April 2024 Branch Meeting
The upcoming branch meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 9th, 2024 at the Alabama Department of Transportation Central Office in Conference Rooms 5, 6, 7, & 8 at 1409 Coliseum Boulevard. We will serve lunch at 11:30 a.m., then the meeting will begin at 12:00 p.m. and adjourn at approximately 1:00 p.m. We are excited to have the Auburn Student Chapter join us this month and provide a presentation on “Success at the Gulf Coast Student Symposium.”
This year, the Auburn University ASCE Student chapter had the opportunity to attend the 2024 Gulf Coast Regional Student Symposium at the beginning of March in New Orleans, LA. With 30 participating members competing in all of the national and regional competitions, the chapter placed first in 2 events and second in 2 events. Auburn University competed against 13 universities from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Come join the Montgomery Branch and hear all about the preparation and the process the Auburn University Chapter underwent to get ready for Symposium. The Montgomery Branch will also be recognizing the 3 scholarship recipients for 2024.
In addition to the presentation by the Auburn Student Chapter, the Montgomery Branch will be presenting three Montgomery Area high school students with our Annual Scholarship. We hope you will be there to support the future Civil Engineers!
This month’s lunch will be from Scott Street Deli and will consist of a sandwich, chips, cookie, and a drink. The cost of lunch will be $12 per person. If you plan to eat, please contact Dalton Chamblee at chambleed@dot.state.al.us no later than Monday, April 8, 2024.
Montgomery Branch Sets the Bar High at the 2024 Winter Meeting
The Montgomery Branch of ASCE set the bar high when it hosted the 2024 ASCE Alabama Winter Meeting at the prestigious Tiger Walk Suites at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. With over 165 attendees from across the State of Alabama, this year’s Winter Meeting was the largest to date and featured an impressive lineup of educational and interactive presentations. Attendees were also treated to a tour of the massive Jumbotron, making it an unforgettable experience. The success of the event was made possible by the generous support of numerous sponsors and exhibitors, without whom it would not have been possible. We look forward to seeing you in Dothan in 2025.
Click here to see photos, presentations, and more…
Tour of Thurlow Dam
On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, the Montgomery Branch of ASCE conducted a tour of the Thurlow Dam and Hydroelectric Generating Plant in Tallassee, Alabama. The Thurlow Dam, owned and operated by Alabama Power Company, is one of the first hydroelectric dams built in the State of Alabama with construction completed in 1930 on the Tallapoosa River. The dam was named in honor of Oscar G. Thurlow, a chief engineer, vice president and director of Alabama Power Company. Here are some cool facts about Thurlow Dam. The dam is 1,846 feet long with a maximum height of 62 feet. The dam is made of over 150,000 cubic yards of concrete. It operates 3 hydraulic turbines that can discharge 1,706,000 gallons per minute per unit.
📷 Credits: Michael Hora
2024 ALABAMA CIVIL ENGINEER LEGISLATIVE DAY AT THE STATE HOUSE
The 7th Annual Alabama Civil Engineering Legislative Day Drive-In was held on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at the Alabama Department of Archives & History and Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama. The Alabama Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Council of Engineer Companies (ACEC) of Alabama, the Alabama Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ALSITE) teamed up to host the event! Senator Clyde Chambliss, P.E. and Representative Cynthia Almond spoke to the group about the legislative issues facing the State of Alabama and bills affecting Civil Engineers. At the conclusion of the event, attendees visited with their legislators in order to engage them about infrastructure!
2023 Outstanding Web Award for Small Sections and Branches
The Montgomery Branch of ASCE is excited to announce that the branch website was selected by the ASCE Leader Training Committee to be awarded the 2023 Outstanding Branch Website Award for Small Sections and Branches. The website was voted #1 out of 140 Small Sections and Branches. It is a great team effort by the leadership of the Montgomery Branch to produce such great content! This is the 5th time in 8 years that the branch website has been selected as the best. The award will be official presented on Friday January 26 at the 2024 Regions 1, 2, 4, & 5 Multi Region Leadership Conference in Miami, Florida.
