Winter 2014 Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer The Nebraska Engineer Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers – A state society of the National Society of Professional Engineers Controlling Mother Nature by Stephen J. Reiners, PE Do you remember that classic television commercial for a particular brand of margarine where Mother Nature was tricked into thinking she was tasting butter instead of margarine? Upon learning that she’d been hood-winked, a visibly perturbed Mother Nature boldly pronounced that “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature!” and with the flick of her hands, a loud clap of thunder was heard as the skies darkened with rain-filled clouds. Had Mother Nature invoked her storms in Gothenburg, Nebraska, the folks at the Monsanto Water Utilization Learning Center located there would have fooled her again. Engineers with Monsanto engaged the services of two (2) Nebraska companies that employ members of the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers (NeSPE) to design what they refer to as a Rainout Shelter. Behlen Building Systems, a division of Behlen Mfg. Co. collaborated with REDI Engineering, Inc., both headquartered in Columbus, Nebraska, to manufacture the equivalent of a 12,800 square foot umbrella. For years, Monsanto had been seeking to better understand the Nebraska environment and the relation between corn yields’ responses to varying applications of water. Previous studies had been 1 conducted in open fields but, for the most part, these studies were at the mercy of Mother Nature; little or no control had been exercised over naturally occurring precipitation as an environmental factor. The Rainout Shelter in Gothenburg has changed all of that by removing precipitation as a variable. By carefully managing the timing and magnitude of water inputs, Monsanto is able to study the soilwater-plant relationship that leads to yield response but in a more controlled environment. Due to the great variability of annual precipitation in Nebraska, Gothenburg is a perfectly suited location since it’s considered to be in the transition zone between dryland farming to irrigated farming. With its average precipitation of 23 inches per year, Gothenburg splits the difference between the 34 inches per year average precipitation for eastern Nebraska and western Nebraska’s annual average of 14 inches. According to Monsanto literature, farmers in dryland areas face increased weather and drought variability while those in irrigated areas face restrictions on pumping water for their crops. Results from the research at the Monsanto Rainout Shelter helps farmers make better decisions and build better systems for managing risk in water-stressed areas. Volume 40 No. 2 (REDI Engineering) and their associates teamed up to design an 80’ x 160’ building system on rails. Behlen Building Systems designed the primary and secondary framing and cladding systems of the building’s shell while REDI Engineering designed the foundations and rail systems to enable the building to traverse the 360’ length of its track. Vertical and horizontal forces from dead and live loads and environmental loads such as snow, seismic, and wind along with inertially induced loads from the building’s movement along it track were considered in the Behlen Building Systems design and in REDI Engineering’s design of the foundation and rail system. Behlen Building Systems senior design engineer, Tom Moore, PE (also an NeSPE Northeast Chapter member) had to give due consideration to the fact that this building system was not going to have the stable, fixed foundation supports that conventional buildings have and how that was going to influence and affect the building system’s strength and serviceability performance. Since the maximum horizontal thrust at the bases of the building system’s columns was about 18,000 pounds, conventional rails like the types used in modern railroad applications couldn’t be used due to their low torsional stiffness NeSPE Northeast Chapter members Steve Reiners, PE (Behlen Building Systems) and John Thomazin, PE Continued on page 4 The Nebraska Engineer Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer 2014-2015 NeSPE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ArticlePage Controlling Mother Nature................. 1, 4 Message from our President..................3 President James Goedert, P.E., FNSPE Omaha, NE Vice President Karen Sterling, P.E., LEED Lincoln, NE Legislative Luncheon........................ 5, 6 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 Newly Licensed Professionals............... 7 Computers to see in 3 D................... 8, 9 Put the Brakes On.............................. 9 Legislative Update...............................9 Chapter Updates......................... 10, 11 Sponsors.......................................... 12 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 Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer From the President’s Pen By James Goedert, P.E., NeSPE President I want to wish you all a belated Happy New Year and hope your year is going well. NeSPE is off to a quick start this year with our legislative luncheon already behind us. You can read more about it on page 5. As we reflect about our year’s accomplishments and the challenges of the New Year I am reminded and inspired by engineering accomplishments from the last 100 years. One hundred years ago World War I was in full swing and submarines were being widely used for the first time. In 1915 the first neon tube sign was invented. That same year, Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call from New York to Thomas Watson in San Francisco. Thomas Edison could have recording that conversation with his newly invented transcribe machine. Ford Motor Company manufactured its 1 millionth Model T and NACA, the predecessor to NASA, was created. These amazing engineering accomplishment were dwarfed by the expansion of engineering’s role serving civilization during the subsequent century. 