
competition, the Event Center is a museum and hands on
science center dedicated to Harold Edgerton, an electrical
engineer and developer of strobe photography who grew
up in Aurora.
Top Winners:
Amber Frost - West Holt, Atkinson -1st Place Efficiency- Trophy, $160 & $500 Scholarship
Dylan Langston, Andy & Alex Kemnitz- Hastings - 2nd Place Efficiency and 2nd Place Award of Merit -Trophy, $110 & $30
Alex Fritz -West Holt, Atkinson -3rd Place Efficiency -Trophy & $80
Caleb Krupicka & Brendon Braun -Thayer Central - 1st Place Award of Merit -Trophy & $60
John Wagner & Evan Struebing- Boone Central, Albion - 1st Place Most Unique Design -Trophy & $25
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The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Nebraska Model Bridge Experience
Presented by Kyle Vohl, P.E
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The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Nebraska Model Bridge Experience
Presented by Kyle Vohl, P.E
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The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Slate of Officers
2014-2015 NeSPE Education Foundation Board of Directors Slate:
NeSPE Education Foundation Board of Director: Dan Thiele, P.E.
NeSPE Education Foundation Board of Director: Phil Hammar, P.E.
NeSPE Education Foundation Board of Director: Bob Tupper, P.E.
2014-2015 Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers Elected Officers Slate:
First Vice President: Matt Kruse, P.E.
Second Vice-President: Brian Wilcox, P.E.
Vice-President: Brian Meyers, P.E.
Secretary/Treasurer: open
2014-2015 Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers Officers by Automatic Succession
(Non-Elected):
President: Jim Goedert, P.E., F.NSPE
President Elect: Kyle Vohl, P.E.
Past President: Doug Holle, P.E.
2014-2015 Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers National Delegate:
House of Delegate: Karl Fredrickson, P.E. (serving year two of a two year term)
Volunteer Request
We have one open position and are requesting volunteers to fill the secretary/treasurer position.
To assist in the recruitment effort, the following position description is providedThe secretary/treasurer position is a voting member of the State Board of Directors. The position requires taking
meeting minutes at the State Board meetings, which are held 4-5 times per year. The treasurer reports are generated
by the Executive Director.
If you are interested in serving as the NeSPE secretary/treasurer, or would like additional information, please call the NeSPE
office at 402.875.2800.
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The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
by James R. Bartunek, P.E.
The week of March 16th through
March 21st might be Spring break for
University of Nebraska-Lincoln college
students, but March 21st was
anything but Spring break for a
number of middle school students
from across the state.
On Saturday, March 21, 2015, 72
MATHLETES from 26 middle schools
from across the state converged on
the East Campus of the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln to compete in the
32nd annual Nebraska State
MATHCOUNTS competition. In total,
Nebraska had a 94 teams of four, plus
an additional 330 individuals
registered to compete in this years’
Chapter competitions, for a total of
706 competitors from across the
State.
Each Chapter was allowed to send
teams of four according to the
number of schools registered in their
respective Chapter along with the top
four individuals not on a winning
team.
After the written portion of the State
competition, which consisted of four
sets of two problems each in the
Target Round, and 30 questions in the
Sprint Round, the top 10 individuals
were chosen to compete in the always
exciting head-to-head Countdown
Round portion of the competition.
Congratulations go to the following
schools and individuals:
WINNING TEAMS
The top winning teams were:
First Place: Lux Middle School –
Lincoln
Coach: Ingrid Zhang
MATHLETES:
Isaac Zhang
Crystal Xu
Alix Cui
Brenton Zhang
Second Place:
Peter Kiewit Middle School – Omaha
Coach: Tami Fierstein
MATHLETES:
Khoa Nguyen
Charlie Peng
Lauren Qiu
Cristopher Fishback
Third Place: Millard North Middle
School – Omaha
Coach: Jessi King
MATHLETES:
Ian Parmley
Joseph Zhong
Liyang Guo
Anish Pradhan
Fourth Place: Hazel G. Scott Middle
School – Lincoln
Coach: Allan Rezac
MATHLETES:
Tuong Phung
Evan Fulton
Akshay Sharma
Blake Callahan
The coaches of the Nebraska State
team will be Ingrid Zhang from Lux
Middle School and Tami Fierstein from
Peter Kiewit Middle School.
Thanks and appreciation should go to
each teacher/coach who participated
and volunteered so much of their own
time to coach this years’ teams.
