Chattanooga Engineers Club

www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org

 

 

NEXT MEETING____________________________

Monday, August 17, 2009 - Noon - DOUBLETREE HOTEL, Second Floor (407 Chestnut St., Chattanooga, TN 37402)

"Progress Report on the Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project" - Wayne Huddleston, US Army Corps of Engineers

 

A new navigation lock is being built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just below the Chickamauga Dam on the Tennessee River about seven miles upstream from Chattanooga. The new lock was needed because the existing lock developed structural deficiencies resulting from physical expansion of its concrete structure.  The phenomenon of concrete growth was observed soon after the locks initial operation in 1940.  Despite costly aggressive maintenance procedures, the continued concrete expansion threatened the structural integrity of the lock and limited its life.  Engineering reliability studies suggested that the probability of an event with unacceptable and possibly catastrophic results would increase significantly after 2010.  Construction of the new lock began in 2004.  It is 110’ wide by 600’ long – almost dwarfing the existing 60’ x 360 dam that is located along side of it.

 

Wayne Huddleston will describe the concrete growth issues at the existing lock, as well as the status of the new lock construction.  He will discuss the project schedule, budget, and the ongoing cofferdam contract.  Mr. Huddleston is with the Nashville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where he is the Manager for Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project.

 

FUTURE MEETINGS________________________

The DOUBLETREE staff has asked our Club members to arrive when the doors open at 11:30 a.m.  Speakers may arrive 15 minutes earlier.  Those who eat lunch at the Hotel should sit separately from those who do not. The staff counts those at the round tables with place settings and bills the Club for meals consumed. If you do not plan to purchase lunch, please sit in a chair on the perimeter of the room.  The Club officers and the DOUBLETREE staff appreciate your cooperation.

Monday, August 24 - Noon - "Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology Careers”

Speaker: Lynda Pickett, Drafting Teacher & BEST Advisor, Ooltewah High School

Before our main presentation beginning at Noon, Dr. James Catanzaro, President of Chattanooga State Community College, will speak briefly about changes and improvements at the college.  Chattanooga State is experiencing growth and has several initiatives in place to address workforce and economic needs.

Monday, August 31 - Noon - PLANT TOUR & PRESENTATION: Advanced Vehicle Test Facility (AVTF) (4605 Amnicola Highway)

Speaker: Ron Bailey, Guerry Professor of Engineering, UTC

The AVTF site is accessed from the Tennessee River Park Access Road.  Coming from downtown, turn left off Amnicola after passing under the railway bridge and before reaching Highway 153.  The entrance road to the track is about 1/3-mile on the left by the “Advanced Vehicle Test Facility” sign.

 

Box lunches will be provided; therefore, reservations are required.  Please RSVP by Monday, August 24th to Misty Walker by e-mail at mwalker@robbinsbohr.com or by phone at 423-756-4430 ext. 138.

Monday, September 7 - NO MEETING - In observance of Labor Day

Monday, September 14 - Noon - "Rapid Deployment Shelter System"

Speaker: Keith Buckner, V.P. of Manufacturing at Adaptive Methods

Monday, September 21 - Noon - "Today’s Recession and Financial Crisis-and a Way Forward”

Speaker: John Garrett, Professor of Economics at UTC

Monday, September 28 - Noon – “Benefits of Urban Tree Planting”

Speaker: Preston Roberts, Take Root

Monday, October 5 - Noon - "Implementing a Global Spatial Data Infrastructure”

Speaker: Alan Stevens, PhD, Scientist Emeritus, Federal Geographic Data Committee

Monday, October 12 – NO MEETING – In observance of Columbus Day

PREVIOUS MEETING_______________________

Rob Ellis, Geologist and Greenhouse Gas Program Manager at Advanced Waste Management Systems (AWMS) said his company was founded in 1985 to verify, as a third party, an organization’s greenhouse gas emissions.  The six greenhouse gases covered are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).  Accurate accounting of emissions is used to project changes in the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere and to determine emission contributions from specific sources.  Conflict of interest is managed on a per-program basis. 

 

Over the past few years, states and regions have established policies to qualify and measure GHGs.  Rob discussed The Climate Registry, which compiles information on annual emissions from each member of the registry.  Participation in The Climate Registry is voluntary, and The Registry has members throughout North America.  Shaw and Alcoa are voluntary members of The Registry. 

 

Rob also mentioned the Waxman-Markley comprehensive energy bill, which includes a cap-and-trade greenhouse gas reduction plan designed to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent by 2020.  Other provisions include new renewable requirements for utilities, studies and incentives regarding new carbon capture and sequestration technologies, energy efficiency incentives for homes and buildings, and grants for green jobs, among other things.

 

Rob said that The Environmental Protection Agency draft rule mandates a national inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in excess of 25,000 tons/year. 

 

ITEMS OF INTEREST_______________________

The Chattanooga Engineer's Club meets at 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

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Engineering and Computer Science in the cooperation with the Division of Continuing Education present: A Preparation course for PMP Certification: August 4-13, 2009, 5:30pm-7:30pm, EMCS 231, UTC Engineering, Math, and Computer Science Building, Chattanooga, TN www.utc.edu/ContinuingEducation/ContinuingEducation/documents/PMPCertificationShortCourserev4.pdf

 

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