3 There can be no question that the rate of technological change in our engineered world is increasing. Some say that rate of change is “logarithmic” meaning that we experienced the same amount of change in the last ten years as we did in the previous one hundred years. This is not so unimaginable if we look back to 2005 when YouTube was first launched in the United States. That same year Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo around the world with no stops or refueling. Additionally, the Airbus A380 made its original flight from Toulouse, France. NASA 10 years ago grounded the space shuttle to investigate a flawed design in the external tank foam. It is impossible to fathom what the next 100 years will bring but we glimpse the future through the changes occurring before our eyes. In 2014, we saw the invention of the hover board, improvements in 3-dimensional printing capabilities, tablets replacing laptops, watches replacing cell phones, and cars that drive themselves. As engineers, we must consider the full effect of the built environment on the natural environment concerning climate change and global pollution. Wikipedia defines sustainable engineering as “the process of designing or operating systems such that they use energy and resources sustainably, i.e., at a rate that does not compromise the natural environment, or the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” As engineers, we accept the challenge to balance the risk to our natural environment with the rewards of our built environment like the case for pipelines through our Sandhills. Some of the sustainable engineering developments that we can expect to see and incorporate into our designs The Nebraska Engineer over the next ten years will include zero net energy buildings with wireless electricity. Genetically modified crops will include vitamin, minerals and/or proteins needed to feed the world. Travel will become more energy efficient and probably less significant. An earpiece will allow us to understand someone speaking to us in a foreign language. Lockheed Martin expects to have nuclear fusion reactors small enough to fit on the back of a truck. Each of these developments is significant enough by themselves for us to rethink how we design the entire built environment of the future and this is just to name a few. Engineers are challenged like never before to consider designs that will be responsive to the rapid changes in our technological development many of which we have yet to imagine. I expect that each of us will rise to that challenge and for this I am proud to call myself an engineer. Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer Controlling Mother Nature Monsanto Gothenburg Learning Center (continued from page 1) .John Thomazin, PE, elected to employ a chain-and-sprocket drive system to provide for the mobilization mechanism for the Rainout Shelter. Other key engineering challenges for this project included synchronizing movement of the drive system, engineering and manufacturing the rails, providing for remote control of the building’s drive mechanism and movement, and stopping and anchoring the building after movement had been arrested. In a recent broadcast on Lincoln, Nebraska’s KLKN-TV Channel 8, Mark Reiman, an agronomist at the Gothenburg Water Utilization Learning Center, reported that the Rainout Shelter allows for irrigation research to be conducted whenever they want, regardless of how much it rains. According to Reiman, “When it rains, the building actually senses the raindrops and pulls closed to cover the 36 corn plots that are underneath it.” For those wanting to get a closer look at the Rainout Shelter, the Learning Center is located approximately two (2) miles south of Gothenburg, Nebraska on the east side of Highway 47. The following Internet link can provide more information on the research being conducted there: www.monsanto.com/ improvingagriculture/pages/ gothenburg-water-utilization.aspx 4 The Nebraska Engineer Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer Professional Engineers Coalition Legislative Luncheon Presented by NeSPE The Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers partnered with the Professional Engineers Coalition to host our annual legislative luncheon held at The Nebraska Club in downtown Lincoln on January 20. The luncheon featured several guest senators and keynote remarks provided by Governor Ricketts. Members were briefed on current legislative issues related to the engineering industry prior to the luncheon. The Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers partnered with the Professional Engineers Coalition to host our annual legislative luncheon held at The Nebraska Club in downtown Lincoln on January 20. The luncheon featured several guest senators and keynote remarks provided by Governor Ricketts. Members were briefed on current legislative issues related to the engineering industry prior to the luncheon. 