Thanks also go to the society
members who volunteered their time
and without whose help it would be
impossible to conduct this outstanding
program, and finally to the students
and their parents who know the value
of a strong foundation in mathematics
and are willing to give their time to
participate.
The National Sponsors of
MATHCOUNTS are Raytheon
Company, Northrop Grumman
Foundation, U.S. Department of
Defense, National Society of
Professional Engineers, Phillips 66,
Texas Instruments Incorporated,
3Mgives, CNA Foundation, Art of
Problem Solving and NextThought.
The National Society of Professional
Engineers, National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics and CNA
Foundation founded MATHCOUNTS.
The top four individuals from the
State Competition will represent
Nebraska at the 2015 Raytheon
MATHCOUNTS National Competition in
Boston, MA on May 8th.
STATE TEAM MEMBERS
Isaac Zhang – Lux Middle School –
Lincoln
Khoa Nguyen – Peter Kiewit Middle
School – Omaha
Crystal Xu – Lux Middle School –
Lincoln
Alix Cui – Lux Middle School - Lincoln
Continued on page 9
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The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
(continued from page 8)
Pictured Left:
1st Place Team Lux Middle School
Kyle Vohl – NeSPE Vice President
Isaac Zhang
Crystal Xu
Alix Cui
Brenton Zhang
Ingrid Zhang – Coach
Pictured Right:
2nd Place Team Peter Kiewit Middle
School
Tami Fierstein – Coach
Khoa Nguyen
Lauren Qiu
Cristopher Fishback
Charlie Peng
Kyle Vohl – NeSPE Vice President
Pictured Left:
Nebraska State Team 2
Jim Bartunek – Nebraska
MATHCOUNTS State Coordinator
Kyle Vohl – NeSPE Vice President
Isaac Zhang
Alix Cui
Crystal Xu
Khoa Nguyen
Ingrid Zhang – Coach
Tami Fierstein - Coach
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The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Environmental
Challenges with an
Economy and
Infrastructure that
Expanded too Fast
By Jan Bostelman Chemical, Nuclear
and Metallurgical Engineer
Imagine a diverse culture that uses
bamboo scaffolding as part of its
construction of modern skyscrapers
as an everyday construction method.
Imagine thirty story apartment
buildings that are constructed in
blocks of 30 buildings at a time out in
remote areas but no one lives in
them. Imagine 6 million cars driving
on the roadways of Beijing each day
through 5 level road decks. Imagine
deconstructed villages and buildings
hundreds of years old next to the
world’s second tallest building in
Shanghai. Now you have a small
glimpse of current life in China. I was
able to partake in a study tour which
lasted 12 days visiting Beijing, Xian,
Shanghai and Hong Kong. Thirty five
of us partook in the study tour
conducted by a University of Nebraska
leadership program. Each day we
started early at 07:00 for our bus
travels throughout cities of the
country and did not return until 21:00
to our hotels each night. We also were
able to catch a bullet train ride from
Beijing to Xian traveling at 300 km/hr
a distance of 714 miles.
Some of the distinguishing highlights
were visiting Reinke Irrigation
manufacturing facility outside of
Beijing. Reinke is a Nebraska based
company and utilizes the Chinese
facility to performing welding of
piping and structural elements for the
center pivot irrigation systems
installed in China. Currently about
50% of the components used for the
Chinese center pivots still come from
Nebraska and are shipped to this
facility in China. Each center pivot is
custom assembled and installed in the
field. The Reinke facility uses US
quality control procedures and
processes to provide a high quality
product.
Part of our tour focus was on
agriculture as well, China still has a
long way to go with regarding to
implementing large scale farm
operations like here in the US, but are
slowly making small amounts of
progress in that area. Predominantly
farming is done by hand over a
hectacre or two. In order to try and
achieve more large scale operations
the Chinese government is “buying”
out the small farm operators which
are typically generational families.
The farmers do not own the land but
lease it from Chinese government for
a period of 70 years. In an attempt to
move towards larger scale farm
operations the government has been
building large scale 30 story
apartments in rural areas. The intent
is to offer the farmer a fixed fee
incentive for them to move to the
apartment and relinquish the families
lease and livelihood from the small
hectacre plots. Some farmers have
been taking these offers, but it has
not been as quickly embraced yet.
One of our tour guides noted that her
family did move to a government
apartment building. From a
construction standpoint what the
Chinese government does is to
construct the building frame put an
outside brick finish, then it is up to
the tenant to provide the hot water
plumbing, heating, wiring, kitchen
equipment and air conditioning.
