Volunt

eerin

g with

youth

and

loca

l and

inte

rnat

ional

com

muniti

es

Volume 12 2012

Building a Better World Includes Giving Back

Annual Water Festival Makes a Splash!‘April showers bring May flowers’ is more than just a saying; it’s a reality taught each year at the Middle Sauk River Water Festival. Hundreds of fourth graders gather each May to learn about water resources and how to protect them. Interactive stations offer hands-on lessons where youngsters have the chance to get their hands dirty and their brains running—by re-creating erosion, uncovering water habitats, and collecting water specimens.

“The joy of watching kids discover unknowns about our planet is the biggest reward of volunteering at the water festival. It’s been inspiring to see more kids attend the festival each year and to pass down the importance of something I care so much about—protecting our resources for future generations,” said Tracy Ekola, PE, (Tracy serves as the Practice Leader of SEH’s Wastewater group in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.)

Tracy co-founded the annual Middle Sauk River Water Festival almost 10 years ago, along with a few other professionals from the Sauk River Watershed District and the Minnesota cities of Sauk Centre and Melrose. Hundreds of volunteers, including four professionals from the SEH St. Cloud office, help organize the annual festival in Melrose.

2

Students Compete in More

than Just Sports

Helping 11 to 14 year olds prepare for careers in engineering, math, science, and technology is a long-time passion

for Norm Arendt, SEH’s Safety Director, and Rick Coldsnow, PE, the Civil Practice Leader in Colorado and Wyoming. Both Norm and Rick have watched multiple generations of students challenge themselves and their classmates through MATHCOUNTS, a national math enrichment program.

Each year, MATHCOUNTS holds regional competitions across the United States. For the Denver, Colorado competitions, Rick acts as a proctor, scorer, and host. As Wisconsin State Coordinator for the program, Norm spreads awareness of the competitions by connecting with local media, coordinates competition volunteers, and manages chapter competition in the southwest Wisconsin region.

“The years I’ve been involved with MATHCOUNTS have shown me how our future generations work together, how they solve problems together, and how they interact with others,” explains Norm. “It’s been an exciting adventure and I plan on continuing my work with the program,” Rick added.

Since MATHCOUNTS began in 1983, it has enrolled more than 6 million students. More than 6,000 schools and 250,000 students participate in the program each year.

Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.

3

All in a Day’s Work My experience was very fun. I met several workers and they were extremely nice and intelligent. The reason I came was for Job Shadow Day, and because all eighth graders are required to do it at Grantsburg Middle School. I was lucky to get a very nice man named Jeff Johnson, a structural engineer at SEH. We spent the morning going to do a bridge inspection in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. It was very interesting. I learned many things I’ve never known before. I also got the chance to see the Swing Bridge in Inver Grove Heights (Minnesota) as well, and that was the best part of the day. It was definitely worth the long drive from Grantsburg.

Photo (left to right): Jeff Johnson, PE; Spencer Louis;

and Tom Henry, SEH TechnicianSEH professionals often volunteer their time

to mentor youth, provide career advice, and

provide them with job shadowing opportunities.

Jeff Johnson, PE, serves as the SEH Practice

Center Leader for Structural Engineering in

Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Recently, Jeff Johnson was shadowed by Spencer

Louis, an eighth grader from Grantsburg, Wisconsin.

Balsa Wood: A Key Ingredient in Learning about EngineeringIn middle school, math and science don’t always

have a reputation for being the most exciting

classes. However, teachers at Roosevelt

Elementary in Plover, Wisconsin found a way to

engage their students through a different form

of math and science: an engineering competition

called The Wisconsin Tower Challenge.

Every spring, sixth grade students are given a final

project in their science classes: use balsa wood,

mathematical calculations, and creative thinking

to design and construct a model of a three-story

tower. The goal is to construct a tower that will

hold more weight than anyone else’s.

After students complete their towers, Patrick

Planton, PE, Practice Leader of SEH Water

Engineering, serves as the lead judge to determine

the winner of the challenge. He uses a simple

technique to test the weight limit supported by the

towers. Patrick helps the students load dictionaries

on top of one another until their tower collapses.

The sturdiest tower that Patrick has tested held 367

pounds.

Patrick is a big fan of the Tower Challenge because

of the message it sends to the students. “Many students are nervous about getting involved in math and science because the subject matter is perceived to be too tough. The Tower Challenge excites them to compete in something different than just sports. It introduces kids to technical and engineering

concepts at a younger age and hopefully continues

to excite them as they enter high school.”

4

Creating a Long-Term SolutionSEH’s Karen Cavett, PE, and Chris Cavett, PE, of the Mankato, Minnesota office serve as mentors to the Minnesota State University Mankato student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (MNSU-EWB). MNSU-EWB has traveled to Santa Rosa Senca twice, in 2010 and 2012, to gather technical information needed to assist in designing infrastructure improvements. The MNSU-EWB team surveyed the area and identified five key areas of focus:

• Improving piping in high pressure areas,

• Extending the water system to 23 families currently not connected,

• Resolving issues with the pump,

• Stabilizing soil erosion issues which are jeopardizing the main supply line from the well, and

• Providing system management and maintenance training.

