ARCE A R C H I T E C T U R A L E N g I N E E R I N g D E p A R T m E N T C O L L E g E O F A R C H I T E C T U R E A N D E N v I R O N m E N T A L D E S I g N S p R I N g 2 0 1 2 ? ARCE STUDENTS FOLLOW THEIR HEARTS Around the World ? Department Head’s Message Appreciating Our Students Their energy proves boundless in academic, social activities I hope that this newsletter will illustrate why I am so proud of the students who graduate from the ARCE program. A theme in this issue is students making a difference in the undeveloped world. You will read about Kevin Chen in Uganda, Diana Durany in India, and a host of students assisting recovery efforts in Haiti. Despite the rigors of academics in the extraordinarily difficult ARCE program, the students continue to support Open House, conduct Structural Forum, host a weekly guest speaker series, plan field trips, participate in national competitions, execute creative senior projects, and have a lot of fun. They are simply the best. While teaching remains our top priority, the faculty are pursuing innovative research projects that support their own professional development and enhance their classroom teaching. This issue explains what they are doing with a consistent theme of protecting society in a highly seismic environment. The austerity of budget cuts are at least partially offset by the generosity of parents, alumni and industry partners. This edition Inside Dean’s Message 3 9 12 14 17 18 Looking back fondly, and now moving on 25 26 28 Faculty news Special Events Student Achievement Student Activities Alumni Event Cover Story: Learn by Doing Abroad Our Friends industry partner profile Facilities Update On the Cover Recent ARCE alumna Diana Durany – shown in a village near Mussoorie, india, with local children – continued to Learn by Doing as she worked overseas. Read about Diana and the experiences of other ARCE alums working abroad starting on page 18. 2 ? ARCE SpRing 2012 All good things must come to an end, and after nine years the time has come to turn the leadership of this college over to someone else’s capable hands. It has been my privilege to oversee five unique disciplines and watch the interdisciplinary collaboration grow over the last decade. It has been particularly interesting having one of the nation’s most rigorous engineering programs as part of an architecture college. Nobody else has that, and I think that we have taken great advantage of this opportunity. I want to personally thank the students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and industry partners that have of the newsletter is sponsored by the Fluor Corp., which has helped lead the way in this effort. I remain very grateful for our sponsored laboratories (CSI, Hilti, Verco, Simpson, Haselton, Berridge and Degenkolb) that have allowed us to upgrade our deteriorating facilities. There is still more to do and a great need to be filled, but I certainly appreciate the positive feedback and good attendance we get at Parents Weekend, ARCE social gatherings, the SEAOC conference, and other outreach efforts that are featured in this issue. Finally, I want to thank Tom Jones who has served as the college dean for the past nine years. He will be stepping down after this year, and I am very grateful for all he has done for this department. He was particularly courageous in making the case for additional funding, and he left the college far better than he found it. We will miss him. Allen C. estes, DepArtment HeAD so fervently supported this outstanding ARCE program. There is still much work to be done. I am conf ident t ha t you all wil l st ay involved and will continue to contribute in the critical areas of student recruitment, contemporary issues in high-performance environments, integrated knowledge and tools, professional practice and methods, technical competence, collaborative process, community engagement, external partnerships, teaching and research innovation, and resource stability. My best wishes and thanks to you all. r. tHomAs Jones, AIA As an assistant to professor John Lawson in his research project, ARCE graduate student Caroline yarber prepares to test a wood glulam beam. Faculty news RESEARCHing Scientists might not be able to predict the next big earthquake, but leading research by some of Cal Poly’s architectural engineering professors might j us t result in sa vi ng lives, if a nd whe n the ne xt “b ig one ” o ccur s. The destruction and loss of life that a major temblor can cause can be mitigated to a large extent by designing and constructing buildings that are better able to withstand such a seismic event. Here we take a look at some of the research in