From my observation of some of
these constructed buildings in
progress they did not seem to use as
much rebar as what we do here in the
US. Everywhere we went construction
was on going. The four travel guides
all joked that the national bird for
China is the “crane” I would agree
with them. It was common to see
10-20 sky cranes at a time almost
every five miles. Whether it was in
remote areas on the high rise
apartments, skyscrapers or power
plant construction.
As we traveled from Beijing to Xian
(northwest China) we saw a
significant amount of “new” cities
being built in remote areas. Also
notable were the number of coal
plants observed. I lost count how
many coal plants were operating
when driving from one city to another.
Coal plants were both large and small
scale, and all of them utilized cooling
towers. Every coal plant had a cooling
tower which is atypical for our
country. It was quite common to see
small coal plants as part of a
manufacturing facility to provide
standalone power.
An issue they have with operation of
so many coal plants is the lack of
apparent emissions controls. From
our train ride from Beijing to Xian a
distance of 714 miles we never
traveled outside of a “smog” area or
even saw the sun though we were
outside large scale transportation
areas.
Her family was paid about $200,000
US to give up their rite to farm and
they were provided the 1,000 ft2
apartment space. Again this space is
provided as a leased space as no one
can own property in China. This size
of apartment is typical and if one
were to rent one of these new
government apartments it would cost
them about $800 US per month to
pay back to Chinese government.
Continued on page 11
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The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Environmental
Challenges with an
Economy and
Infrastructure that
Expanded too Fast
(continued from page 10)
Our hosts stated that the government
has been trying to get controls in
place for emissions but they will need
to put more engineered systems in
place for coal power generation or go
to other sources of power
Even when we were at the Great Wall
it was disheartening to see high
“smog” levels even at the higher
altitudes an hour and a half north of
Beijing. It wasn’t until we got to
Shanghai and Hong Kong before we
could observe the sun and see blue
skies again. Sixty Nine percent of all
power is generated from coal burning
power plants. There is great debate if
the amount of coal mined within north
and northwest China will be able to
support growth of the country.
Currently China ranks third in coal
reserves behind US and Russia. China
is building 2 nuclear plants per year
utilizing the US Westinghouse AP1000
design (i.e. 1000MW electric per
plant).
Shanghai and Hong Kong although
large in size with a population of 24
and 7 million respectively utilize large
scale public transportation and hence
have been able to manage air quality
better (also being on a coast with the
winds and rains is another advantage
working for them).
Shanghai was a city of great
extremes in various ways. They have
a maglev train system that was built
by Europeans that travels from
downtown central to the airport in 7
minutes speeds 300-400 km/hr. We
saw the maglev system in operation
and it was stunning. Imagine
traveling throughout China and
almost all roadways are elevated
inside and outside the cities and a
bullet train system that is completely
elevated. Imagine the amount of
concrete for these structures. China
has no apparent shortage of concrete
for roadways or buildings. Several
times we had to scratch our heads at
an apparent road that was
constructed and not finished seeming
to go to nowhere. We learned that
sometimes infrastructure is created
and built just to keep workers “busy”.
Shanghai is a very modern city with
predominantly most of its high rise
buildings being built within the last 20
years. It has 3,000 buildings over 30
stories tall. The world’s second tallest
building is currently being constructed
in the heart of the city based upon a
US architectural design. It is also the
world’s busiest seaport. Shanghai is
also a city of “villages” that are very
rundown and include areas without
any plumbing. These “villages”
contain families that have lived there
for centuries. We traveled through
one of these villages as it was only a
few blocks from our modern hotel. In
that area communal kitchens existed
and the pathways between buildings
could only accommodate walkers and
maybe an occasional scooter.
While in China we were advised never
to drink the tap water. As such we
always had to drink bottled water
even in the modern cities. Our guides
indicated tap water was not safe and
even they did not drink it. We never
learned the sources of the issues with
the water just that we were not to
drink it, and that the government still
had a long way to go to being able to
provide “safe” drinking water. Our
tour guides admitted China is still a
developing country and need to make
many improvements for quality of
life. China also is striving to
incorporate the peoples
“superstitious” beliefs and attitudes.
That was a term used by our guides
many times, and not my statement.
Quite often logic is overridden due to
their past cultures “beliefs” and
practices. As such, they look to try
and incorporate both if possible in
construction and infrastructure. Hong
Kong one guide indicated has had a
much longer period to be able to
blend the best of eastern and western
technologies and beliefs utilizing them
in large scale through a combination
of subway, electric bus and double
decker bus modes.