Engineers Uniquely Qualified “We are so fortunate to have clean drinking water in the United States, but sometimes we don’t realize how lucky we are,” said Karen, who is a Project Manager for SEH’s Water and Wastewater Services.

“Because of our skill sets as engineers, we have the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives by helping them improve their local infrastructure. Volunteering with the student chapter of Engineers Without Borders provides us with the opportunity to mentor the next generation of engineers.”

Chris added, “It’s also important for us to emphasize that when we bring our engineering skills to projects like this one, we are collaborating with local partners, and that helps build capacity for long-term and sustainable improvements in the communities where we are trying to make an impact.”

Santa Rosa Senca Lacks Access to Clean Water Clean, pure, and abundant water— it’s something that many of us in the United States take for granted. But in the relatively small country of El Salvador, 24% of the rural population does not have reliable access to safe drinking water, causing large-scale health problems.

El Salvador is mostly mountainous, with a narrow coastal belt and a central plateau region. Tucked away in a mountainous part of the country lies the small community of Santa Rosa Senca, a place where 23 families living on the outskirts of town do not have access to water due to an inadequate water distribution system. Women and girls spend hours each day hauling water from the springs down to their homes using plastic containers. This time-consuming and exhausting physical labor often prevents them from focusing on other efforts that can improve their lives, such as attending school or working to raise income.

5Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.

More Hands for Engineers Without BordersMany other SEH engineers are involved in their local chapters of Engineers Without Borders. John Chlebeck, PE, an SEH Project Engineer in the St. Paul, Minnesota office, has been working with the University of Minnesota Professional and Student Chapter of Engineers Without Borders. His chapter is currently working on water access issues in the highland village of Simajuleu, Guatemala— an isolated community of 2,500 indigenous people located three hours northwest of Guatemala City. “When asked what single change would improve their lives the most, more than 80% of Simajuleu residents said more reliable clean water,” recalls Chlebeck. The chapter has been working for several years to improve the distribution, quantity, quality, and reliability of the Simajuleu water system. Chapter volunteers have traveled there several times since 2008 to work on different phases of the project.

The mission of Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) is to support community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects.

“Five billion people on the planet live below the poverty line. It is no longer an option for engineers to address the needs of these people; it is an obligation.”

Dr. Bernard Amadei Founder, Engineers Without Borders

Chris Cavett, PE, with local resident (above) and MNSU-EWB students (below)

6 Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.

Mark Broses, PE, vividly remembers his first trip to the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia. “It was shocking to see people in outer ring communities using old industrial barrels to store drinking water,” recalls Broses, SEH Co-Director of Energy and Sustainability.

Cochabamba, site of the infamous water wars, is one of the fastest growing cities in Bolivia. “Twenty years ago Cochabamba had a population of 125,000, and now it is almost 1 million,” explains Broses.

“When I traveled there a few years ago with the Chippewa Falls Rotary Club, the outer ring residents didn’t have access to clean water infrastructure for drinking or sanitation. This was linked to high illness and mortality rates for children and the elderly.”

SEH’s Andrew Dane helped start the humanitarian project that involves bringing clean water or sanitation infrastructure to these communities when he was a member of the Chippewa Falls Rotary Club in Wisconsin. “I’ve enjoyed getting involved because I know I’ll meet interesting, energetic people who care about building a better world,” says Dane, a Senior Community Development and Sustainability Specialist in the Appleton, Wisconsin SEH office.

Dane enlisted SEH colleagues Broses and environmental engineer Amy Pranger, PE, to help him raise money to travel to Bolivia to work on projects like this. “It feels good to use my engineering skills to help make such an important impact on the quality of human life,” observes Broses, who recently returned from another trip to Bolivia with further plans and ideas for helping the community in Cochabamba.

Photos: (top) Mark Broses, PE; (bottom right circle) Andrew Dane

Making a Difference in BoliviaSEH ENGINEERS IMPROVE ACCESS TO WATER IN SOUTH AMERICA

Making a World of Difference... Playing an instrumental role on the world water stage is SEH’s Dale Jacobson, PE. He’s traveled globally to create water and wastewater solutions that benefit all of the world.

Recently, Dale represented the Americas, on behalf of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), at the World Water Council’s 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France. The forum “called upon international political, scientific, and engineering communities to focus on developing and implementing solutions to problems in which water figures prominently.” He told ASCE that “From the Americas standpoint, the focus at the forum concentrated on water and food security, water and sanitation, and water and climate change.”

Following the World Water Forum, Dale traveled to Munich, Germany to collaborate with the Japan Sewage Works Association (JSWA), the European Water Association (EWA), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) on how to foster wastewater technology among Europe, Japan, and the United States.

When not traveling the world, Dale plays a critical role at SEH to provide engineering solutions to clients throughout the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states.