progress. SHAKE, ? RATTLE & ROLL ? Assessing the earthquake safety of ‘big box’ stores EARTHQUAKES D O M i n AT E A R C E FA C U LT y pROJECTS Professor John Lawson and graduate student Caroline Yarber are working to improve the earthquake safety of warehouses and “big box” retailers, like Costco and Home Depot. “Earthquake design of buildings is traditionally based on the flexibility or stiffness of the vertical walls or columns,” John explained. “Typically, the stiffer the building, the more earthquake force it suffers.” But John theorizes that in some buildings, the large flexible roof diaphragm may be more important than walls and columns in predicting seismic loading and performance. Big box stores are built with short, stiff concrete or masonry walls. Conversely the stores’ large flat horizontal roof diaphragms WWW.ARCE.CALpOLy.EDU ? 3 Faculty news are flexible. “These two different stiffnesses in the same building cause it to behave differently than the building code assumes it will in a large earthquake,” John said. “The building code ignores the diaphragm’s response.” Additionally in an earthquake, roof diaphragms made of bare metal deck or wood – common in California – “tend to deform and drift across property lines, pound into adjacent buildings, and tear away from stiffer wall elements,” John said. “Engineers have been struggling to find more accuracy in computing how much a roof diaphragm sways in an earthquake. My testing is meant to analyze one part of this puzzle.” Understanding the actual behavior of buildings is critical to improving building safety. Lawson is measuring the strength and stiffness of a common structural connection in large flat roof systems. “Specifically we are looking at the Simpson Strong-Tie connection hardware used to connect roof beams to resist earthquake loads,” John said. “I theorize these connections pla y an important role in t he over all stiffness of the roof diaphragm, affecting seismic performance.” Simpson Strong-Tie donated the connection hardware and provided past testing documentation, and Beven Herron of La Habra, Calif., donated 12 glued-laminated wood beam specimens for testing. Cal Poly’s Extramural Funding Initiative provided John an $11,000 grant, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided $4,000. Identifying California’s earthquake-vulnerable buildings Thanks to a $300,00 0 grant from FEMA, Professors Jill Nelson and Jim Guthrie are continuing their work as principal investigators on the California V i t a l I n f r a s t r u c t u r e Vu l n e r a b i l i t y A s sessment (Cal VIVA I) project that began in February 2011. This project is a collaboration between Cal Poly and the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA). The project helps Cal EMA prepare for natural disasters by developing a methodology to identify and prioritize state-owned buildings vulnerable to earthquakes. “The methodology is based on three triggers,” Jill explained, “Site seismicity, building professors Jim guthrie and Jill nelson are working to identify state-owned buildings vulnerable to earthquakes. 4 ? ARCE SpRing 2012 vulnerability, and the criticality of the functions housed in the building.” The methodology is being tested on four state agencies: Caltrans, the Department of Water Resources, California Highway Patrol, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. ARCE faculty and students have performed site visits on 17 buildings with more planned for spring 2012. Jill and Jim plan to prepare a report this year that documents the process and the seismic assessments, as well as develop long-term planning goals for the state. The grant includes funding for faculty and ARCE graduate students to assist with the building investigations and related studies. In addition, key elements of the grant, such as seismic evaluation, upgrade processes, and public policy decision making, are being brought to the classroom, reinforcing Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy. Haiti: mwangi’s year in review Professor James Mwangi is back after a year’s sabbatical in Haiti, where he helped rebuild the nation devastated by an earthquake in January 2010. He reports that a new dimension in rebuilding efforts has emerged known as owner-driven home repairs. Instead of a nongovernmental organization (NGO) fully funding home repairs, owners must come up with a percentage of the cost to rebuild. Then an NGO provides technical support and funds to rebuild a stronger, safer home. James also helped lay the groundwork for a hazard reduction center at the State University of Haiti to serve as a clearinghouse to ensure building codes are in place and enforced. With Cal