In Beijing we were able to go through
a modernized meat processing
facility. This facility utilized Dutch line
techniques for processing 4,000,000
hogs a year utilizing state of the art
equipment to ISO22000 system
certification with Quality assurance
standards certified to ISO9001. This
company handling all aspects of the
animal cycle, i.e. breeding and
distribution of the processed meats
throughout the country.
We met with the director of
international studies of Northwest
A&F University in Xian. This university
is a “sister” university to UNL. The
director fondly was appreciative of
talking with Nebraskans as her son is
an exchange student at UNL majoring
in electrical engineering. Northwest
A&F likewise offers exchange
programs for UNL students in various
areas.
We were able to meet with the
economic development director for
Miyun County which is north of
Beijing.
Continued on page 12
12
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Environmental
Challenges with an
Economy and
Infrastructure that
Expanded too Fast
(continued from page 11)
This county is one of the 16 districts
which make up Beijing province. The
Miyun County is attracting various
manufacturing facilities from around
the world due to its open areas along
with an ample supply of water and
roadways. They are utilizing urban
planning schemes to establish a
controlled economic development
community.
Our itinerary included meeting with
USDA directors in Beijing and Hong
Kong to learn about food commodities
and exports to China especially
focusing on those products from
Nebraska and their future in China.
Our last stop was Hong Kong where
we visited container ports, dry
seafood markets, ManMo temple,
Stanley Market, Stanley Peak, and
watched the “symphony of lights” on
the waterfront each night.
Unbelievable how much the University
study tour packed into a 12 day
schedule, and often I think of it as a
blur just like riding the bullet train.
Only now as I can sit back on my
Nebraska farm with a slower pace can
I reflect back on all the kaleidoscope
of sights and sounds experienced
from China. I am also very
appreciative of the “blue skies” and
clean air and water we have here in
Nebraska do not take that for granted
it is our stewardship and legacy for
the future.
Our itinerary schedule was as hectic
as the drivers in Beijing where
following traffic controls and signals
as a mere suggestion.
Our Beijing trip included time at the
Temple of Heaven, riding a rickshaw,
visiting Tiananmen Square, Forbidden
City, Great Wall, Schoolhouse visit
Food Processing plant tour, Reinke
factory visit, Miyun Economic
presentations, and touring the
Summer Palace. In Xian we visited
the Terra Cotta warrior’s exhibition
and met the farmer that found them
in 1974. In Shanghai we visited
Zhujiajiao a “venice” like water town
over 600 years old, visited an old silk
production factory, modern
agricultural zone, hydroponics
planting factory and greenhouses,
cruised on the river, Yu Garden and
visited the Bund (old European area)
13
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Special Delivery to the Capitol
Members of the NeSPE Board of Directors deleiverd our annual "pocket protector" cookies to Senators and
their staff in late February.
Pictured Right:
(L to R) Jim Goedert, Jan Bostelman,
Kyle Vohl, Karl Fredrickson and Matt
Kruse deliver plates of cookies to the
Governors Office.
Pictured Left:
Karen Stelling helps plate the cookies
for delivery. Each plate contains
cookies and information on Engineers
Week.
Pictured Right:
Jan Bostelman hands some goodies to
Taylor Gage, Communications Director
for Governor Ricketts.
14
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
2015 NeSPE
E State A
Annuall Meetiing
May
M 28 & 229, 2015
Nebrask
ka Innova
ation Camp
pus Confeerence Cen
nter
2021 Trransforma
ation Drivve ~ Lincolln, Nebrasska
Thursday,
T
May
M 28
CONFEREN
C
NCE
10:00 – 12:30
0 p.m.
12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
1:00 – 1:15 p.m.
p
1:15 – 2:10 p.m.
p
2:10 – 3:00 p.m.
p
3:00 – 3:10 p.m.
p
3:10 – 4:00 p.m.
p
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
p
BANQUET
B
6:00 – 6:30 p.m.
p
p
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
7:30 – 8:00 p.m.
p
8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
p
Co
onference Agenda
NeSP
PE State Board Meetingg
Regiistration
Welccome Remarrks, State Annnual Meetinng & Electio
on of Officerrs
Riveerbank Filtrration of Mu
unicipal Waater Supply
y in the USA
ADr. Chittaranja
C
an Ray, Neb
braska Wateer Center (1
1 PDH)
NIC
C Maker’s Sttudio - Dr. F
Farritor & Liana Owa
ad (1 PDH)
Breaak
Tourr of NIC Maker’s Stud
dio (1 PDH)
Trav
vel, Break & Hotel Check-in
Social Hour / Caash Bar
Dinn
ner & Banqu
uet
Instaallation of NeSPE & NeS
SPEEF Officcers / Presen
ntation of Aw
wards
Keyn
note addresss – Mr. Blak
ke Lawrencce, Former H
Husker Football
d
Play
yer and CEO
O of Opend orse "Experriences with Football and
Conccussions" (1 PDH)
Friday,
F
May
y 29
CONFEREN
C
NCE
8:00 – 8:30 a.m.
