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ACEC-SC/SCDOT 12th Annual Meeting is Drawing Near
Hopefully, you have marked your calendars for Oct. 22 when the ACEC-SC and SCDOT Partnering Committee holds its Annual Meeting which is being held at Seawell’s on Rosewood Drive in Columbia.
This meeting, like last year not only features a strong lineup of speakers but also has the trade show where you can meet goods and service providers that are specific to the transportation engineering and construction fields.
The annual meeting planning committee is responsible for this twelfth meeting. Members were Rick Fauteux, Jim O'Connor, Melvin Williams, Jerry Carter, Matt Lifsey, Mark Lester and Nathalia Rodriguez. They have assembled programs in three tracks: Project Development, Technical and Project.
Six professional development hours may be acquired by attending this meeting.
Click here to download the meeting brochure<<
Lobbyists Report
Joe S. Jones
The General Assembly may not be meeting every Tuesday through Thursday, but that does not mean there is no action in the State House complex.
A Senate Judiciary Subcommittee chaired by Sen. Larry Martin (R-Oconee) held a meeting on tort reform recently. This hearing is the beginning of getting this important legislation before the General Assembly when the legislature convenes in January, 2010.
A commission established last session known as the Tax Realignment Commission (TRAC) met in September. Its charge is to take a comprehensive look at the state’s tax structure. It plans to begin its study with sales tax exemptions and funding the states roads and bridges. The commission is to report to the General Assembly by Mar. 15, 2010.
TRAC members include: Jimmy Addison, SCANA Corporation; Kenneth Cosgrove, Piedmont Petroleum Corporation; Ben Kochenower, CPA, Cline Brandt Kochenower & Company; Burnet Maybank, JD, Nexsen Pruet (Chairman); Brian Moody, CPA, Moody CPA and Advisors; Jack Shuler, ArborOne Financial; Bob Steelman, Michelin North America Inc. (Vice Chairman); Charles S. Way Jr., The Beach Company; Don Weaver, Prime Financial Services; and Ken Wingate, CPA, JD, Sweeny, Wingate & Barrow PA. Ray N. Stevens, director of the South Carolina Department of Revenue, will serve as an ex-officio member of the commission.
A Senate panel heard testimony concerning the restructure of the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control. Among those testifying was DHEC Commissioner Earl Hunter who advised the senators not to make DHEC a cabinet agency.
A legislator has shown interest in the Surveyor Registration Law. Hopefully nothing is coming from this inquiry because it dealt with loosening registration requirements. SCSPLS and the Registration Board have worked hard to strengthen registration rules with specific educational requirements.
Outside the State House complex, a number of groups who are regulated by Labor, Licensing and Regulations, are meeting and talking about situations with LLR, registration boards, and registrants. Right now, these meetings have not reached any conclusions or recommendations.
One cannot write about the State House without mentioning the Governor. Rumors abound over what will happen between now and the first month of the session. One thing is for sure, if some resolution is not found this issue is going to be a cloud over the legislative session until it is resolved.
Chester County Gets World Class Research Facility
The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) officially broke ground for its disaster safety Research Center in Chester County, SC. Unique in all the world, this lab will have the ability to subject full-sized, 2,000 square foot, one- and two-story homes, light commercial construction and agricultural buildings to a variety of hazards, including realistic Category 3 hurricanes, wind-blown fire (mimicking wildfire embers), and hailstorms.
The primary purpose of this $40 million multi-peril research facility – funded entirely by property insurance companies, reinsurers and brokers – is to identify effective methods of minimizing risk and loss to homes, businesses, and communities resulting from natural disasters.
“When finished next year, this research facility will effectively represent a quantum leap forward for building science,” notes Julie Rochman, IBHS President and CEO. “IBHS will be able to meticulously recreate a variety of natural catastrophes in a very controlled, repeatable environment. This will allow us to identify and evaluate various building material and construction techniques and systems in ways that have only been dreamed of by scientists, public policymakers and industry for many years.”
Rochman said that construction of this research center is extremely complex, yet the assembled team of professionals is on track to complete construction by spring 2010. “Keeping high winds, water, fire and hail out of homes and businesses is our goal as an organization – managing high winds, water, fire and hail in a laboratory setting presents a whole different set of challenges. We are proud to be associated with Odell Associates (architect), Walter P. Moore (structural engineers), United Engineering Group (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing), and Holder Construction (general contractor) for this historic undertaking.”
