Chattanooga Engineers Club

NEXT MEETING____________________________

Monday, August 24, 2009 - Noon - DOUBLETREE HOTEL, Second Floor, Inspiration Room (407 Chestnut St., Chattanooga, TN 37402)

"Boosting Mathematics, Engineering, Science and Technology Careers”- Lynda Pickett

Ooltewah High School's Mathematics, Engineering, Science and Technology (MEST) Academy is doing great things. It is helping teens prepare for a career in engineering or an engineering related field. The Academy provides design experiences, including bridge design, tower design and robotics. Ooltewah High School is excited about what it can offer students, and it hopes the Club will share the excitement.

Lynda Pickett will discuss how the MEST Academy emphasizes the interconnections among mathematics, the humanities, technology and science. MEST prepares students to become creative problem solvers through a rigorous specialized curriculum and community-based partnerships.

Lynda Pickett is the drafting teacher at Ooltewah High School and the lead teacher for the School's MEST Academy.

[Before our main presentation, 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 community workforce and economic needs.]

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 in the Inspiration Room 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 31 - Noon - PLANT TOUR & PRESENTATION: Advanced Vehicle Test Facility (AVTF) (4605 Amnicola Highway)

Speaker: Ron Bailey, Guerry Professor of Engineering, UTC

Box lunches will be provided; therefore, reservations are required. Please RSVP by 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26^th 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_______________________

Wayne Huddleston, Project Manager, US Army Corps of Engineers, presented a detailed explanation of the Chickamauga Lock concrete growth problems, the methods of funding the original lock preservation and replacement, and the use of Stimulus Funds to prefabricate new lock components.

In 2003, Congress authorized a project to replace the lock, which had deteriorated due to concrete growth caused by chemical reactions between the rock aggregate and cement in the structure. The total project cost is estimated to be $375 million with an assumed lock completion date of 2014. Mr. Huddleston was able to tap into federal stimulus fund money, allocated in small $25 million packages, by authorizing the prefabrication of several units.

Mr. Huddleston stated that the cofferdam work is progressing on schedule. Currently, 14 of the 17 wall segments of the cofferdam are in place, and 19 of the 24 coffer sections are in place. Following construction of the lock, a large concrete thrust block will be installed under the 153 highway bridge to transmit thrust from the northern end of the dam into the earth.

Chickamauga Dam, with its navigation lock, was built about 70 years ago by the Tennessee Valley Authority to protect the City of Chattanooga from flooding and to enhance navigation on the Tennessee River. The original 60-foot by 360-foot navigation lock enabled one barge at a time to navigate through the dam, by raising or lowering the vessels 53 feet between Chickamauga and Nickajack reservoirs. The new 110-foot by 600-foot lock will allow 9 barges simultaneously to navigate through the dam.

ITEMS OF INTEREST_______________________

The Chattanooga Engineer's Club meets at the DOUBLETREE HOTEL, CHATTANOOGA, Second Floor, Inspiration Room (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

QUESTIONS and SUGGESTIONS______________

If you have any questions, items that would be of interest to the Chattanooga Engineers Club, or suggestions for future 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.