8:30 – 9:20 a.m.
9:30 – 10:20 a.m.
Regiistration & Continental
C
B
Breakfast
NSP
PE Update – Ms. Kodi V
Verhalen, V
Vice Presideent (1 PDH)
NIC
C Central Reenewable En
nergy Systeem (CRES) Davee Roberts, Olsson
O
Assoociates (1 PD
DH)
10:20 – 10:30
0 a.m. Clossing Remarks
10:30 – 10:40
0 a.m. Breaak/Travel to CRES
10:40 – 11:30
0 a.m. CRE
ES Walking
g Tour (1 PD
DH)
11:30 a.m.
Adjo
ourn
Hotel Acco
ommodatio ns
A block off rooms has bbeen reserveed for Thursd
day, May 28
8th at the
Hilton Garrden Inn for $$109 + tax. Call the Hiltton directly at 402475-9000 before
b
April 25 to reservve a room at the Nebrask
ka
Society of Professionall Engineers rrate. There iis an attached
parking garrage to the hhotel (self-paark or valet).
15
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
2015 NeSPE
N
E State A
Annuall Meeting
May
M 28 & 229, 2015
Nebrask
ka Innovattion Camp
pus Confeerence Cen
nter
2021 Trransforma
ation Drivee ~ Lincolln, Nebrasska
REGIISTRATIO
ON FORM
M
Option
O
1 – NeSPE
N
2-Day
y Conferencce and Banq
quet (7 PDH
Hs) - $125/p
person
Conference
C
in
ncludes:
• Contin
nuing educattion sessionss May 28th aand 29th
• Thursday Banquett / Keynote Speaker:
S
Blaake Lawrencce "Experien
nces with Football
and Concussions"
• Friday
y Continentaal Breakfast
Name:
N
_____
___________
___________
_________
Ph
hone: _____
___________
__________
_________
E-mail: _____
__________
___________
_________
Circle
C
one: Prime
P
Rib
Chickeen
Crisspy Salmon
Option
O
2 – NeSPE
N
Banq
quet Only (1
1 PDH) - $500/person
Banquet
B
inclu
udes:
• Thursday Banquett / Keynote Speaker:
S
Blaake Lawrencce "Experien
nces with Football
and Concussions"
Name:
N
_____
___________
___________
_________
Ph
hone: _____
___________
__________
_________
E-mail: _____
__________
___________
_________
Circle
C
one: Prime
P
Rib
Chickeen
Crisspy Salmon
Fo
or questionss or informattion contact: Katy Boggss at [email protected] o
or
40
02-875-2800
0
Send
S
this reservation
n form and
d paymentt by May 15, 2015 too:
NeSPE
N
Annual Meeting
PO Box 6356
6
6
Lincoln, NE 68506
Please note that
t
there is not a Thursd
day or Fridayy only optioon.
*P
Cancelllation Policyy- If you register and aree unable to atttend,
you maay receive a rrefund, minuus a 50% adm
ministrative fee by
noon on
n May 15, 20015. There w
will be no reefunds given after
this datte. Should thhe annual meeeting be can
ncelled for aany
reason out
o of our coontrol, no refunds will b
be given.
16
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
2015 NeSPE
E State A
Annuall Meetiing
May
M 28 & 229, 2015
Nebrask
ka Innova
ation Camp
pus Confeerence Cen
nter
2021 Trransforma
ation Drivve ~ Lincolln, Nebrasska
SPONSORSH
HIP FORM
M
The
T Nebraskaa Society of Professionaal Engineers (NeSPE) is offering greeat sponsorshhip
opportunities at the Annu
ual Meeting. Presentatioons at the Annnual Meetinng include: tthe NIC
Central
C
Renewable Energ
gy System, UNL
U
Water ffor Food, thee NIC Makeer’s Studio, aand
NSPE
N
Nation
nal update. Our
O featured keynote adddress will be from Mr. B
Blake Lawrennce,
Former
F
Husk
ker Football Player
P
and CEO
C
of Openndorse.