In addition, Rochman stated, all of IBHS research will be made publicly available, so that consumers and builders will know which products and systems provide the best protection against wind, water, fire and hail. This will be done both by creation of written reports, and via high-speed, high-definition video of the tests that will be shared with media and on the Web.
Gene Dinkins Elected NCEES Treasurer
At the 2009 NCEES Annual Meeting, delegates elected Gene L. Dinkins, P.E., P.L.S., as NCEES treasurer for a two-year term (2009–11).
A resident of Columbia, SC, Mr. Dinkins has been a member of the South Carolina State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors since 2004. He is the current board chair.
Mr. Dinkins also served as 2007–09 NCEES Southern Zone vice president. He has over 35 years of experience in land surveying and engineering and is president of Cox
and Dinkins, Inc., a land surveying and civil engineering firm. He is a past chair of the Richland County (SC) Planning Commission and the City of Columbia Planning Commission.
He has also been a guest lecturer at the University of South Carolina’s School of Law and its College of Engineering. Mr. Dinkins holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Clemson University as well as a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of South Carolina.
NCEES is a national nonprofit organization composed of engineering and surveying licensing boards representing all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. An accredited standards developer with the American National Standards Institute, NCEES develops, scores, and administers the examinations used for engineering and surveying licensure throughout the United States. NCEES also provides services facilitating professional mobility for licensed engineers and surveyors. Its headquarters is located in Clemson, SC.
South Carolina is Among 6 States to Receive National Science Foundation Research Projects
The National Science Foundation awarded six research projects, each representing a state-wide consortium of institutions, for $20 Million over five years.
South Carolina's award focuses on biofabrication--an emerging technology defined as computer-aided, layer-by-layer deposition of biologically relevant material with the purpose of engineering functional 3-D tissues and organs. This project unites the South Carolina Research Authority, Clemson University, Claflin University, Furman University, the University of South Carolina at Beaufort, South Carolina State University, Voorhees College, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina at Columbia, as well as Greenville Technical College and Denmark Technical College, in an effort to engineer a 3-D vascular tree. Specific areas of research include analysis of structural-functional properties of an authentic branched vascular tree; directed differentiation of adult stem cells into monomer units of vascular cell types, specifically to induce stem cells isolated from fat tissue to enter a smooth muscle cell lineage; and functional biomechanical testing of engineered, sequential segments and comparison to authentic branched vascular trees.
"This is a very collaborative and cooperative project whose end goal is to grow organs," said Jerry Odom, principal investigator and executive director of university foundations at the University of South Carolina. "Just think how important that could be to people waiting for transplants.” The project includes the establishment of a center at the Medical University of South Carolina, and 22 new hires with expertise in this area at institutions around the state.
Other states receiving NSF awards for state-wide consortium of institutions were Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, and South Dakota.
These Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Track-1 awards are made as cooperative agreements; they are intended to improve the research competitiveness of states by enhancing their academic research infrastructure in areas of science and engineering supported by NSF and critical to the jurisdiction's science and technology efforts.
These awards were made by the NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) in the Office of Integrative Activities. The mission of EPSCoR is to assist NSF in strengthening research and education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) throughout the United States, and to avoid the undue concentration of such research and education.
Tibshrany Honored for Service to NCEES
At its 2009 Annual Meeting, NCEES presented the Distinguished Service Award to Mitchell Tibshrany Jr., P.E., of Columbia, SC, for his dedicated service to the engineering and surveying professions.
A member of the SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and
Surveyors from 1996 to 2008, Mr. Tibshrany served as board chair, vice chair, and secretary during his tenure. While on the board, he was instrumental in decisions on budgets, policy, and enforcement issues, and he worked to ensure board representation at zone and national meetings and on NCEES committees. He also promoted faculty licensure and spoke to university students about the value of licensure. He is now an emeritus member of the South Carolina Board.
Mr. Tibshrany served as the 2005–07 Southern Zone vice president. He was a member of the Advisory Committee on Council Activities for four terms and served as a member of the Committee on Awards, the Mobility Task Force, and the Special Awards Task Force.
In 2009, Mr. Tibshrany was awarded the Southern Zone Distinguished Service Award.
