Chattanooga Engineers Club

www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org

New Location, Free Parking, Great Food, Great Programs

NEXT MEETING___________________________

Monday, May 11, 2009 - Noon – DOUBLETREE HOTEL, Second Floor (407 Chestnut St., Chattanooga, TN 37402)

“Bringing a private environment to public transportation” – Steve Rasor, Steve Smith – Vxicom PET

With renewed emphasis on energy conservation and environmental protection, scientists and political leaders are looking at public transportation as the best means to transport people. Public transportation, however, does not provide the amenities of a personal automobile. What if we had a modern transportation system that could carry us within our own private environment from point-to-point without a driver? What if the system could provide comforts of home and reduce energy requirements?

Our speakers, Steve Rasor and Steve Smith will lead a discussion of how such a vision could be realized here in Chattanooga. They hope to involve our club members in brainstorming and out-of-the-box thinking about transportation choices and human preferences that would be directed in more beneficial and responsible ways. They believe the stage is set for the collective thinking by engineers to lead us to new modes of transport.

Steven Rasor specializes in the repair and maintenance of high speed aircraft. His company, Star Avionics is based at Lovell Field, Chattanooga. As a US Marine, he served as crew chief for the presidential helicopter Marine One and worked in vibration analysis for Sikorsky Helicopters.

Stephen Smith, Chemical Engineer, Coalsmith Consultants, specializes in the chemistry of coal utilization. In his 30-year career at TVA he provided engineering maintenance and coal combustion optimization to utility power plant operations.

FUTURE MEETINGS________________________

Monday, May 18 - Noon - PLANT TOUR & PRESENTATION: Ken Garner Manufacturing - Ken Garner Mfg. is a supplier of counterweights for cranes and other construction equipment. Counterweights are filled with high density concrete in which sand and gravel aggregate are replaced by heavier materials to obtain the required densities. To date, the heaviest counterweight manufactured by Ken Garner Mfg. weighs 35,000 pounds. This company has formulations to produce densities in excess of 66% of the density of solid iron.

John and Ken Garner, Jr. will provide free box lunches to CEC members who register for the tour in advance.  Please make your reservation with Misty Walker by e-mail at mwalker@robbinsbohr.com or by phone at 423-756-4430 ext. 138.

Speaker: John Garner

Meeting Place: Ken Garner Mfg., 1201 E. 28th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37404

 

Monday, May 25 - NO MEETING - MEMORIAL DAY

 

Monday, June 1 - Noon - "Impact of 3D high definition scanning to our global market"

Speaker: Shane Loyd, Owner/Founder, The RLS Group, LLC

Meeting Place:  DOUBLETREE HOTEL

 

Monday, June 8 - Noon – “Algae-based Biodiesel:  Fact or Fairytale?”

Speaker:  Dr. Tricia Thomas, Visiting Assistant Professor at UTC

Meeting Place:  DOUBLETREE HOTEL

Monday, June 8 - 12:50 p.m. - "ACE Mentor Program of Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia" - After-school program for high school students to learn more about careers in architecture, construction and engineering that is free to students and schools.

Speaker: Linda Allen, AIA, Unum Corporate Planning and Construction

Meeting Place:  DOUBLETREE HOTEL

 

Monday, June 15 – Noon – New programs at Chattanooga State partnered with the following companies - VW, TVA, Alstom, Westinghouse, Wrigley, DuPont, etc.

Speaker:  Tim McGhee, Department Head, Engineering Technology at Chattanooga State 

Meeting Place:  DOUBLETREE HOTEL

 

Monday, June 22 – Noon – “Chattanooga wastewater treatment”

Speaker: Jerry Stuart

Meeting Place:  DOUBLETREE HOTEL

 

Monday, June 29 – Noon – PLANT TOUR & PRESENTATION:  BlueCross BlueShield “Cameron Hill Campus”

Speakers:  Bob Worthington, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee,  and Dan Jacobson, Vice President Properties & Corporate Services Division for BlueCross BlueShield

Meeting Place: Cameron Hill Campus, 1 Cameron Hill Circle

Chattanooga, TN  37402, Reception Hall

 

PREVIOUS MEETING_______________________

Allan Gentry -- Solar Energy Solution to Conservation

Mr. Gentry talked about the Cleveland State program to improve power utilization and alternative renewal energy. Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, solar thermal, and solar ovens were reviewed by Allan.

The industry is striving to improve efficiency of thin film, PV applications, lighting, solar cooling, building material, windows, power storage, etc. to reduce demand for total energy. 

Less than 1% of U.S. energy has been met by solar sources.  We are fourth in the world to utilize solar power to meet our energy needs.

In 2008, 8,000 PV Systems were added in the U.S. with a 342 megawatt capacity.  Domestic PV cell manufacturing capacity grew in 2008 by 66%.

Cleveland State has trained students to be certified solar device installers.  The solar program is one course with a series of 6 classes in the construction technology program.  The classes include the Zero Energy Housing portion of the program.  The classes meet once per week to accommodate the schedules of working adults.  Habitat for Humanity has been working with Cleveland State to incorporate energy efficiency into their construction process.

Allan receives several calls daily concerning specific solar needs.

Allan mentioned Wacker Chemie AG, a manufacturer of polycrystalline silicon, which will locate its new plant in Charleston, TN.

 

ITEMS OF INTEREST_______________________

The Chattanooga Engineer's Club has relocated its meeting place to the DOUBLETREE HOTEL, CHATTANOOGA (407 Chestnut St., Chattanooga, TN 37402). Free parking is available in the gated parking lot on the south side of the Hotel. The gate will be open from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. There is additional free parking east of the Hotel on Chestnut Street in the paved parking pit.

Looking for details on a local society meeting? Links to local engineering societies are available to you at: http://www.chattanoogaengineersclub.org/engineer.

Click on the following link to view Chattanooga State’s Summer Enrichment program for Teens, http://www.chattanoogastate.edu/continuinged/busmwksp.asp

 

QUESTIONS and SUGGESTIONS______________

If you have any questions, items of interest to the Chattanooga Engineers Club, or suggestions for 2009 programs, please contact Joe Robbins by e-mail at jrobbins@robbinsbohr.com or by phone at 423-756-4430. You can find membership application forms, references to future programs, historical data, and other info at: http://www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org. To receive future meeting announcements by email, join the Chattanooga Technology Organization mailing list at: http://www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org/email