EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President
Elizabeth Fountain, PE
Ph: (239) 939-1020
Fax: (239) 939-3412
elizabethfountain@wilsonmiller.com

Vice President
Peter Pellerito, PE
Ph: (239) 410-2394
Fax (239) 936-8332
ppellerito@drapertechonline.com

Secretary
Dan Waters, PE
Ph: (239) 649-4040
Fax (239) 643-5716
danielwaters@wilsonmiller.com

Treasurer
Marlene Messam, PE
Ph: (239) 947-1771
Fax: (239) 947-1715
messammarlene@stanleygroup.com

Past President/Membership
David Romano, PE
Ph: (239) 985-1200
Fax: (239) 985-1258
davidromano@holemontes.com

State Director
John English, PE
Ph: (239) 649-4040
Fax (239)643-5716
johnenglish@wilsonmiller.com

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

The The February Dinner Meeting was held at Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers and the guest speaker was Mr. Bill Barton, P.E., Chairman of the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority. Mr. Barton conducted a presentation regarding the expansion of Interstate 75 and the proposal of 10-laning the Interstate by creating toll lanes. Mr. Barton offered great insight on the benefits of the proposal and the design scenarios. Many of us depend on the ability to use this roadway and understand how critical the need for expansion is. I encourage you to follow this issue closely and provide input when asked. I would like to thank Mr. Barton for his participation in our dinner meeting and providing our members with an inside look at the expansion issue of I-75.

In recognition of Engineer’s Week as February 18th - 24th, Lee County Board of County Commissioners presented a proclamation during their meeting on February 20th. Calusa Chapter Vice-President, Pete Pellerito, P.E. and myself were in attendance to accept the proclamation and offer our appreciation. The proclamation attests to the importance of engineers and the contribution engineers make to the local community. A copy of the proclamation is included within this month’s newsletter. Be proud of what you do!
» View The Resolution Here

As another recognition of our fellow engineers, the Calusa Chapter is requesting nominations for the following Engineering awards: Engineer of the Year, Young Engineer of the Year, Government Engineer of the Year, Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement, and Award for Outstanding Service to the Engineering Profession. I encourage each of you to please take time to recognize your fellow engineers and send in your nominations. The members should be receiving a follow-up e-mail within the next week. The awards will be distributed to the recipients during our June dinner meeting.

I would like to offer another thank you to our MatchCounts coordinators, Rebecca King and Janine Stefanoski and all the volunteers and sponsors of the event. The event was very successful. The next step is the State Competition in Orlando and we have three (3) teams attending from our local schools. A summary of the event and winners is provided inside this month’s newsletter.

Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you at future meetings and events.

Elizabeth Fountain, PE
President – Calusa Chapter

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Call for Volunteers - Naples High School Academy of Architecture and Engineering

Bob Bentley of the Naples High School Academy of Architecture and Engineering has requested the assistance of the Chapter’s membership. The purpose of Academy is to introduce the students to the many different fields of engineering and architecture, and to increase awareness and interest in these fields as well as related fields such as survey, planning, and technician trades. Bob is looking for engineers who are willing to help in class, serve as mentors, judge contests, contribute financially, or any other way. The Academy has also established an Advisory committee comprised of local engineers, architects, parents and other interested parties. Your participation on the Committee would also be welcomed. If you wish to help, please call Bob at 239-377-2254 or email him at bentlebo@collier.k12.fl.us.

FES Membership… Pass It Along
FES has welcomed over 350 new members since August 1, 2006. Thank you for taking the time to pass the value of membership along to a colleague, friend, and business associates. The strength of membership begins at the chapter level.

• Invite a colleague to a chapter luncheon,
• Forward the latest edition of this chapter newsletter or EngiNews,
• Mentor a newly licensed Engineer Intern or Professional Engineer, and
• Learn about the leadership roles at the chapter and state level by attending the FES Leadership Conference.