Poly and Virginia Tech leading the charge, seven universities and some leading national building research organizations have committed to creating the center. James was also heartened by a Canadian International Development Agency project. With a $1.4 million grant funded through the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), work is under way to build a planned village that will offer Haitian citizens decentralized services. Everything in Haiti is centralized in Port-au-Prince – from f inances and politics to education and health care. It’s where people go for all m an ner of business . This res ul ted i n extreme overcrowding – a major reason so many died in the earthquake. The MCC aims to decentralize services so people won’t have to come to the capital for everything. “We secured land outside Port-au-Prince and planned an entire sustainable village with homes for 500 families,” James said. Students and faculty meet up in port-au-prince (top, from left): Josue Urrutia, ARCE professor James Mwangi, State University of Haiti professor Jaddote Janin, Ben Biddick and Anna Smith The design of a proposed building for the new village near port-au-prince was developed by local Haitian engineers under professor Mwangi’s guidance (above). continued on page 6 WWW.ARCE.CALpOLy.EDU ? 5 Faculty news Sustainable earthquakeresistant construction Professor Peter Laursen continues t o i n v e s t i g at e how we l l i n t er l o c ki n g compressed earth block (CEB) masonry walls hold up in earthquakes and strong wind conditions. He is focusing on how slender onestory-high CEB walls behave under face loading. “We are using blocks made with a hand-operated block press, resulting in a low-cost, environmentally sustainable construction material made primarily of indigenous soil mixed with minimal cement for stabilization,” Peter said. “The process involves stacking dry CEBs without mortar joints, much like LEGOs,” he continued. Reinforcement bars are inserted in the cavities and grouted. “This is easily accomplished using local unskilled labor.” The research is a collaboration with civil engineering Professors Dan Jansen and Bing Qu. ARCE graduate student Nicholas Herskedal built and tested three four-foot-tall cantilever walls and two eight-foot-tall, full-scale walls in a campus lab. “Under simulated seismic loading, we confirmed that a dry-stacked CEB wall is incredibly flexible when bending out of its plane. So flexible that the wall might 6 ? ARCE SpRing 2012 buckle under modest axial load before achieving its bending strength,” Peter said. To mitigate the excessive flexibility, Nick stiffened a second full-scale wall with a column embedded in the wall panel. “The test showed the concept to be promising with the wall greatly stiffened in comparison to the plain walls,” Peter said. Peter is expanding on the research with an $11,000 grant from Cal Poly’s Extramural Funding Initiative. He is now graduate student nick Herskedal tests the flexibility of an 8-foot-tall wall he built in the High Bay Lab as part of professor peter Laursen’s research. looking at using CEB as masonry infill in reinforced concrete frames, also called confined masonry construction, which is very popular in large parts of the world, from South America to the Middle East and China. professor Cole McDaniel sets up the UL-FVT equipment for a building shake test (left). professor graham Archer explains the UL-FVT to UC San Diego doctoral students (above). professors mcDaniel and Archer continue to shake things up Professors Cole McDaniel and Graham A rc h e r t r a v e l e d to U C S a n D ie g o a s part of their research sponsored by the National Science Foundation-Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation R e sea rch . T h ey a re i n ves t i g a ting th e feasibility of extremely low amplitude forced vibration testing to determine the structural dynamic properties of low-rise buildings. Toward that end, they are using a very small, 30-pound shaker to excite a full-scale, five-story reinforced concrete building test specimen constructed on UC San Diego’s outdoor shake table as part of a multi-million dollar NSF research project. This high-performance outdoor shake table is the world’s first outdoor shake table and is the largest in the U.S. The results of the ultra-low forced vibration testing (UL-FVT), namely, the natural frequencies, mode shapes, and The full-scale, five-story reinforced concrete building test specimen at UC San Diego damping ratios, will be compared to the shake table test results. Comparisons will be made at multiple stages of the testing. “This research is potentially transformative in that it will define