5 The Nebraska Engineer Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer Professional Engineers Coalition Legislative Luncheon Presented by NeSPE 6 The Nebraska Engineer Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer The Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects Honors Newly Licensed Professional SAVE THE DATE The Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects hosted a recognition ceremony on November 7th, 2014 to honor the newly licensed professional engineers and architects in the state. Licensure is a significant achievement for design professionals. Those honored at this year’s ceremony were professionals who have successfully met rigorous licensing requirements. These requirements vary by discipline, but at a minimum include obtaining a degree from an accredited university, successfully completing an internship to gain the required experience, and passing a comprehensive national exam. NeSPE Annual Meeting This year’s annual meeting will be hosted by the Southeast chapter and held in Lincoln. The Annual Meeting will be held at the Nebraska Innovation Campus on May 28th and 29th. Many speakers have already been lined up to talk in depth about Innovation Campus among other great topics. The ceremony took place in the Warner Legislative Chamber of the Nebraska State Capitol Building. The Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers had an informational table as new licensees entered for the ceremony where board members were able to greet to potential new members. A reception followed the ceremony in the lower level of the Capitol. 7 Be sure to mark your calendars! More information to follow. The Nebraska Engineer Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer Top-Performing Algorithm Allows Computers to See in 3D by Eric T. Psota and Jędrzej Kowalczuk Research goals in computer vision often appear to be straightforward. In one well-known story from 1966, a compute science professor at MIT asked his undergraduate student to “spend the summer linking a camera to a computer and getting the computer to describe what it saw”, which happens to be more than a little ambitious. Almost 40 years later, researchers are still struggling to make computers understand images the way humans do. Oftentimes, they do this by attempting to mimic some of the processes ongoing in the human visual system. As it turns out, one of the most challenging visual processes to mimic is human depth perception. While the exact mechanisms governing depth perception remain unknown, researchers agree that a variety of depth cues are fused in the brain to create the sensation of depth. Depth cues can be classified as monocular, i.e., those observed using a single eye, and binocular, which integrate information from both eyes. Whereas monocular cues can be used to sense relative depths, binocular cues are capable of recovering absolute depths. Specifically, the positional offsets between projections in each eye can be used to triangulate the 3-dimensional coordinates of objects in the scene. For example, when looking straight ahead with both eyes, the moon would experience approximately zero positional offset. However, if you put your hand in front of your face, it will appear more to the right in the left eye and more to the left in the right eye. The process of depth perception relies on the ability to identify correspondences, and hence the 8 positional offsets, between objects in the scene. In the human visual system, this is known as stereopsis or stereo vision. Similarly, a pair of offset cameras can be used to mimic the human eyes, delivering digital images that can be processed on a computer to estimate correspondences. In computer vision, the process of estimating correspondences between a pair of images is known as stereo matching. Stereo matching enables a myriad of applications. Perhaps the most promising is robotic navigation, where depth information is necessary for obstacle avoidance in driverless cars, autonomous drones, etc., or for visual servoing in industrial automation. Stereo matching is also capable of reconstructing detailed geometric models of the environment or individual objects, where these models can be used in mapping software, computer games, or applications of virtual reality. Last but not least, the ability to extract depth information from images has the potential to enhance video surveillance and object recognition – tasks that have been traditionally performed using only single images. The problem of stereo matching has been studied by the Perceptual Systems Research Group (PSRG) since 2010. As a unit within the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the PSRG specializes in developing methods that allow machines to acquire human-like perception. The original motivation for developing a stereo matching system stemmed from a cooperative effort with the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering to build miniature surgical robots. To enable computer-assisted surgery, it is imperative for these robots to fully comprehend their environment, which can be achieved using stereo matching. The long-term goal of this project is to create autonomous surgical robots that can perform a variety of surgical procedures with little-to-no human interaction necessary. While there existed real-time stereo matching algorithms at the time when we began developing a vision system for surgical robots, their real-time performance was achieved at the expense of accuracy. None of the existing solutions was suitable for our application. A sample pair of views (left and right) and a corresponding depth map, where dark shades correspond to large depths and light shades correspond to small depths. Continued on page 9 The Nebraska Engineer Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer Top-Performing Algorithm Allows Computers to See in 3D (continued from page 8) To address the need for real-time and accurate stereo matching, we have created a novel method that uses probabilistic inference applied iteratively in order to improve the accuracy of matching. When implemented on consumer-level graphics cards normally used by computer gaming enthusiasts, the method enables matching with frame rates sufficient for tasks such as robotic navigation. In the past four years, a number of improvements have been made to the original method. These improvements were necessary to overcome some of the challenges encountered in real-world applications. In October of 2014, using the evaluation methodology provided by the widely accepted Middlebury College stereo benchmark, our method was proven to be the world’s most accurate real-time stereo matching method. Currently, we are working on ways to further improve the method while exploring alternative applications. Dr. Eric T. Psota is a Research Assistant Professor and Jędrzej Kowalczuk is a doctoral candidate in the Dept. of Electrical Engineering at UNL. The problem of stereo matching is central to the dissertation of Jędrzej Kowalczuk, who is scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2015. As researchers within the Perceptual Systems Research Group led by Dr. Lance C. Pérez, their work focuses on computer vision, image processing, machine learning, and highperformance computing. 9 Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day NeSPE’s President Jim Goedert, Ph.D, P.E., F.NSPE, along with NeSPE Vice President Kyle Vohl, P.E., celebrated Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day with Governor Heineman at a recent Proclamation Signing Ceremony at the state capitol. Held annually since 2001, Put the Brakes on Fatalities day serves as a great reminder in all aspects of road safety. President Goedert shared with the audience some recent statistics which demonstrate a decline; however there is always work left to do to increase public safety. We ask all Nebraskans to join with the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers and with the Governor in making traffic safety a priority on this and every day. Legislative Update by Matt Kruse , NeSPE PEC Representative The 104th Legislature was convened on January 7, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. There are plenty of new faces in the Unicameral this year with 18 new Senators joining the Legislature for this session. With these new changes, the NeSPE/PEC legislative luncheon proved to be even more important this year. The luncheon saw a couple of other changes this year to include hosting our luncheon a month earlier and a new venue to The Nebraska Club. The Nebraska Engineer The largest change was our partnership with our fellow PEC organizations to include -Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers – Nebraska Section, Professional Surveyors Association of Nebraska, Structural Engineers Association of Nebraska, Associate Member – American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The goal was to increase the participation by both attendees of the professional organizations and the Senators, which we were pleased to have quite a few of. In addition, we were honored to have Governor Ricketts join us and to deliver remarks. We also thank our many luncheon sponsors for which the luncheon would not take place if not for their continued and generous support. New Legislative Bills will have been introduced through the first 10 days of the session. NeSPE works with the Professional Engineers Coalition (PEC) and our lobbyists, Mr. Gordon Kissel and Mr. Joe Kohout of Kissel/E&S Associates, to review bills. PEC will identify bills that are of interest or could impact the engineering profession. We will take positions and work with the elected officials to influence legislation or interest to Professional Engineers. There is the possibility that during this session there could be separate bills introduced for both the Engineers and Architects Act and the Landscape Architects Act, which PEC and NeSPE has been watching and will continue to closely monitor. PEC meets regularly throughout the entire session both in person and via conference call to stay on top of all issues. Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer Northeast Chapter – NeSPE By Stephen J Reiners P.E., NE Chapter of NeSPE President The Northeast Chapter of the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers has been quite busy during these early months of the 2014-2015 term. The chapter’s Board of Directors has met four (4) times while three (3) General Membership meetings have been held. General Membership meetings are held on the first Monday of every month at the new Ramada Columbus/Rivers Edge Convention Center. John Thomazin, PE, NE Chapter President-Elect and Programs Chairman, has facilitated outstanding presentations at each of the General Membership luncheon meetings. At the opening meeting of this term, the membership was presented an update on all of the current and planned engineering projects for the City of Columbus by Columbus City Engineer Richard Bogus, PE. At our November meeting, John arranged to have Steve Masters, PE, Executive Director of the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects give an entertaining and informative presentation titled “Legislation, Ethics, Renewals, and Other Stuff…”. Also at this meeting, we were honored to welcome some of our NeSPE State officers including NeSPE State President, Jim Goedert, PE, and NeSPE