We’re
W
offerin
ng three leveels of sponso
orship for suppporting proofessional enngineering annd
sh
howcasing your
y
business or products to Nebraskka’s best andd brightest enngineers:
$5500
Gold
G
Sponso
orship
¾ Special sp
ponsorship recognition
r
for
f one of thee following (with logo oon signage):
o
o
o
o
o
Naametags
Baanquet
Brreakfast
Seession Presenttation
Brreaks
¾ Larger co
ompany logo
o in meeting program, loggo in NeSPE
E Newsletterr
¾ Plus all th
he benefits of
o Silver Spo
onsors
Silver
S
Sponssor
$3300
Bronze
B
Spon
nsor
$1150
¾ Easel for company
c
disp
play in vendorr area
¾ Special reccognition durring the banqu
uet
¾ Plus all thee benefits of Bronze
B
Sponssors
¾ Company logo in meetiing program
¾ Special reccognition durring the meetiing
¾ Mention in
n the NeSPE Newsletter
N
Company___
C
___________
__________
________________
S
Sponsorship Level: (checck one)
Contact
C
Nam
me_________
___________
_______________
Ƒ Gold
Email______
E
___________
__________
________________
Ƒ Silver
Phone______
P
___________
__________
_______________
Ƒ Bronze
Gold
G
Sponsorrs – List you
ur 3 preferen
nces for Speccial Sponsorrship
___________
_
___________
__ _______
__________________ ___________________________
*Make cheecks payablee to the Nebraaska Societyy of Professional Engineerrs.
**S
Send your lo
ogo to katy.booggs@nspen
nebraska.org by May 15, 2015 to
be included on media materrials.
Mail form
m and check tto:
NeSPE An
nnual State M
Meeting Spoonsor
PO Box 6356
Lincoln, NE,
N 68506
17
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
18
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
2015
NSPE GOLF OUTING
Shoreline Golf Course
210 East Locust Street
Council Bluffs, IA
Location:
Shoreline Golf Course is one of the area’s finest 18-hole regulation
golf courses. It is located at 210 East Locust Street, Council Bluffs,
Iowa.
Format:
The format of play will be a 4-person Texas Scramble.
Date:
Friday June 5, 2015
Time:
12:00 Noon Shotgun Start.
Arrival time is 11:30 for hole
assignments and rules. Box Lunch is included. Individual
Mulligans will also be on sale for $5.00 (or 3/$10.00). These will be
available only until start time.
Registration:
Send your registration and payment to NeSPE, c/o
Lamp, Rynearson & Associates, 14710 West Dodge
Road, Suite 100, Omaha, NE 68154. Please note any
preference for team placement on your registration. Registration will
be limited to the first 100 players, so get your money in as soon as
possible.
For questions or information call Brett or Crystal @(496-2498).
Cost:
$75.00 per person ($300.00 per team).
Name
Phone
Name
Phone
Name
Phone
Name
Phone
Team Captain E-Mail Address
Would you like to be a $150.00 Hole Sponsor? Check One
Amount Enclosed
Name on Sponsor Sign
19
The Nebraska Engineer
Yes
No
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
This summer, join PEs from around the country
for networking, continuing education, and discussions about
“The Future of the Professional Engineer” in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
THE FUTURE
OF THE
PROFESSIONAL
ENGINEER
REGIST
ER
TODAY
AT
NSPE.O
RG/
ANNU
ALMEE
TING
NSPE 2015 Annual Meeting
July 15–19 | Renaissance Seattle Hotel
It’s a career-enhancing opportunity you won’t want to miss. Planned education sessions will cover
topics such as the Boeing Dreamliner 787 project, BIM/3D design, climate change design implications,
obligations of licensure and design/litigation avoidance, the controversial industrial exemption, ethical
conduct for engineers, and many others. In addition, there will be an entire day of education tailored to
young engineers and those just beginning their engineering journey.
Will you be part of the profession’s future? Save the date and be sure to join NSPE at
the Renaissance Seattle Hotel, July 15–19, 2015.
Major funding provided by
SHARE WITH COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS
#NSPE15
20
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
21
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Nebraska Society of
Professional Engineers
A state society of the National Society of Professional Engineers
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
22
The Nebraska Engineer
Spring 2015
The Nebraska Engineer
Nebraska Society of
Professional Engineers
A state society of the National Society of Professional Engineers
23
The Nebraska Engineer