2023 Auburn Student Chapter Panel Discussion
On November 3, 2023, the Montgomery Branch of ASCE conducted their 8th Annual Industry Leaders Q&A Panel Discussion with the Auburn University’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). This event was attended by over 40 participants that included students, faculty, staff, and panelists. Region 5 Governor for the Alabama Section, Mr. Brad Williams, P.E. opened up the floor for students to ask questions and to moderate the panelists. The panel was composed by the following volunteers:
– Michael Collier, P.E. – Scott Bridge Company
– Billur Kazaz, Ph.D. – Geonsyntec Consultants
– Holly McCain, P.E. – Alabama Department of Transportation
– James Boyer, P.E. – Alabama Department of Transportation
– Davon Elder, P.E. – Barge Design
– Martin Clark, P.E. – Alabama Department of Transportation
The Q&A panel was very dynamic, insightful, and most importantly beneficial to the student members in attendance. Students were encouraged to ask questions in a safe space regarding professional recommendations, civil engineering courses, internship opportunities, professional licensure, interpersonal skills, and career paths. Students were very engaged with what the panel had to say.
A special thanks to Adam Holder, Dalton Chamblee, Veronica Ramirez, Taylor Janney, and Michael Hora for helping make the event a huge success!
2024 Annual Scholarship Information
2023 Scholarship Golf Tournament
On Thursday, September 14, 2023, the Montgomery Branch of ASCE hosted its Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament at the Arrowhead Country Club in Montgomery, AL. This event featured 25 teams and garnered support from 27 sponsors. We would like to recognize our sponsors for their contributions and the support from all the players, students, and volunteers who were responsible for making the Inaugural Ramsey Ashmore Memorial Golf Tournament an overwhelming success.
We would especially like to express our heartfelt appreciation towards the Ashmore family for honoring us with their presence and for allowing the Montgomery Branch of ASCE to dedicate this special event to the memory of our one of our Past Presidents, Ramsey Ashmore.
We are thrilled to announce that this tournament was able to raise over $8,000 for the annual scholarship fund. These scholarships will be provided by the Montgomery Branch to high school seniors in the River Region (Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes and Montgomery Counties) that are planning on enrolling in Civil Engineering.
Montgomery Branch Awards over $5,000 in Scholarships to Local Students
On Tuesday, April 11, 2023, the Montgomery Branch of ASCE granted over $5,000 in Annual Scholarship Awards in recognition of three exceptional high school students from the River Region. These students not only demonstrated exceptional academic achievements but also a dedication to leadership and community service.
The special recognition took place during the Montgomery Branch’s April monthly meeting, where attendees had the pleasure of hearing from the Auburn University Student Chapter about their experience at the 2023 Gulf Coast Student Symposium. It was a well-attended event with members of the Branch, Board of Directors, Auburn University student chapter, proud parents, and special guests in attendance.
The three scholarship recipients were Mr. Preston Hicks, Mr. Dalton Donde, and Mr. Cole Barsukoff. All recipients will be pursuing Civil Engineering degrees in the upcoming Fall semester. Mr. Hicks plans to attend the University of Alabama, while Mr. Donde and Mr. Barsukoff will embark on their academic journey at Auburn University.
The Board of Directors of the Montgomery Branch would like to extend their sincere gratitude to our members, sponsors, and volunteers for making this event possible. It is our hope that by recognizing and supporting these young engineering prospects, we can continue to inspire and encourage the future generation to pursue the Civil Engineering profession.
Alabama Section of ASCE Releases Infrastructure Report Card
On Thursday, March 31, the Alabama Section of ASCE unveiled its 2022 Report Card for Alabama’s Infrastructure, the state’s first report card since 2015. The report assigned the state’s systems a cumulative grade of “C-”, which is on par with the national grade of “C-“ and the same grade the state received in its 2015 report. A “C-” grade means the state’s infrastructure is in mediocre condition and requires attention.
The report analyzes 12 categories of infrastructure pertinent to Alabama: aviation (C), bridges (C+), dams (Incomplete), drinking water (C-), energy (B), inland waterways (D), ports (B), rail (B), roads (C-), stormwater (D+), transit (C-) and wastewater (D). Alabama Report Card co-chair Joe Meads, P.E., presented the findings in the report to an in-person audience at the Alabama Department of Archives & History in Montgomery, AL. Alabama Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth and state Senator Clyde Chambliss, who is also an engineer and ASCE member, provided remarks about the state of infrastructure in Alabama.
For more information on the report card, visit https://www.alabama-asce.org/2022-infrastructure-report-card/.
FY2024 Calendar of Events for Montgomery Branch