Executive Director, Katy Boggs, and hosted the subsequent meeting of the NeSPE State Board of Directors. The most recent meeting of the NE Chapter highlighted the new Columbus High School design which was presented by Chad Wiles, Vice-President of Hausmann Construction; one of the focal points of this presentation was the new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) building. Also at our last meeting, Bob Tupper 10 PE, and Mark Massman, PE, gave a short presentation on the NeSPE Education Foundation (NeSPEEF). Bob and Mark challenged all members to join them in contributing to the Engineering Foundation. To further that effort, NE Chapter President, Steve Reiners, PE, challenges all other Chapter Presidents, officers, and members to a competition to see which chapter can make the most significant contribution to the NeSPE Education Foundation. Staying with this “Education” theme, the NE chapter was represented by Chapter President, Steve Reiners, PE, at a luncheon “Meeting of the Minds” of academic and industry leaders and representatives at the Columbus campus of Central Community College. The purpose and focus of this meeting was to provide the Science and Math faculty members of the college with constructive feedback on how they could better incorporate and support the various aspects of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) needed by the business community in the educational environment. In a complementary effort, several NE Chapter members have supported fellow member John Thomazin, Chapter President-Elect and an adjunct instructor at Central Community College, by speaking to his engineering students on the practical and real-world aspects of being an engineer and how they can better prepare themselves for careers in engineering. Brian Stepanek and Krystal Trojan, two (2) of the NE Chapter’s younger members have been rallying the chapter’s troops for this year’s Mathcounts competition. Many chapter members have already volunteered to help with the event which is scheduled to be held on February 14, 2015 at the Columbus Campus of Central Community College. The Nebraska Engineer To supplement the funding of this year’s competition, Brian and Krystal facilitated a Pitch Tournament on Saturday, December 13 at Maximus, a local Sports Bar. The NE Chapter’s popular “Nuts” sales fund-raiser is proving to be a great success again! Josh Rich, NE Chapter Secretary and Fundraising Chairman reports that many of the varieties are already sold out. Congratulations to Josh for his efforts and “Thank you” to all members who support our chapter by participating in this annual fundraiser. The remaining General Membership meetings for the NE Chapter are scheduled for January 5, February 2, March 2, and April 6. The venue for the General Membership meetings is the Ramada Columbus/Rivers Edge Convention Center. The NE Chapter’s Annual Awards banquet is currently scheduled for Friday, May 1 – a venue for the banquet has not been determined, yet. The NE Chapter is blessed and privileged to have great attendance, participation, and support by its membership. The Chapter also receives tremendous support by the local businesses and employers of our members. We’re grateful for that support and continue to seek to return that support by being good representatives and stewards of our employers, our communities, and our profession. On behalf of the NE Chapter, we’re hopeful that all members and their families had a safe and blessed holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer Eastern Chapter – NeSPE UNL Engineering Day Photos MATHCOUNTS will be held at the Ramada Inn on 72nd Street on Saturday January 31, 2015. Our next meeting will be at the Scott Conference Center on January 27, 2015. We held a joint breakfast meeting with IEEE in December where the topic was the Statewide Radio System. In November of this year we had a presentation on the planned 168th Street project which is planned for both north and south of the 168th Street and West Center Road intersection. The meeting held in October was a joint meeting with LOCATE and the topic was the UNO Arena currently under construction. Southeast Chapter – NeSPE SE Chapter MATHCOUNTS will be February 21st at the East Campus Union. Our January meeting featured Pam Dingman, County Engineer speaking to tour Chapter about the county and engineering as well as her run to be elected County Engineer. 11 The Nebraska Engineer Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer 12 The Nebraska Engineer Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer LEAVING A LEGACY of ENDURING IMPROVEMENTS OUR COMMUNITIES Omaha | Fort Collins Lakewood | Kansas City Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers A state society of the National Society of Professional Engineers THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! WW W. LR A - IN C. C OM 13 The Nebraska Engineer Winter 2014 The Nebraska Engineer Omaha, NE • 402.333.5792 Lincoln, NE • 402.479.2200 www.benesch.com engineers . scientists . planners 3 NEBRASKA LOCATIONS Resourceful. Knowledgeable. Credible. 3 97 PROFESSIONALS 29 NEBRASKA LICENSED PEs WITH AND Transportation • Water Resources • Bridges • Geotechnical • Environmental • Municipal • Industrial Hygiene • Water Treatment • Construction Services • Buildings • Mold & Asbestos • Survey • Infrastructure • Value Engineering • Mechanical • Electrical • Plumbing Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers A state society of the National Society of Professional Engineers 14 The Nebraska Engineer
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