Tibshrany has been a member of the South Carolina Society of Professional Engineers since 1973 and is as a past president of the organization’s Columbia chapter. He is a former chair of the South Carolina Joint Engineers Council and a past president of the Columbia and South Carolina sections of IEEE.
NCEES is a national nonprofit organization composed of engineering and surveying licensing boards representing all US states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. An accredited standards developer with the American National Standards Institute, NCEES develops, scores, and administers the examinations used for engineering and surveying licensure throughout the United States. NCEES also provides services facilitating professional mobility for licensed engineers and surveyors. Its headquarters is located in Clemson, SC.
The American Council of Engineering of South Carolina is a member of organization of the
American Council of Engineering Companies
ACEC-SC Reports is published for members firms and friends by
ACEC-SC.
Joe S. Jones
Executive Director
Ginger Booker
Account Executive
Please forward comments to:
PO Box 11937
Columbia, SC 29211
Tel 803-771-4271
Fax 803-771-4272
ginger@jma-associations.com
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"What we do is all around you."
 SC Engineering Conference
We would like to thank those that have committed to participate in the 2009 SC Engineering Conference.
Silver
Wilbur Smith Associates
Bronze
Collins Engineers, Inc.
Davis & Floyd, Inc.
City of Rock Hill
Life Cycle Engineering
New Carolina
Santee Cooper
Mid-Morning Break Sponsor
Carolina Engineering SolutionsCECS
Fluor
Parsons Brinckerhoff
THE LPA GROUP INC
Trade Show Exhibitors
Advanced Drainage Systems Inc.
Aerial Cartographics of America, Inc.
Asphalt Rubber Technology Service
Deemer Dana & Froehle LLP
Duke Energy
Godwin Pumps
Harris Integrated Solutions
Hayes Instrument Co.
Hayward Baker, Inc.
Insurance Management Consultants, Inc.
Mar Mac Construction Products
Mount Valley Foundation Services
Portland Cement Association, SE Region
Ram Jack of SC
Subsurface Construction Company, LLC
Tensar International Corp.
Tidewater Environmental Services, Inc.
TNEMEC Company
Vermeer Mid Atlantic Inc.
VSICOMPLY.COM
2009-2010 Calendar
October 1
ACEC-SC Board of Directors Meeting-Conference Call, 10:00 a.m.
October 10
Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day
October 7-10
ACEC Fall Conference LaQuinta Golf Resort, Palm Springs, CA
October 22
ACEC-SC/SCDOT Annual Meeting & Trade Show-Seawell's, Columbia
2009 Engineering Excellence Awards
We would like to congratulate our 2009 Engineering Excellence Awards winners and their clients.
Palmetto Award
WPC, Inc.
Taylor Brothers Marine Construction
Engineering Excellence Awards
WPC, Inc.
Taylor Brothers Marine Construction
BP Barber
St. John’s Water Company
BP Barber
Economic Zones World
Florence & Hutcheson
SC Department of Transportation
THE LPA GROUP INC. Darlington Raceway of South Carolina, LLC
THE LPA GROUP INC.
SC Department of Transportation
CH2M Hill
American Gypsum
GWA, Inc.
Medical University of South Carolina
S&ME, Inc.
Easley Commons Retail Associates, LLC
GEL Engineering, LLC
Briar’s Creek Sanctuary
RPM Engineers
Parkway Group, LLC
Dennis Corporation
City of Lancaster, SC
Honor Awards
HGBD/BV
Charleston Water System
Wilbur Smith Associates
Central Midlands Council of Governments
PRM Engineers, Inc.
Horry County, SC
Civil engineering Consulting Services
Town of Eloree
New Members
ACEC-SC welcomes the following new members.
Members
ACEC-SC would like to thank the following members for there continued support.
For membership information contact Ginger Booker at ginger@jma-associations.com.
About ACEC-SC
The mission of ACEC-SC is to promote and protect the business interests and professional standards of engineers in the state of South Carolina; and to improve member firms' ability to profitably provide quality services to their clients.
ACEC-SC is an Organization of more than 80 Engineering firms employing more than 4,000 individuals.
Membership Information
Officers/Directors
Committees
Articles of Incorporation
Constitution & Bylaws
www.acecsc.org
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