the limits and applicability of the UL-FVT,” Cole said. The first phase focused on testing the five-story building prior to earthquake simulation on the shake table. In an eighthour period, Cole and Graham successfully captured the building’s dynamic characteristics. These compared well to analytical predictions made by ARCE undergraduate student Zhi Long Liu and two UC San Diego doctoral students. “These preliminary results are very p romi s i n g,” G r a h a m s a i d . “ T h e t r u e test will come when these results can be compared to those obtained by exciting the building with earthquake ground motions through the massive shake table.” T h e n e x t p h a s e s o f t h e U L -F V T research involve retesting the structure after it is damaged in the earthquake simulations. It is hoped that the location and extent of the damage will be detected in subsequent UL-FVT studies. WWW.ARCE.CALpOLy.EDU ? 7 Faculty news Taking a ‘Dip’ at Degenkolb – Again ? professor Abe Lynn returns to industry for a year Professor Abe Lynn (ARCE ’86) is noticeably absent from campus this year, but when he returns, he will be even better equipped to teach and motivate his students. Thanks to a California State University program known as Difference in Pay (DIP) Leave, eligible professors may take time off to work with industry. This marks Abe’s fourth DIP stint at Degenkolb Engineers in Oakland. These industry experiences are critical to staying on top of the latest advances in professional practice. “The cutting edge of structural engineering is constantly changing, frequently with every large earthquake,” Abe said. “Degenkolb’s work is right on that edge, and its personnel are frequently on many of the committees that develop our current building codes. It’s invaluable to bring that into the classroom and my research.” He teaches a number of courses, such as Reinforced Concrete and Seismic Design and Analysis, that are directly related to practice. Department Head Al Estes is a proponent of the opportunity. “Considering the industry focus of the program and inclusion of practitioners on the faculty, it is important for faculty members to stay professor Abe Lynn current with the industry we serve,” Al stated. “Working side by side with many of our former students is a great way to maintain our partnership with industry and stay connected with those who hire our graduates.” Abe is a 1986 Cal Poly ARCE graduate. He worked for four years before deciding he wanted to teach. After earning a master’s and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, he returned to Cal Poly to teach. And after 16 years, Abe is the longest serving member of the faculty. The popular professor still loves what he does. “Cal Poly students are some of the brightest and most motivated I’ve met; they are a pleasure to teach,” he said. Returning to industry as an engineer for a year is a boon to Abe and his students. “If you can teach your subject with a detailed understanding of how it fits into the bigger picture and are able to cite meaningful examples, you have more power to motivate your students to want to learn,” Abe remarked. “Working in industry helps me provide context. Students want to feel that what they are learning has real meaning and application, and these experiences with Degenkolb help me provide that.” The experience also helps perpetuate Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. “In the short term, Learn by Doing creates graduates who can hit the ground running. It’s one reason our graduates are so sought after,” Abe said. “A strong theoretical background is also necessary for long-term success. Inevitably you’ll run into a problem that doesn’t follow what was taught in the textbooks and the codes, and you have to have a good theoretical foundation to work your way through the problem. It’s the structural engineer who is as adept at dealing with the difficult problems – a s well as the everyday issues – who is ultimately successful.” in memoriam professor Emeritus Dell Orey nickell (1923-2012) ? Dell and Donna nickell 8 ? ARCE SpRing 2012 Dell Orey Nickell, 89, architectural engineering professor emeritus, died in February in Arizona. Dell is survived by his wife, Donna Nickell, and stepchildren. Dell came to San Luis Obispo to serve as deputy county engineer. In 1965 he joined the Architectural Engineering Department and taught Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering until he retired in 1980. He served as acting department head in 1979 and is credited by emeritus faculty member John Edmisten with guiding the department through a very difficult period. Emeritus faculty member Sat Rihal is saddened by the loss of his dear friend and recalls Dell as “one of the warmest and finest human beings” he has ever met. “Dell will always be remembered for being such a dear friend, wonderful colleague and a great teacher,” Sat said. Special Events president Jeffrey D. Armstrong (below) addressed a full house of students and their parents (right) A growing Tradition Second parents Reception draws an even bigger crowd ARCE had an excellent turnout for its second annual Parents Reception, held Oct. 29 during the university’s Parents’ Weekend. Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong and CAED Dean R. Thomas Jones welcomed the group of about 200 faculty members, students and their parents. The event, held in the courtyard behind the ARCE Building, included a barbecue sponsored by the student chapter of the SEAOC/AEI. The college photographer took family photos, which all attendees received with a thank you note for attending. The formal program included student presentations on chapter activities and the recent trip to Haiti. Professors Ed Saliklis on guitar and John Lawson, bass, got some laughs when they performed their original tune, “ARCE Blues.” (See it at: www.you tube.com/watch?v=W_fV2Y1dFSA.) Guests also saw a Learn by Doing timelapse video created by Professor Emeritus Jake Feldman as part of his Large-Scale Structures course for architecture and construction students. (See it at http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=zfLQi9OlDK0&feat ure=youtu.be.) Finally, the parents participated in a q u e s t i o n -a n d -a n s w e r s e s s i o n w i t h The Wali family (left) Zachary Sidnam at the barbecue (below) Department Head Al Estes. “It was terrific to see so many ARCE parents in attendance,” Al said. “Parents obviously have a vested interest in the success of this program, and I look forward to their support and involvement. “We look forward to an even bigger crowd at next October’s reception.” Special Events Structural Forum 2012 Rebuild & Reuse ? This year’s Structural Forum attracted more companies overall – 29 this year versus 24 last – and more companies from outside California than in previous years. According to Structural Forum Chair Kyle Welsh, “It seemed more positive than in past years” – an indication that things might be looking up in the structural engineering industry. This year’s theme, “Rebuild and Reuse,” reflected Kyle’s interest in retrofitting and also brought back more technical speakers and topics to the event, held Feb. 18. Three industry experts spoke during the morning session, held in the Rotunda in the Business Building on campus: Mason Walters (ARCE ’78), a principal at Forell/ Elsesser Engineers, spoke on the Utah State Capitol Retrofit project; David Mar, principal of Tipping Mar, gave a presentation on UC Berkeley’s Greek Theatre retrofit project; and Yoram Eilon, vice president of WSP Cantor Seinuk in New York, talked about One World Trade Center, the lead building of the new World Trade Center complex. Mark Sarkisian, director of seismic and structural engineering in the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, delivered the keynote address at the evening banquet, held at the Embassy Suites Hotel. He addressed about 200 people – 140 of gathering for the forum (from left): professor John Lawson, SEAOC president Laura Rice, forum Chair Kyle Welsh, speaker Mason Walters, Department Head Al Estes, speakers Mark Sarkisian and yoram Eilon, SEAOC Vice president Lisa Henry, and speaker David Mar. them students – on new ways to look at engineering design – ways that incorporate nature into the design. A highlight for Kyle was the Friday night before the forum. He and students Lisa Henry, Laura Rice and Chelsie Taylor; faculty members John Lawson, Al Estes, Abe Lynn, Graham Archer, Ed Saliklis; and Administrative Support Coordinator Christine Cobb sat down to an informal dinner with the speakers. “All the speakers were extremely nice, down-to-earth and personable,” Kyle said. “I learned a lot.” It was the start to a very successful 22nd annual Structural Forum. Thank You, partners | ARCE extends a warm thank you to these companies for their participation in the 2012 forum: ATi Architects and Engineers, Danville Brooks Ransom & Associates, Fresno Buehler & Buehler S.E. inc., Sacramento Crosby group, Redwood City Degenkolb Engineers, Oakland DES Architects + Engineers inc., Redwood City Englekirk Structural Engineers, Los Angeles Ficcadenti & Waggoner Consulting Structural Engineers, irvine Fluor Corp., Aliso Viejo 10 ? ARCE SpRing 2012 Forell/Elsesser Engineers inc., San Francisco Hilti, Tulsa, Okla. Holmes Culley/Holmes Fire, San Francisco John A. Martin & Associates, Los Angeles KpFF Consulting Engineers, Los Angeles Lionakis, Sacramento MHp Structural Engineers, Long Beach Miyamoto international, Santa Ana paradigm Structural Engineers, San Francisco peoples Associates Structural Engineers, Milpitas Rinne & peterson Structural Engineers, palo Alto Rutherford + Chekene, San Francisco Simpson gumpertz & Heger inc., San Francisco Simpson Strong-Tie, Riverside Taylor & Syfan Consulting Engineers inc. , pasadena and San Luis Obispo Verco Decking inc., Fremont Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates inc., Emeryville ZFA Structural Engineers, Santa Rosa Special Events O ut ? World OF THiS ARCE kicks up its heels at alumni reception in Vegas during SEAOC Convention ARCE students Niko Gomes, Lisa Henry, Laura Rice and Kyle Welsh attended the annual Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) Convention in Las Vegas, Nev., in September 2011. The event is the biggest gathering of structural engineers, said Department Head Al Estes, who, along with faculty advisor John Lawson, accompanied the students. The students, all officers in the student chapter of SEAOC, attended technical sessions, social events, and the ARCE alumni reception. “We went to three lectures a day, each choosing our own interest,” said Laura, SEAOC president. “This convention was great. What we learned is not taught in the classroom. These are advanced topics, and having exposure to them now is really an advantage.” The students also attended the 80th birthday reception of UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus Ed Wilson, hosted by Ashraf Habibullah and Computer and Structures Inc., which included a performance of Cirque du Soleil’s “O” at the Bellagio. Approximately 45 alumni and friends of the ARCE program attended the annual alumni reception hosted by the ARCE Department at J.C. Wooloughan’s Irish Pub in the J.W. Marriott Resort, where the conference was held. Al spoke about the ARCE program and held the door-prize drawing. Alan Hanson from Simpson Strong- Dancing at the SEAOC Convention Banquet (top, from left): niko gomes, John Lawson, Lisa Henry and Kyle Welsh Alums catching up (above): Allison Hellner (‘07), gordy Wray (‘02) and Adam Azofeifa (‘08) Alan Hanson won the door prize (left). Tie won the grand prize gift basket. The department thanks Jerry Lohr for donating J. Lohr wine to support the reception. ARCE is also grateful to Bill (ARCE ’78) and Melissa Warren of SESOL Inc., J i m M a ll e y o f D e g en kol b Engi ne e r s , Jim Amundson (ARCE ’82) of Hope Engineering, and Larry Kaprelian (ARCE ’79) of KNA Consulting Engineers for their financial gifts, allowing the students to attend. Funds from the Fluor Student Leadership program also assisted. WWW.ARCE.CALpOLy.EDU ? 11 Student Achievement Learn by Building ? Students win big with design of world’s largest portable telescope base Three ARCE seniors put their structural engineering knowledge to use in an entirely new direction: building the base for the world’s largest portable amateur telescope. They didn’t know when they started that they would be creating not only a beautiful work of art but also a groundbreaking scientific tool as well. And the finished product also resulted in a $3,000 windfall and a first-place win for students Laura Rice, Mike Vickery and Mounir el Koussa in the ApplePly design competition. The three collaborated on the project with Russell Genet as part of the AltAz Telescope Initiative, which aims to develop a new class of low-cost, lightweight research telescopes and spur growth in scientific research programs. Russell is a Cal Poly research scholar in residence and director of the observatory in Santa Margarita, Calif. With support from the CYS-Eugene Cole Scholarship, the students designed, built and analyzed the telescope as their senior projects. “Essentially we built the structure that the mirror and instruments sit on,” explained Laura. They built the structure using ApplePly, a premium quality hardwood plywood known for its attractive edge, strength and solid hardwood core. The base had strict deflection tolerances, and the students used the CNC router to cut wooden trusses that provided most of the structural support. The telescope can go up and down and from side to side. “It’s a large telescope structure that amateurs could recreate affordably – well under $1,000,” said Laura, who presented it at the Alt-Az Telescope Initiative Convention in Hawaii in December 2011. “You can buy large telescopes, but they cost upwards of $200,000.” Rather than producing an image as most telescopes do, this “light bucket” telescope concentrates light onto a fairly small point