Chattanooga Engineers Club

www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org

 

NEXT MEETING____________________________

Monday, October 5 - Noon – DOUBLETREE HOTEL, Second Floor, Inspiration Room (407 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402)

"The Brave New World of Digital Mapping - Putting the Globe Together"- Dr. Alan Stevens

Road maps and GPS devices have become invaluable in our ability to navigate the world around us. The geographical or “spatial” information they provide can also assist policy makers and business managers in everything from disaster preparedness and recovery to day-to-day business decisions. But often in emergencies or even day-to-day situations we need to draw on data from several different sources. If these data do not correlate or fit well together, we may face a potential disaster.  There is therefore a need for a common language, a common reference system, a common framework - a spatial data infrastructure – that would allow us to do so.

 

Dr. Alan Stevens will describe the international efforts underway to establish such common reference system – one spearheaded by the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) Association. The system would make spatial data universally accessible and would allow the data from all over the world to be integrated with the use of computers and provide a variety of geographical perspectives.

 

Dr. Stevens is the International Program Manager Retiree for the U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and the USGS Geospatial Information Office.  He also works as a member of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) Secretariat. This includes helping to build the GSDI into a bona fide association promoting the development of National Spatial Data Infrastructures (NSDI) throughout the world.

 

FUTURE MEETINGS________________________

The DOUBLETREE staff has asked our Club members to arrive no earlier than 11:30 a.m. Speakers may arrive 15 minutes before then. Since the DOUBLETREE staff bills the Club for those who sit at designated dining tables, the Club asks that if you do not plan to purchase a lunch, please sit in a chair at the perimeter of the room.

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

Monday, October 19 - Noon - "Micro Chemical Processing Technology for Production of Biodiesel Fuel"

Speakers: Trip Dacus and Jennifer Lewis, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, UTC

Monday, October 26 – Noon – “World-Wide Web-Based Engineering Student Laboratories”

Speakers: Jim Henry; Alan Voss, TVA Retiree

Monday, November 2 – Noon – “Rethinking the Nature and Fate of Our Universe”

Speaker: Dr. Robert Marlowe, Professor of Physics at UTC

Monday, November 9 – Noon – “Air Permitting Process for the New Volkswagen Plant”

Speakers: Bob Colby, Director of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau (CHCAPCB); Alan Frazier, Engineer at CHCAPCB; Cynthia McDaniel, EIT at the CHCAPCB

Monday, November 16 – Noon – To be determined.

Monday, November 23 – Noon – “New Events and Activities at Creative Discovery Museum

Speaker: Henry Schulson, Director at Creative Discovery Museum

 

PREVIOUS MEETING_______________________

Preston Roberts, the Project Coordinator of the Take Root Project, discussed the project’s goal, which is to have Chattanooga’s downtown zone planted with a 15 percent canopy of tree cover, a number recommended by American Forests.  To date, volunteers have planted 620 trees. Thirty-one different species of trees have been planted from the Tennessee River south to Interstate 24, east to Central Avenue and west to Riverside Drive. Watering will be accomplished with two trucks, one a tanker provided by the city that will fill 20-gallon green irrigation bags located near each tree.  Tree planting will continue next year with new funding from the Lyndhurst Foundation and continued funding from individual donors.

Mr. Roberts reviewed the benefits of an increased urban forest including cooler summertime temperatures, storm water run-off control, energy savings, improved air quality, increased property values, improved livability in neighborhoods, and carbon sequestration. 

Mr. Roberts said that Take Root hopes to plant 800 more trees in the downtown zone within the next year or two.  But that will take more money. The first 620 trees were planted at an estimated cost of $88,000 obtained through private and corporate funding, as well as a $100,000 grant from the Benwood Foundation and a matching $12,000 state grant. Chattanooga has not provided financial support, but the city has provided offices for Take Root and consultation services by city forester Gene Hyde.

Mr. Roberts said that in the spring of 2010, the group will push to obtain more funding and spread the message of Take Root and the importance of trees throughout the community.

 

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 only. The gate will be open from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Plan to arrive at about 11:30 a.m., if you intend to park in the limited space available. No additional parking is available in the pit east of the Hotel on Chestnut Street.

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

Chattanooga Technology Council October events:

Thursday, October 15 – Luncheon, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at Chattanoogan Hotel

“Moving Chattanooga Companies Forward in a New Economy” - Dr. Phil Swan, IBM Chief Economist - Cost: $15 for non-tech council members

Reservation deadline is Wednesday, October 7th. To make a reservation, call (423) 209-6813 or email Kelley Evatt, kevatt@chatc.org.

Wednesday, October 28 - 9:30 am to 11:00 am at UTC University Center Auditorium - “Making Chattanooga a Smarter City” -Mark Cleverley, Director Global Government Solutions, for IBM presents

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The State of Tennessee would like to invite each CEC member to be a guest for a day of networking and camaraderie at the Regional TP3 Workshop of your choice. These workshops will offer guidance on how to advance through the Tennessee Pollution Prevention Partnership (TP3) levels, promote membership outreach and mentor in sustainable practices, and encourage networking for benchmarking and information transfer.

Understand the criteria for advancing through the TP3 levels.

Hear innovative P2 projects and the benefits of TP3 membership.

Network with and get assistance from TP3 members in your area.

Share your ideas on what TP3 can do for you.

There is no fee for these workshops.  Please register by the deadline by sending an e-mail to the Regional Workshop Coordinator.

Workshop

Location

Regional Workshop Coordinator

East TN

(Thurs) 10/8/09

8:30a-12:30p

Register by

10/1/09

B&W Y-12

New Hope Visitor Center

602 Scarboro Road

Oak Ridge, TN 37885

Mark Penland

865-594-5512

mark.penland@tn.gov

Middle TN

(Fri) 10/16/09

8:30a-12:30p

Register by

10/9/09

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations

1201 Bridgestone Parkway

LaVergne, TN 37086

Charles Jobe

615-687-7074

charles.jobe@tn.gov

West TN

(Wed) 10/21/09

8:30a-12:30p

Register by

10/14/09

Volvo Penta Marine Products

200 Robert Wallace Drive

Lexington, TN 38351

Vaughn Cassidy

731-512-1343

vaughn.cassidy@tn.gov

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.