• enginews@fleng.org – Add to receive the FES EngiNews, a bi-weekly electronic newsletter to keep you abreast of the latest society news, chapter tools, and industry information.
• fes@fleng.org – Add to receive information about upcoming events.
• seminars@fleng.org – Add to receive the latest listing of continuing education programs and confirmation when registering for continuing education courses.
• fice@fleng.org – Add to receive the FICE Update, a monthly publication for FICE member firms.

SHELL OIL COMPANY AND FLORIDA ENGINEERING FOUNDATION TOP STATE MATHCOUNTS COMPETITION SPONSOR LIST AGAIN IN 2007

In 2006, Florida Engineering Foundation increased its sponsorship amount significantly to reach an all-time high of $6,000. The Florida Engineering Foundation’s sponsorship includes funds to support training retreats for the winning Florida team to prepare for the national competition. In addition to this sponsorship, FEF has increased their monetary contribution to the Coach of the Year award recipient to $500 and will now be awarding the coach of Florida’s top team a cash award of $500. The sponsorship and additional contributions coincide with the Foundation’s Mission Statement “To promote and enhance engineering education in Florida in order to position our state as a technological leader in the global economy.”

The Florida Engineering Society is also pleased to announce that Shell Oil Company has renewed their Geometry level sponsorships of the Florida MATHCOUNTS Competition! Shell’s $5,000 contribution to Florida’s competition, as well as to four other state MATHCOUNTS competitions and the national competition, truly emphasizes the company’s investment in today’s youth and in the future of engineering.

"Shell is pleased to support MATHCOUNTS. This program fits perfectly with Shell's strategy to support promising students as they pursue innovative projects with an underlying emphasis on math and science. Math and science skills are extremely important to many occupations at Shell. As the number of engineering and geosciences graduates diminishes, it becomes even more important to encourage students' to begin building their math and science skills at an early age”, said John Hofmeister, President, Shell Oil Company.

In addition, Lockheed Martin and PBS&J have each renewed their Algebra level sponsorships of Florida’s MATHCOUNTS Competition, emphasizing their company’s primary philanthropic mission to strengthen student ability and advance K-16 education, especially in math and science.

Lastly, FES thanks those companies who offer their support year after year. It is their dedication and generous contributions that enable us to administer such a program. Thank you to all of our 2007 sponsors:

Florida MATHCOUNTS, a math competition for middle school students around the state, is the most productive and member-involved program that the Florida Engineering Society promotes. Twenty local chapters have competitions, with their winners going to Orlando for a statewide competition in March, which is conducted on the home court of the Orlando Magic at the Amway Arena. These Mathletes® receive star treatment and an introduction into engineering as a profession.

The Florida MATHCOUNTS Competition is set for March 29-30, 2007 at the Sheraton Downtown Hotel and the Amway Arena in Orlando. The competition will conclude with the traditional outing to Friday night’s home game of the Orlando Magic vs. Indiana Pacers.

For more information on MATHCOUNTS, please call Dee Kring, CMP, Director of Member Events, at 850-224-7121.

Civil PE Review Course
The FES Civil PE Review Course is returning to the Orlando area August 24-26 and September 21-23.
Check our Web site (www.fleng.org/seminars.cfm) in the near future for exact dates and more details.

FES Leadership Conference
June 8-9, 2007
Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront

Leadership… You’ve Got the Power!

The FES Leadership Advisory Committee, chaired by Gail Washington, PE, is pleased to invite you to attend the 2007 FES Leadership Conference, June 8-9, 2007. Attendees will be inspired to discover their leadership skills and powers. The facilitator is Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young, professor of Industrial Engineering at UCF and who serves as the Director of the Center for Engineering Leadership and Learning. Registration is available on-line at www.fleng.org.

The conference will be held at the beautiful Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront resort. FES is pleased to have secured a discounted group rate of only $119 single or double occupancy at the resort. To secure your room, please call 800-526-2609 and use reference code LEC. For more information on the resort, please visit www.hiltoncocoabeach.com.

Questions? Contact Kate Ray at 850-224-7121.

Please visit www.fleng.org for the latest listing of continuing education programs.