for use in scientific measurements such as photometry and spectroscopy. It is strictly a specialized “science” telescope and is not even equipped with an eyepiece. The project provided the students with a great Learn by Doing opportunity. “It was a great senior project,” Laura stated. “We in architectural engineering analyze buildings, not telescopes. This was new. It was exciting to take what we learned in our major and apply it to this entirely new type of structure. And it was interesting to see the similarities in designing this and designing buildings.” Students (from left) Mike Vickery and Mounir el Koussa with research scholar Russell genet and the award-winning telescope base (left) Student Laura Rice (above) 12 ? ARCE SpRing 2012 ARCE Scholarship Award Winners Recognizing Excellence Following is a complete list (in alphabetical order) of ARCE scholarship award winners. College of Architecture and Environmental Design Awards and Scholarships ? Sinhui Chang | Carson Starkey Memorial Scholarship Lisa Henry | CAED Jamba Juice Scholarship professor Abe Lynn | Wesley Ward Teaching Award pablo Ramos | Robin L. Rossi Award pablo Ramos and Daniel Samson | Herbert E. Collins Scholarships Zhi Long Liu Jillian Weinberg-Huyette | Forell/Elsesser ? Engineers Scholarship ? Architectural Engineering Department Awards and Scholarships ? David martin | Academic Excellence – BS garrett Hagen | Academic Excellence – MS Brian planas, Emily Carlip, Cailen Ball | Department Service Nicholas marrs | CyS/Eugene Cole Senior project Award Julie Bolander and Laura Rice | Structural Engineers Association of northern California Scholarships Sinhui Chang | Hans Mager Scholarship garrett Hagen | KpFF Consulting Engineers Scholarship Lisa Henry | Fluor Upper Division Scholarship Jesse Hoye | Fluor Lower Division Scholarship Zhi Long Liu and Shawna peterson | Riddle Scholarships Zhi Long Liu | John A. Martin and Associates Scholarship Zhi Long Liu | Degenkolb Engineers Scholarship and internship ? Zhi Long Liu | Structural Engineers Association of Southern California Scholarship Daniel Samson | paul A. Fratessa Memorial Endowment ? Kevin Sepulveda | Emanuele Barelli Structural Engineer Scholarship michael vickery | Simpson gumpertz & Heger inc. Scholarship yvonne and John Edmiston presented the Hans Mager Scholarship to Sinhui Chang. Attending the SEAOnC awards dinner (from left): K atie Stank e, Julie Bolander, Department Head Al Estes, Meg Witt and Laura Rice On the go ARCE students win major SEAOC sholarships in northern and Southern California The Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) annually presents three $5,000 scholarships to deserving students from universities in the region. ARCE Department Head Al Estes was on hand at the SEAONC awards dinner in San Francisco in May. For the second consecutive year, two of the three scholarships were awarded to Cal Poly ARCE students: seniors Julie Bolander and Laura Rice. Both are graduating in June and have been accepted into the master’s program at UC San Diego for the fall. Al, along with Advancement Director Allie Jones and students Zhi Long Liu, Alex Daddow, Eliza Alcantara, Felipe Alfaro and Lauren Litweiler, attended the annual Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) Job Fair and scholarship presentation in February in Monterey Park. Nine scholarships of varying amounts were presented to students from nine Southern California universities. The largest, the $2,000 Kenneth Narver and Margaret Narver Blair Scholarship, went to Zhi Long Liu. WWW.ARCE.CALpOLy.EDU ? 13 Student Activities E X p A n S ? O SEAOC/AEi chapter offers rich experiences outside the classroom Despite rigorous academic schedules, s t u de nts in Cal Poly’s chapter of th e Structural Engineers Association of C alif orn i a / Arch i tect ural E ngin eerin g Institute (SEAOC/AEI) still find time for fun. Like the annual pumpkin carving contest, in which 40 students competed for prizes. Students again prepared a Thanksgiving dinner with all the typical holiday fare. Fourteen students spent eight hours preparing the feast for approximately 90 students. On the Road Again In November, more than 30 students traveled with faculty advisor John Lawson to Northern California to visit construction sites, engineering firms, and a research/ t e s t i n g f a c i l i t y. S i m p s o n S t ro n g -Ti e provided lunch and gave a private tour 14 ? ARCE SpRing 2012 p p O of its research, testing and manufacturing facility in Stockton. In San Francisco, students visited Forell/Elsesser Engineers Inc. and Rutherford & Chekene, where they caught up with ARCE alumni now working at the firms. At UC Berkeley, stu