Photo (bottom): Dale Jacobson, PE

7

Local Families Help Protect our Rivers When SEH’s Tom Henning, PE, CHMM, and his children spend a summer day at the river, chances are they aren’t sunbathing or swimming. Tom, who is an air quality specialist, and his sons spend many summer days monitoring the health of the Pigeon River near Sheboygan in eastern Wisconsin.

Volunteers like the Hennings work in their local area to gather data on dissolved oxygen, temperature, transparency, flow, and habitats as part of the Water Action Volunteers Stream Monitoring (WAV) program.

“It’s a good opportunity for my kids to learn about water quality and to discover the variety of animals that live in the river,” Henning said.

The connections to the environment are the reasons that Tom initially became involved. A less expected benefit has been the impact on his family. “This program gives me the chance to spend more time with my kids. It’s a great experience for them and me, and great for our environment.”

Photo: Tom Henning, PE, CHMM

Check out more stories about

how SEH is Building a Better

World for All of UsTM, online

at sehinc.com/insight.

r

WISCONSIN

Helpfor Homes is a

service provided in Brighton, Colorado to

low-income senior and disabled homeowners who need exterior home

repairs, painting, and yard work and cannot afford a commercial company to provide these

services. For the past four years, professionals in SEH’s Rocky Mountain offices (Colorado and Wyoming) have rallied to

volunteer with Help for Homes, providing free labor and optimism. The team is led by SEH Traffic Engineer Jon Larson, PE.

This May, a team of 12 SEH professionals helped two homeowners with outdoor improvements. Tasks included fence and gate repair, gutter repair, and lots of gardening and yard work. One of the home-owners the SEH team assisted was a 90-year-old woman who had planted extensive flower beds when she was younger, but was no longer able to keep them up. Our team helped restore them to their former beauty.

Since 2006, Help for Homes has assisted more than 100 homeowners in Brighton. Volunteers from around the community and metro area form teams to work on the homes each spring.

Helping Out at

Help for Homes

Sheboygan

Photos: (left) George Walton, PE, and Dave Whiskeyman; (right) Basia Kaminska and Laurie Pennington

SEH News

When P.R. Banister opened his civil engineering business in 1927, he knew that high quality service equaled success. But he

probably didn’t know that 85 years later, his one-person office would be a multidisciplined consulting services firm of 550 employees in nearly 30 offices across the nation. This year, SEH celebrates its 85th birthday, and our commitment to service remains unwavering. We reinforce this commitment with our guiding principle that in all we do, we are Building a Better World for All of Us TM.

Our commitment to building a better world goes beyond the services we provide our clients; it extends to how we give back when the work day is done. This mindset is one of the important commitments we share with you — our clients in both the public and private sectors. As we celebrate 85 years of service, we have been inspired by the philanthropy and volunteerism of our colleagues and our clients; we share some of the stories in this issue in the hope that you find them inspiring as well.

Bob Kost Achieves Recognition for Significant Contributions

The Lambda Alpha International Society inducted Bob Kost, who leads planning and landscape architecture for SEH in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Iowa. Inductees must have achieved professional distinction with a minimum of 10 years of experience, made outstanding contributions to the advancement of land economics, and distinguished themselves in their communities through public service.

Jeanne LeBron Receives Doug Plack Golden Eagle Award

The Omaha Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Post has named SEH’s Director of Federal Programs Jeanne LeBron the 2012 recipient of the Doug Plack Golden Eagle Award. Award recipients demonstrate dedication to country, the engineering profession and family, support of community and youth programs, and a willingness to respond to those in need.

Innovative Design Receives Merit Award

The American Society of Landscape Architects of Minnesota honored SEH with a Merit Award for the innovative design of the new Mississippi River Bridge Plaza on the University of Minnesota campus.

Celebrating our Birthday

SEH In Sight is the official newsletter of Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH®), an employee-owned multidisciplined firm of engineers, architects, planners, and scientists with offices across the nation. Designed for our clients, this publication communicates industry trends, client news, and SEH happenings. ©2012

CORPORATE OFFICE: 3535 Vadnais Center Drive, St Paul, MN 55110-5196

TEL: 800.325.2055 | FAX: 651.490.2150 | EMAIL: info@sehinc.com | WEB: sehinc.com

CEO/President: Sam L. Claassen, PE

For additional information, contact Director of Marketing Communications Dawn Williams at dwilliams@sehinc.com.

Follow SEH on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

AWARD WINNER

AWARD WINNERAviation Wins Three Awards

The Minnesota Council of Airports presented SEH and our clients with three awards for past design and rehabilitation projects:

• TheProjectoftheYear for Pavement Rehabilitation for the Orr Regional Airport in Orr, Minnesota;

• TheProjectoftheYearforAirfield Pavement Rehabilitation for the Richard B. Helgeson Airport in Two Harbors, Minnesota; and

• The Governor’s Award for the Walker Municipal Airport in Walker, Minnesota.