2007 GMEC Conference
April 26-27, 2007
Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs
6 PDHs of technical engineering credit

This annual conference for geotechnical engineers has everything…
Technical reports and case studies
      Dynamic Pile Testing
      Use of Micro-piles to Underpin Drilled Shafts at the Tampa, Hillsborough County Expressway Reversible Lane Project
      Ground Vibrations
      Port of Miami Tunnel Case Study
      Current Research Projects at UF and UCF

Presentation of the prestigious 2007 GMEC Award plus

Professional Practice 101
The Essentials of Risk Management and Profitability for Project Managers

And Exhibits by YOUR equipment and service providers

FICE/FDOT Advanced Project Traffic Forecasting
May 16, 2007
Embassy Suites Hotel Orlando North
8 PDHs

Who Should Attend? - Engineers, Planners, and Designers responsible for traffic forecasts used in the design of projects on FDOT highways.

Course Information - This is a one-day course that teaches the techniques for developing project traffic forecasts. Participants will be instructed in the use of the Trends, 18K ESAL, and Turning Movement tools, and will work sample problems of each. The participants will learn how to import traffic data directly from the Florida Traffic Information DVD into these tools. Instructors will provide guidance on the proper selection of design criteria inputs to the forecasting tools, and will demonstrate their use in actual case examples.

The course also demonstrates the new Project Traffic Forecasting database that will be accessible through a website. Summary forecast data will be stored in a database, and PDF copies of the full reports will be stored
online. This information will be available online as a reference for the engineers and planners developing project traffic forecasts on the same or similar highways.

Requirements - A prerequisite for this course is a completion certificate for the Basic Project Traffic Forecasting Course, which is available by clicking on the link below. Each participant needs to bring a laptop computer with a DVD drive and Windows 2003 or later OS.

Registration Fee
$375 FES/FICE Members and FDOT Employees
$475 Non-member

Questions - Please call FICE Headquarters at 850-224-7121 or e-mail seminars@fleng.org

2007 FICE/FDOT Consultants’ Conference
Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport
May 23-24, 2007
“The Challenges Ahead” featuring…

Keynote Speakers
      Hank Fishkind, PhD, addressing the economic challenges
      Karl J. Ahlrichs, challenging long-held maxims about recruitment and retention

As always…

Relevant Discussion Topics
      Public Private Partnership/Privatization
      The Anatomy of a Transportation Project
      Important Industry Updates
      Mutual Gains – Progress Report
      Legislative Update
      DBE/MBE Progress Report

Valuable Networking Opportunities

Registration Now Open for FES/FDEP State Revolving Fund Workshop May 31-June 1
The Florida Engineering Society with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is hosting the Water Facility State Revolving Fund (SFR) Workshop, May 31-June 1 at the Hilton Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Seats sell out fast, make your reservations today!

To download a complete brochure with agenda and to register online, please visit http://www.fleng.org/seminars.cfm?event_id=286.
If you have any questions about this year's event, please contact Dee Kring, CMP, Director of Member Events, at 850-224-7121 or dkring@fleng.org.

Site Development Permitting in Sarasota County
June 29, 2007
Hyatt Sarasota
6 PDHs of technical engineering credit

Mark your calendar. The agenda for this information packed seminar will soon be finalized. In addition to detailed permitting information from Sarasota County permitting officials, FES has also invited representatives from the cities of Venice and North Port, the Town of Longboat Key, FDOT, and SWFWMD. Check our Web site (www.fleng.org/seminars.cfm) for the finalized agenda.

Gain useful information while earning your required technical engineering PDHs for the renewal of your PE license.
$249 FES/FICE Members
$349 Non-members

To Members of the Calusa Chapter - We Need Your Input!

FES Seeks Award Nominations

FES members are well known for distinction of service and significance of impact on the engineering profession. It is time to award exceptional FES members for outstanding influence and distinction. All nominations are due by March 15, 2007. Detailed descriptions of each award can be found at http://www.fleng.org/awards.cfm. Please fill in some blanks and fax or e-mail it to our FES Calusa Chapter President Elizabeth Fountain at (239)-939-3412, elizabethfountain@wilsonmiller.com.

Past Newsletters

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